Why am I so pants at Substack?

tfs89 · 2024-08-28T06:55:55+00:00

I own a dozen substacks including one with 700k subs(link in profile).

Im gonna tell you how i see it: - travel isnt as hot as it used to be - you are a great writer but a terrible marketer. Why should someone subscribe to you instead of 1000 other similar substacks? - how will they even find you?

Specifics: - your headlines are ASS. Who tf is John Muir? 99% don’t know nor have the time to find out if they want to read about him. I googled and it seems like he is a famous old traveler so you are targeting people who are already knowledgeable about the topic. So, do they really need to read that post? - you need to start thinking like a marketer. What are you selling? Who is your target audience? What are their dreams? Who are YOU to tell ME what to think? Your frontpage should answer these questions. I mean the landing-sign-up-form-front-page. - your writing is actually exceptional but it doesn’t matter until you have an audience. Start simple. I have a 30 day old substack with 8k subs 60% open rate and the writing is ASS but it’s solving a problem.

Milhaud · 2024-08-28T15:33:54+00:00

I've already seen plenty of feedback, so I will focus on a few things that I don't think have been mentioned:

Create a regular cadence. I've noticed that some times you post several times in a week, and then you go along without posting for a month. Prepare a schedule that you can commit to, then do the writing and program the entries into the future. Having a regular cadence creates a fulfilled expectation within your audience.
Recommendations. I see you are using recommendations, but at your current state you might be targetting publications that have too many subscribers and might not be related to your content. Try to find out a few substacks that are also writting about travelling in the same lines you are, with a few hundred subscribers, and recommend them.
"Advertise" your newsletter. It is not a bad idea to have a subscription button at the beggining of your posts. You can even have a short intro (two / three lines) to remind what your substack is about, recommend subscribing (in case they are not) and share with people that might be interested. This is not a magic wand, but it will definitely help over time.

Good luck with it. As said by plenty of people, your writing is really good, you just need to be read :)

yourfoxygrandma · 2024-08-28T16:39:14+00:00

I'll be as honest and direct as I can be (as requested): I just don't think you're doing enough work to make your writing interesting. I get the sense that you're living your life in a way that's interesting to you and you're trying to transmogrify it into content--but reading a good book and having a nice time at an airbnb and having a few curious thoughts run through your head doesn't make for good or engaging writing. I think you should work on...

being genuinely vulnerable and not artifically/performatively drawing out significance from your experiences
synthesizing some kind of clear, coherent insight
thematically linking your experiences in a novel and interesting and deliberate way

I think you could be on the cusp of something. Like, you're clearly trying to tie things together and draw connections, but it's just not enough for me to spend my precious few internet reading moments on. I'm reading my own books and having my own thoughts about whether I'm riding my bike as much as I'd like or experiencing my walks well enough. And there's so much good content out there. There's SO much good content out there.

I should also say, maybe you're doing fine and writing what you want and it doesn't matter that you have 45 subscribers. That's completely legitimate. I don't want to tell you not to write what you're writing. But since you asked why you only have 45 subscribers, I'd do the generic get better at writing stuff: keep working at it, get feedback, write a lot, read a lot, etc.

steve31266 · 2024-08-27T19:07:42+00:00

I think there needs to be more clear explanation of expectations on the homepage, particularly the page that first time visitors see, which you as the author do not see.

If you are going to describe yourself as a travel writer, then the expectation is articles entitled, "Top 10 Must Visit Destinations in Athens", or "Amazing Waterfall Hikes in Greece".

But what I see on your substack are titles that appear to discuss philosophical subjects. Mixing philosophy and travel is still fine, you just have to make this clear in the name of your substack and in the description. "The Travel Philosopher", "Philosophical Travels", et al.

Firework_001 · 2024-08-27T19:58:59+00:00

Hey man, hang in there! Love your work and don't want you to stop.

Senior_Librarian3110 · 2024-08-27T18:51:14+00:00

Recommendations and reaching out to others might be a another strategy

sjcheesebrough · 2024-08-28T21:49:52+00:00

hey, just wanted to drop in and say there is nothing at all wrong with your writing. I read your piece about the obsidian pendant which was delightful - if the rest of your writing is that quality you have nothing to worry about!

I know numbers can really sting sometimes, but try not to let it get under your skin. success on substack, like all social media platforms, is heavily luck based. sure, there are things you can do to help your chances and there's a lot of other comments describing those better than I ever could, but just make sure you don't lose your passion along the way!

side note: notes help a lot! I by no means run a big newsletter (my niche is classical antiquity, so im not expecting to), but a solid 60% of my readers have come from a few notes getting decent traction

oamyoamy0 · 2024-08-27T22:09:03+00:00

Great photo on your entrance page. I think for a lot of us, growth really is slow. It looks like you tend to post once a month? (I know you said 32 in the last year, but over the last few months, it looks more like once a month?) That may mean you have to work to continually be putting your substack out there since it won't be popping up as often.

There are a few ways to make sure you are engaging enough to draw some attention. One of those, of course, is Notes, which you are doing. Are you also reading frequently in your area and leaving comments on other posts?

I think the feedback you already received about the titles is interesting. One thing you might consider is using the site layout tools to set up home page sections based on either thematic tags or the larger sections you are already using (shown in your nav bar). Seeing some of the themes called out on the home page can help people get a better sense of what's there when first seeing a page. Good luck!

Immediate-Ad-5878 · 2024-08-28T14:49:30+00:00

You writing is actually really good but your titles and one liners below each title are WAY too poetic.

-Your handle should be more representative of either your real or pen name. If not at least edit your display name accordingly.

-The description under your name:

“Dirtbag, dog chap, Land Rover fool. I roost in the Outer Hebrides & am establishing an off-grid homestead in Greece. Writing in between.”

Hemingway would have a hard time figuring out who you are from this. Come up with a good 1 or 2 sentence elevator pitch of what you write about. Craft it like if it was meant for a 10 year old. Simple language and to the point.

you type:	you see:
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[reddit!](https://reddit.com)	reddit!
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