Thanks for your super thoughtful and funny perspective on this. I did have a chuckle at the school and clique references. I came on here Feb 2023 and still wound up feeling like I’d turned up a few terms too late. I enjoy the reading and connecting with folks and deepening relationships that didn’t have that container to flourish before, and I’m also not sure about Substack as a platform and I’m also continuing to feel things out. But it’s great to have homies like you here while I do that!
Oh Nat, you are SO welcome. Do we both need to dig deeper into our timings on fitting into the cool crowd? I think I saw something about video Notes yesterday and it literally filled me with a Reels like dread. We'll find our way. And if not, the data tracks that both of us have carved our new pathways before. And thank you for being here, friend xo
Thanks for this perspective. I've just made the leap to Substack and it's so good to have this reminder about clear intentions and not comparing to others.
Welcome! I think you'll like it here...you do you, that's the reward in and of itself and Substack is absolutely a platform that holds space for that xo
This was great to read. I am glad I am not alone and I guess after you wrote it seems obvious - if you are not a writer, if writing alone is not your main business, then growth here will necessarily be slower as you don't really have the time to spend on Notes - well, I don't. I admit that the "how to get 10k subscribers in X-time"-type articles did get my attention at first. But I quickly realised that it just wasn't for me. Sometimes I'm ok with that, sometimes I'm not... It's a work in progress...
By the way, Louise Stigell has since come back to Substack. She now has a Podcast, The Calm Creative which is well worth listening to :).
Of course it’s a no brainer that if writing isn’t your core business growth will be slower- I guess my point is acknowledging these different experiences and finding the one that works for you. Thank you for letting me know about Louise Stigell
Thank you for sharing this - I’m only a couple months in and kinda had my first moment of overwhelm over the weekend. I had to take a step back and remember my own intentions for this project, rather than comparing myself to others and their creative journeys / wishing to be one of the ‘cool kids’ haha. Glad you’ve a tribe and that you’re glad to have made that leap. It’s definitely reassuring.
Harriet, I have those moments so often. Weirdly when I take a step back, it almost gives things time to breathe. Come back to your own purpose, it's your project, no one else's xo
Absolutely - and you're so right about how stepping back gives the words and ideas time to breathe. I was trying to crank out a post earlier this week but thought I'd give up because it just wasn't working. Less than a full day later, I'm coming back to it because the tiny pocket of space I accidentally gave it has cleared the path. Now I know my route in. Thanks again for sharing your experience - honestly, such a good reminder to be gentler with this project and myself.
Such a great explanation of Substack, I love your perspective of it all. I started last September and growth is very small (no overnight success story here!) but I’m quite happy with that because it’s all a big experiment for me right now and without the pressure of have to constantly produce which feels aligned and realistic for me at the moment, hopefully I will continue to learn here and thanks for sharing some great go-to people to discover and learn from too!
Karen! SO lovely to see you here! Love that you're taking that experimental approach...and freeing yourself up from the production cycle too. Looking forward to seeing how things unfold for you here xo
This is such a great post-I'm a couple of months in so still feel I'm finding my feet-doing fortnightly posts currently. But yeah, it feels like a bit of a puzzle I'm trying to solve how to help it grow, but also remembering the lovely comments I already get from readers-and how that feels like the thing to focus on.
I'm actually seeing a lot of high-profile Substack writers pare back their output, Mel, as I guess there's only so much we can all consume. It's like Lucy Werner says - focus on the community you already have and you're good to go xo
I am glad we are here together navigating it - I do feel like Substack solidified our PR support club of 2. Our sporadic weekly check-in on Substack natters has been invaluable to me.
It's given us another level of connection after all these years. I'm always so grateful for your thoughts and endless support here...The Substack Sessions on our voicenotes should be our podcast xo
I just read all this and saw you linked to me at the end! 🥰
Great to read about your honest experience here. I love it here and it is so much more than I imagined, and yes, I think omit takes a big commitment to grow, it’s time consuming to post often and be present on notes. I love it but there are only so many hours in the day! A much better vibe than other social media platforms, such a vibrant community 🤗
Oh well I love you for staying till the end as I was so aware this was a long one! It's a whole new world for sure and there is a different thrill to hitting "publish" on Substack to "send" on Mailchimp...The commitment's a lot and to be honest, I know there's so much more I could be doing. So glad to have found you here xo
Thanks for this thoughtful and considered post. I started on Substack March 2023 as a 'nobody' in the writing world and purely to force myself into a habit when I have a busy work life in a different field (tech marketing). And it's worked, I'm showing up (nearly) every week to write here, and I've met some fantastic people and received wonderful personal responses to my work.
But the last six months I've definitely felt that comparisonitis kick in (which is a bit of a first for me) as I've seen other newbies start and whizz past me in their readership. It's hard to keep turning up and writing for practically no one, but taking your post as a reminder to myself to keep focusing on my end goal which is to make sure I am writing and showing up with that writing weekly. Thank you!
Oh hi tech marketing friend! I would bet you know exactly what your goal is here and that writing and showing up is part of that process for you - there is so much beauty in that in itself. I love your posts and look forward to them so I honestly hope you do xo
Thank you, Antonia - that truly means a lot. And as soon as I pressed publish on my comment above, honestly I had a word with myself! Our chat here has inspired me to focus on what I'm doing, and to keep talking to those who *are* valuing my work, as I value their presence so much. Yours included. Thanks again.
A great read and this is such a timely post…my latest letter is voicing my growing list of Substack niggles. I’ve decided that I really haven’t got the time or energy to play the game and I’m moving my newsletter off Substack and will still post here but less frequently and with more intention. X
Oh wow Becca! I'm going to have a read of your last post and I hope the move goes well...Less frequently and with more intention is my strategy too. Look forward to hearing how everything goes for you xo
Look at the amount of comments on here! I mean that is Substack goals right there. Actually the fact you were on here was one of my reasons to move over. So was the fact that Emma Gannon has been gently, not so gently saying that not only would my newsletter find a wonderful home here but so would my membership and so a month or so ago I fully committed and then launched my podcast on here too (I hope you’ve been listening to it by the way - you’ll love it! 😂). As ever I think Emma might be very very right. I love it on here and as a coach first, podcaster second and writer third, I actually think there is a lovely space for my breed. I think writers and coaches are a great mix. The mixed media options on here are exciting and I’ve barely explored them but will do. And as for growth, I’m an old dog when it comes to email marketing blah blah blah and growth doesn’t come naturally and I refuse to spend my precious time on this planet attempting to become good at marketing and growth - it’s not my thing - and I’m ok with that. I just want to create quality content and community for a small but solid crew and hang out with cool people like you on here. So, my focus is getting a community going on here. Actually you are bloody great at that! Any tips on how you got people talking on here. My readers that I brought over are loyal but not very talkative 😂 so happy to be hanging out with you on here xxx
Selina! I miss you!!! Thank you for this. I DO have your podcast on my list... I can imagine Emma Gannon makes a very compelling case. I will have a think about the comments piece too...I think it's about when you hit that spot that people are thinking about already. I love how you mix up all the multitudes we contain on here. Look forward to hanging out with you more my love xo
Thank you so much for this. I’m just starting and feel there’s an unfair advantages to people like Elizabeth Gilbert, Margaret Atwood & other superstars. I have to keep remembering that I’m here to practice writing. I shouldn’t even pretend I have an audience and just do what gives me joy.
I'm on my fourth month in and I feel like you summed it up pretty well. There's a lot I can relate to like the Overwhelm and Learning Platform and skipping a goddamn week because Life happens outside of here. Thank you, Antonia!
I love this honesty, and enjoy your content - whenever and however you decide to post it :)
For me, I setup a Substack with every intention of writing more - for myself primarily but also to share. Sadly I read more than I write and have been struck by comparisonitus! I'll get back to it because ideas are floating round my head but I'll need to remember to shut out the noise from everything else. Have a great weekend (when we get there!) x
I really do believe that we find our way back to creativity when we most need to. Go gentle on yourself…you’re here, you’re taking a look round at how this could work for you and where you go as you rediscover that. Keep taking those creative stepping stones xo
Thanks for your super thoughtful and funny perspective on this. I did have a chuckle at the school and clique references. I came on here Feb 2023 and still wound up feeling like I’d turned up a few terms too late. I enjoy the reading and connecting with folks and deepening relationships that didn’t have that container to flourish before, and I’m also not sure about Substack as a platform and I’m also continuing to feel things out. But it’s great to have homies like you here while I do that!
Oh Nat, you are SO welcome. Do we both need to dig deeper into our timings on fitting into the cool crowd? I think I saw something about video Notes yesterday and it literally filled me with a Reels like dread. We'll find our way. And if not, the data tracks that both of us have carved our new pathways before. And thank you for being here, friend xo
Homiiiiiiie💛
I know ;) xo
Thanks for this perspective. I've just made the leap to Substack and it's so good to have this reminder about clear intentions and not comparing to others.
Welcome! I think you'll like it here...you do you, that's the reward in and of itself and Substack is absolutely a platform that holds space for that xo
This was great to read. I am glad I am not alone and I guess after you wrote it seems obvious - if you are not a writer, if writing alone is not your main business, then growth here will necessarily be slower as you don't really have the time to spend on Notes - well, I don't. I admit that the "how to get 10k subscribers in X-time"-type articles did get my attention at first. But I quickly realised that it just wasn't for me. Sometimes I'm ok with that, sometimes I'm not... It's a work in progress...
By the way, Louise Stigell has since come back to Substack. She now has a Podcast, The Calm Creative which is well worth listening to :).
Of course it’s a no brainer that if writing isn’t your core business growth will be slower- I guess my point is acknowledging these different experiences and finding the one that works for you. Thank you for letting me know about Louise Stigell
Thank you for sharing this - I’m only a couple months in and kinda had my first moment of overwhelm over the weekend. I had to take a step back and remember my own intentions for this project, rather than comparing myself to others and their creative journeys / wishing to be one of the ‘cool kids’ haha. Glad you’ve a tribe and that you’re glad to have made that leap. It’s definitely reassuring.
Harriet, I have those moments so often. Weirdly when I take a step back, it almost gives things time to breathe. Come back to your own purpose, it's your project, no one else's xo
Absolutely - and you're so right about how stepping back gives the words and ideas time to breathe. I was trying to crank out a post earlier this week but thought I'd give up because it just wasn't working. Less than a full day later, I'm coming back to it because the tiny pocket of space I accidentally gave it has cleared the path. Now I know my route in. Thanks again for sharing your experience - honestly, such a good reminder to be gentler with this project and myself.
Be gentle! We all need to go easy on ourselves x
Such a great explanation of Substack, I love your perspective of it all. I started last September and growth is very small (no overnight success story here!) but I’m quite happy with that because it’s all a big experiment for me right now and without the pressure of have to constantly produce which feels aligned and realistic for me at the moment, hopefully I will continue to learn here and thanks for sharing some great go-to people to discover and learn from too!
Karen! SO lovely to see you here! Love that you're taking that experimental approach...and freeing yourself up from the production cycle too. Looking forward to seeing how things unfold for you here xo
This is such a great post-I'm a couple of months in so still feel I'm finding my feet-doing fortnightly posts currently. But yeah, it feels like a bit of a puzzle I'm trying to solve how to help it grow, but also remembering the lovely comments I already get from readers-and how that feels like the thing to focus on.
I'm actually seeing a lot of high-profile Substack writers pare back their output, Mel, as I guess there's only so much we can all consume. It's like Lucy Werner says - focus on the community you already have and you're good to go xo
I am glad we are here together navigating it - I do feel like Substack solidified our PR support club of 2. Our sporadic weekly check-in on Substack natters has been invaluable to me.
It's given us another level of connection after all these years. I'm always so grateful for your thoughts and endless support here...The Substack Sessions on our voicenotes should be our podcast xo
You two are very cute! X
Sorry - I didn't mean that in a weird way! Just that your friendship is cute x
Cheering you both on as always x
Right back Caroline xo That's a lovely thing to say
I just read all this and saw you linked to me at the end! 🥰
Great to read about your honest experience here. I love it here and it is so much more than I imagined, and yes, I think omit takes a big commitment to grow, it’s time consuming to post often and be present on notes. I love it but there are only so many hours in the day! A much better vibe than other social media platforms, such a vibrant community 🤗
Oh well I love you for staying till the end as I was so aware this was a long one! It's a whole new world for sure and there is a different thrill to hitting "publish" on Substack to "send" on Mailchimp...The commitment's a lot and to be honest, I know there's so much more I could be doing. So glad to have found you here xo
Thank you for this very relatable and genuine piece. Glad to have found you on here and I look forward to connecting more 💕
Thank you for reading Emma. I love watching this chapter of yours unfold xo
Thanks for this thoughtful and considered post. I started on Substack March 2023 as a 'nobody' in the writing world and purely to force myself into a habit when I have a busy work life in a different field (tech marketing). And it's worked, I'm showing up (nearly) every week to write here, and I've met some fantastic people and received wonderful personal responses to my work.
But the last six months I've definitely felt that comparisonitis kick in (which is a bit of a first for me) as I've seen other newbies start and whizz past me in their readership. It's hard to keep turning up and writing for practically no one, but taking your post as a reminder to myself to keep focusing on my end goal which is to make sure I am writing and showing up with that writing weekly. Thank you!
Oh hi tech marketing friend! I would bet you know exactly what your goal is here and that writing and showing up is part of that process for you - there is so much beauty in that in itself. I love your posts and look forward to them so I honestly hope you do xo
Thank you, Antonia - that truly means a lot. And as soon as I pressed publish on my comment above, honestly I had a word with myself! Our chat here has inspired me to focus on what I'm doing, and to keep talking to those who *are* valuing my work, as I value their presence so much. Yours included. Thanks again.
A great read and this is such a timely post…my latest letter is voicing my growing list of Substack niggles. I’ve decided that I really haven’t got the time or energy to play the game and I’m moving my newsletter off Substack and will still post here but less frequently and with more intention. X
Oh wow Becca! I'm going to have a read of your last post and I hope the move goes well...Less frequently and with more intention is my strategy too. Look forward to hearing how everything goes for you xo
Look at the amount of comments on here! I mean that is Substack goals right there. Actually the fact you were on here was one of my reasons to move over. So was the fact that Emma Gannon has been gently, not so gently saying that not only would my newsletter find a wonderful home here but so would my membership and so a month or so ago I fully committed and then launched my podcast on here too (I hope you’ve been listening to it by the way - you’ll love it! 😂). As ever I think Emma might be very very right. I love it on here and as a coach first, podcaster second and writer third, I actually think there is a lovely space for my breed. I think writers and coaches are a great mix. The mixed media options on here are exciting and I’ve barely explored them but will do. And as for growth, I’m an old dog when it comes to email marketing blah blah blah and growth doesn’t come naturally and I refuse to spend my precious time on this planet attempting to become good at marketing and growth - it’s not my thing - and I’m ok with that. I just want to create quality content and community for a small but solid crew and hang out with cool people like you on here. So, my focus is getting a community going on here. Actually you are bloody great at that! Any tips on how you got people talking on here. My readers that I brought over are loyal but not very talkative 😂 so happy to be hanging out with you on here xxx
Selina! I miss you!!! Thank you for this. I DO have your podcast on my list... I can imagine Emma Gannon makes a very compelling case. I will have a think about the comments piece too...I think it's about when you hit that spot that people are thinking about already. I love how you mix up all the multitudes we contain on here. Look forward to hanging out with you more my love xo
Can't wait to hang out more here! xxx
Thank you so much for this. I’m just starting and feel there’s an unfair advantages to people like Elizabeth Gilbert, Margaret Atwood & other superstars. I have to keep remembering that I’m here to practice writing. I shouldn’t even pretend I have an audience and just do what gives me joy.
You're here to do you ...Lizzie G to do her, same for Margaret Atwood ;) Follow the joy Beata xo
I'm on my fourth month in and I feel like you summed it up pretty well. There's a lot I can relate to like the Overwhelm and Learning Platform and skipping a goddamn week because Life happens outside of here. Thank you, Antonia!
All of this Lani! I'm so glad it spoke to you and to all the missed weeks! Thank you for reading xo
Beautiful to read your insight Antonia. I’m still waiting patiently for when you feel like sharing a poem. 🫖✨
Oooh Venus, you are GOOD✨✨✨I spent ages formatting one last weekend then just…didn’t. Now I have a deadline. Thank you for the nudge gorgeous xo
You can just send it to me if you like… but just know (and I know you do) the words needs ALL the words you have to share. ✨
I love this honesty, and enjoy your content - whenever and however you decide to post it :)
For me, I setup a Substack with every intention of writing more - for myself primarily but also to share. Sadly I read more than I write and have been struck by comparisonitus! I'll get back to it because ideas are floating round my head but I'll need to remember to shut out the noise from everything else. Have a great weekend (when we get there!) x
I really do believe that we find our way back to creativity when we most need to. Go gentle on yourself…you’re here, you’re taking a look round at how this could work for you and where you go as you rediscover that. Keep taking those creative stepping stones xo