What I've learned from publishing on Substack
SHAKING THE TREE #50
If you’d asked me a year ago about publishing 50 editions of anything, anywhere online I’d have told you you were out of your mind.
And yet, here you are, reading the 50th edition of Shaking the Tree here on Substack.
Whaaattttt?
Holy moly.
I have to say that as someone who struggled for YEARS to build up anything of any worth online, THIS is quite an accomplishment.
Back in 2017 or so I deleted EVERYTHING from my website because it was all garbage.
I’m serious. I had no idea what I was doing. None.
I had no writing plan.
I had no clear idea of who I was writing for.
And perhaps even more importantly, I had no idea as to why anyone would be the slightest bit interested in anything I had to say about content creation or business—or anything else come to think of it!
So after backing up every article, I took a deep breath, and I deleted everything article on the site (holy crap, that was scary), and then I started again from zero.
Talk about burning your boats.
But oddly, once I’d taken this step, I felt free. This is HUGELY liberating.
Between 2017 and 2019 I wrote lots of articles. Lots and lots and lots of articles … and when I reread them I learned another valuable lesson.
I had too much to say and I wasn’t saying it clearly enough. Whoops.
But now, I’m writing less and (I hope), I’m saying more.
If you’re wondering if Substack (or any other online newsletter come to think of it) is right your you—my opinion, and based on my experience here on Substack over the last six months—is to jump in and see.
I signed up for Substack a whole YEAR before I published ANYTHING because I was afraid no one would be interested. But I was wrong.
Now, six months on, although my subscriber base is still fairly small, now, I’m much more confident about getting stuff out there.
Publishing 50 edition of Shaking the Tree (twice a week, every Tuesday and Friday) has been a valuable learning experience.
Here are some key insights and lessons I've gained from this journey:
You must be consistent: One of the most important lessons I've learned is the power of consistency. Regularly publishing content on a schedule not only keeps subscribers engaged but also helps build a loyal audience over time.
Audience engagement matters: Interacting with subscribers is crucial. Responding to comments, emails, and feedback from readers builds a sense of community and helps tailor content to their interests and needs.
Let your content evolve: Over time, my writing style and the content I produce have evolved. Subscribers' feedback and changing interests have led me to refine and adapt my newsletter to better serve their needs.
Be willing to experiment: By maintaining a core theme or focus, I've learned to embrace the power of experimenting with different types of content, including deep dives, roundups, and personal essays. Next year, I plan on starting a podcast and perhaps branching out into interviews.
Forget about making money right out of the gate: Although I've explored different monetization strategies, it’s too early yet to offer premium content. Finding the right balance between free and premium content is a process that takes time.
Promote without being overly pushy: Building a community takes time. Before I get too deep into the weeds on promotion, I need to build a body of work to prove myself and to pull from. That’s going to mean fine tuning images on many of my earlier posts (I had trouble sorting that out to begin with), after which I’ll spend more time sharing posts via social media to help expand my subscriber base.
Managing subscribers: My subscriber count isn’t increasing massively. In fact, I’ve had multiple people unsubscribe. Having given the issue more thought, I’m OK with people signing off. if my content’s not right for them, I don’t need them on board.
Looking at numbers: I know it’s important to use data tools to understand my subscriber behavior and open rates. I also know I have a lot to learn on this front so I can make better informed decisions to improve the newsletter.
Patience and perseverance: I also know that building a successful newsletter is going to take time. I’m in this for the long haul and I know I probably won’t see significant growth for a while. I’m OK with this.
Quality over quantity: While I know it’s important to be consistent, it’s just as important to produce quality content. I plan on offering valuable, well thought out content.
Building my personal brand: Another biggie! I know it’s importance to build a personal brand as a writer, so I’m going to carry on doing what I’ve been doing because it’s the only way to establish my credibility and attract a loyal audience.
So, six months on and so far, so good.
Although I’ve bounced over a few bumps in the road along the way, i’m not going to let those things slow me down or tip me off course.
Publishing 50 editions of my newsletter on Substack has taught me the importance of consistency, audience engagement, content evolution, diversification, and various aspects of managing and growing a successful newsletter.
I see the path forward as a learning process, with each challenge bringing new things to learn as well as giving me valuable insights and opportunities for improvement.
I’m not about to quit. Not now.
Quite the opposite: I’m just getting started!
As always, thanks for reading.
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And if you’ve like what you’ve seen here, why not become a subscriber?
P.S. Next time on Shaking the Tree … The dirty little secret of graphic design!