Hey, You, Why Are You Reading This Headline?
State of My Substack
After a little over three months and 40-plus posts, I thought now was a good time to take stock of my Substack. And . . . find out why you’re reading my posts. I know not a lot of people are seeing my posts, but for those of you who are why are you reading my posts? What appeals to you? What doesn’t appeal to you? What would you like to see more/less of? I can’t say I will make every change, but I will take the feedback to heart. Please drop a comment below and introduce yourself.
State of My Substack
One of the main reasons I started my Substack was to have a creative space to write. I used to have a book blog, As I Turn the Pages, but during the pandemic, I lost my drive to continue working on it. More recently, I’ve wanted to get back into writing/blogging. I’ve always had aspirations about writing professionally ever since I was a child. But I kept putting it off, and now I want to stop moving the needle. My dreams of being a writer won’t happen if I don’t take steps to make it happen. I’m still learning. I write how I would speak, and I don’t envision myself changing that too much, but there’s always room for improvement.
I do have some data to go on. I have fluctuated between 3-5 subscribers. Some people have stayed, and some have left. Although, I have more followers, 17, than I do subscribers. Not sure how that works? But I think my daily use of Notes is starting to help. I wasn’t using Notes at first because I didn’t understand the benefit—connecting with others. The more you use Notes, the more people have a chance to see what you’re writing and resonate with what you’re writing. So, what’s resonating?
My posts about food seem to be resonating the most. Comfort foods had the most universal appeal. I can certainly relate, I’m subscribed to several food-focused Substacks, including Susanality, Dinner: A Love Story, and What to Cook When You Don’t Feel Like Cooking. Looking at food, talking about food, eating food, and daydreaming about food is pretty universal. I will continue posting about food. My goal for this month or next month (life happens sometimes I have to postpone my plans) is to post my experience making either lemon tiramisu or some kind of lemon cookies. Baking is not my strength, but I will keep trying.
What else has everyone been looking at? My introductory post, I imagine that number will continue to climb as it’s pinned to my homepage. One of the many tips I’ve learned on this Substack journey is to keep a “hero” post pinned to the homepage. When you arrive here for the first time you know what you’ll get. Hopefully, you’ll stick around for a little while, and keep coming back.
What about my weekly journeys with the show Lost? I feel it’s been a mixed bag. The most viewed Lost post has been my recap for House of the Rising Sun. The rest have been in the single digits, and that’s ok. I’ve mostly been writing about the show because I wanted to rewatch it and see if my opinions have changed. I’m still going to keep watching and posting recaps. For season two I’m changing the header to “Lost Rewatch” as that is more specific and more closely matches what I’m doing.
Posts about life/goals and books are also mixed, mostly single-digit views, except for my solo travel aspirations. I like to read a lot and in addition to wanting to travel, I have aspirations of becoming a travel writer. When it gets warmer, I’m going to explore places I can travel locally. I am not saying where I live, but I have yet to explore the neighborhood beyond local shopping spots. I know there is more to see and write about.
What works and what doesn’t will always be evolving for me. I don’t believe there is a trick, gimmick, or any right way to be a success on this platform—other than being who you are. Trusting my gut and staying true to my voice are the best things I can do, and if people read it well that’s just icing on the cake!
Upcoming posts
Thursday: Lost Season one recap