Category: CommunityCategory: Community

Stop posting and invite three of your biggest fans to connect.

Resist “getting out the word” to everybody, and reach out to three key contacts.

The element of “this might not work” brings clarity by way of tension, while waiting for an algorithmic break reduces your work to a scratch-off lottery ticket.

In our Thursday Escape Pod Zoom call, we talked about finding subscribers without using Substack Notes, and one of our members (Joi) spoke of using another social media platform to get what she wanted.

“I follow a lot of small businesses, and they post what’s happening on (social media). We have a local magazine that does really well here, and I found a writer/photographer who covers music. I reached out to them on social media, and they DM’d me back with their number, like, “Let’s talk about doing an article or a story.”

Joi couldn’t find the contact info for the writer on the publications website so she had to get resourceful.

Use the tools that are available to get the results you want.

Instead of just posting, “hey, I’m seeking music magazine writers to talk to about my work,” Joi used Instagram like a tool, like a phone book or a directory, and got in touch with someone who may help get the word out about the work she does.

Find out more about our weekly Escape Pod Zoom calls here.

​Join me (Seth Werkheiser) for a 90 minute interactive workshop on the endless decisions that come with running a newsletter in 2025.

​Should you import your list to Substack?
What should you put in my welcome email?
Which analytics even matter?
Should you switch platforms?
What the heck is SPF/DKIM/DMARC?!

​Instead of writing, we’re getting lost hours in CSV files and platform settings instead of actually connecting with your readers.

Wednesday, August 27 from 12:30 PM – 2:00 PM EDT

Get more info here: https://lu.ma/uqrfb65q

Had another chat with Angela Hollowell (Please Hustle Responsibly) all about the benefits of spending our time away from social media, content ownership, and lots more.

Angela talking about spending your time wisely:

“I could be on social media, making a big deal that I’m going to be here and doing all these things. Or I could just let the people who want to be on social media stay there, and focus instead on the relationships that matter — the ones that aren’t dependent on social media.”

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It’s “Not My Business” season again.

A year ago Olivia Rafferty declared that some things were not her business:

Things That, As A Substacker, Are Not My Business

1. How many subscribers I have? NOT MY BUSINESS
2. The current state of my header/footer? NOT MY BUSINESS
3. Whatever is happening on my welcome page? NOT MY BUSINESS
4. The growing pile of unread newsletters in my inbox? NOT MY BUSINESS
5. How many emojis I use? NOT MY BUSINESS
6. The leaderboard for Culture? NOT MY BUSINESS
7. Substack Chat? NOT MY BUSINESS
8. My Notion database for future post ideas? NOT MY BUSINESS
9. My open rate? NOT MY BUSINESS

Social media, and lately the newsletter busy-ness industrial complex, has us spinning our wheels on so many things that are not our business.

Things like open rates, deliverability, A/B testing headlines, churn, soft bounces and hard bounces, email lists spread across multiple CSV files – really, it never fucking ends, and most of us ain’t making enough to sweat all the finer details.

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