I started my Substack 4 months ago, and the biggest struggle is not to get caught up in articles about growing your Substack. It's hard because I want to grow, but those articles mostly waste your time. I believe the key to growth on any platform is consistency. Just show up and keep publishing.
I think the issue is that it's not a bug but an intended feature of Substack that everything is sort of an ad or sales letter. Substack makes its money from paid subscriptions, after all, so the creators it promotes are the ones best at selling. I don't mind people making money here. Otherwise, the site wouldn't function. But there are degrees of manipulative behaviour, such as the 'subscribe to learn how I got so many subscribers' types, that really do poison the whole platform.
Agree! Gosh I was so angry when I wrote this piece months ago, and I think my feelings were well founded, but I’ve mellowed a bit because I found away to just cut all those people out of my notes feed. Now I’m blissfully unaware of the “substack growth influencers” and just stick to a couple tried a true leaders to show me the way (like Sarah Fey, etc).
I enjoy reading rants. If I was LeVar Burton, I would create a new show called “Reading Rantbow” where I would read rants, although the rants would have to be approved by PBS and Viewers Like You.
You’re clearly in a very bad mood today! I love the content thatI consume on Substack, because it’s enlightened, intelligent news and commentary on world events, Try Council Estate Media, Caitlin Johnstone’s newsletter or Alien Sideboob, to name just three very enjoyable (and sometimes harrowing, but always interesting) pieces. - None of which will try and sell you a course in maximising your rankings on Google!
I started my Substack 4 months ago, and the biggest struggle is not to get caught up in articles about growing your Substack. It's hard because I want to grow, but those articles mostly waste your time. I believe the key to growth on any platform is consistency. Just show up and keep publishing.
I think the issue is that it's not a bug but an intended feature of Substack that everything is sort of an ad or sales letter. Substack makes its money from paid subscriptions, after all, so the creators it promotes are the ones best at selling. I don't mind people making money here. Otherwise, the site wouldn't function. But there are degrees of manipulative behaviour, such as the 'subscribe to learn how I got so many subscribers' types, that really do poison the whole platform.
Agree! Gosh I was so angry when I wrote this piece months ago, and I think my feelings were well founded, but I’ve mellowed a bit because I found away to just cut all those people out of my notes feed. Now I’m blissfully unaware of the “substack growth influencers” and just stick to a couple tried a true leaders to show me the way (like Sarah Fey, etc).
I agree with you. It is very difficult to grow your audience, when the big names get all the attention.
I enjoy reading rants. If I was LeVar Burton, I would create a new show called “Reading Rantbow” where I would read rants, although the rants would have to be approved by PBS and Viewers Like You.
Hahaha I would watch that show!
You’re clearly in a very bad mood today! I love the content thatI consume on Substack, because it’s enlightened, intelligent news and commentary on world events, Try Council Estate Media, Caitlin Johnstone’s newsletter or Alien Sideboob, to name just three very enjoyable (and sometimes harrowing, but always interesting) pieces. - None of which will try and sell you a course in maximising your rankings on Google!
You are 100% correct. It is a circle jerk of narcissistic people jerking off each other.