Category: NewslettersCategory: Newsletters

  • Published On: September 1, 2025Categories: Email Marketing, Newsletters, Technology

    I get this question a lot. The short answer: it depends, but probably yes.

    (This text taken from my recent Substack Live, then cleaned and edited for readability.)

    You wouldn’t buy concert tickets for a band you’ve never heard. You don’t buy a car without a test drive. So why would someone subscribe to your newsletter if they can’t see what it looks like first? Substack makes that possible. Every newsletter is live on the open web, easy to read before committing. It’s like a magazine stand for your work.

    Another big factor is friction. On Substack, if someone already subscribes to other newsletters, their info is already filled in. That means all they have to do is click once to subscribe to yours. It seems small, but every bit of reduced friction matters.

    Another advantage is shareability. Every post you publish on Substack has its own URL. That link can travel anywhere—text messages, group chats, Discords, blogs, other newsletters. When someone shares your work, it doesn’t just stop like it does with a closed system like Mailchimp. It keeps moving. Each post becomes its own landing page with a simple subscribe button right there.

    Yes, that are limits, of course. If you need automations o tagging, Substack probably ain’t the right fit. But if your goal is to publish consistently, be seen, and make it easy for readers to subscribe, moving your list to Substack is a solid move.

  • Published On: August 6, 2025Categories: Internet, Life, Marketing, Newsletters, Work

    I was on Cody Cook-Parrott’s WITNESSING PRACTICE, “a three-hour workshop on writing as a contemplative practice—and turning that writing into newsletters, zines, and books.”

    The core idea was that so many of us are already doing the work – writing, producing, doodling, dreaming, collecting – and it only takes a few steps to bring it to life. Whether that’s a newsletter, a website, an offering – it’s right there.

    On a recent MINI ESCAPE POD Q&A video call, one of our members was looking to start teaching online. They’re a musician with knowledge and skill and talent and a warm heart.

    At the moment, though, they’re wrestling with the logistics: finding the right people and communicating with them. Building an offering. Getting paid.

    So much of that is just machinery: payment systems, email segments, sales pages, pricing. It can be daunting, and there’s so many different ways to make it all work.

    But, as I tell almost a lot of my Email Guidance clients, they’ve already done the hard part.

    The folks I meet sometimes have decades of experience in their field. Degrees, awards, careers. The technical stuff is easy in comparison – I can show you how to set up an email segment over coffee!

    But you can’t just set up a sales page and a funnel without the hard work of really knowing your shit, and being known as someone who knows what the heck they’re talking about.

    I’m so grateful for the work that Cody is doing. Making space for the immense creativity and knowledge and passion of so many people, and helping guide them towards clarity and calm. So much of this technical stuff is just noise, I promise.

    Cody has sold out classes with sales pages made out of a Google Doc.

    I know someone else who launched their career with a Word Doc and PayPal link.

    Build trust and reputation, gain knowledge. The rest is just technical bits that we can figure out together.

  • Published On: July 28, 2025Categories: Email Marketing, Newsletters, Technology

    If you want someone to sign up for your newsletter, give them a link where they can do just that.

    This is what The New Happy Newsletter does very well.

    Remove all distractions, eliminate the noise, and build your email sign up page to do one thing – get someone to sign up for your newsletter.

    Let people see what they’re signing up for. Let them click around and get a feel. People don’t give up their email address easily, so make a good case.

    This from The Creative Rebel podcast with Stephanie Harrison – listen here.

  • Published On: July 11, 2025Categories: Internet, Marketing, Newsletters, Websites

    CJ Chilvers has a slightly more PG-13 way of saying this (do shit that doesn’t scale), and provides some great examples in the meantime:

    • I’ve seen an author put his phone number on the front cover of his book.
    • I’ve seen newsletters set up booths at events just to subscribe a few dozen people — because both parties know each other are real and engaged.
    • I went to a bar to meet the inventor of podcasting. He asked people to show up to discuss his podcast and what was on their minds — maybe a dozen or so did. That was more than a decade ago and we’re still telling our readers about it.
    • I traveled seven hours to meet at a bar with two like-minded content creators. It led to several podcast episodes, countless blog posts ideas, and an event.

    See the rest on his website. As I said back in 2024:

    “Yeah, but Seth, I just want to post my thing (on social media) and go do other things,” you might say.

    Well, you see the results that “just posting” gets you.

    Also, how can talking to your fans, audience, and readers be a waste of time?

    Setting a timer for 15 minutes and communicating with real people five days a week will probably get you more results than the hour you spend making one Reel for 153 “people” to see (and which will never be seen again after 12 hours).

    Does it scale? Fuck scale, do the work.

    It’s tempting to find a shortcut, a “growth hack.” But doing the thing that seems slightly uncomfortable (or absurd) stands to make more of an impact, like our Social Media Escape Club member Jes talking about handing out their email list on a clipboard during a show. That led to 35 new people signing up.

    Does that scale? Nope. Do it anyways.

  • Published On: July 5, 2025Categories: Marketing, Newsletters, Technology, Websites, Work

    Here’s a new video drop I made for Sean King O’Grady from their Substack Note, but figured it might be helpful for other folks.

    1. Double check all the links in your profiles

    On your profile (Substack, socials, whatever), this person has a website URL listed. On desktop, you can click it and it works — but on mobile, it doesn’t. In this case edit your Substack profile and add that link as an external website so it works everywhere.


    2. Should You Start a Separate Newsletter?

    If early on in the process, no, I wouldn’t. Put all your effort into your main newsletter and get as many people on that as possible. Tell people there about whatever else you’re doing and selling. Once you’ve made some sales, you’ll have email addresses of people who bought from you — that can become your second email list.


    3. Should Your Newsletter Have a “Name?”

    You’re the artist — trust your gut. If your name works, your name works. The success you see from others doing it differently isn’t your path. You’ve done great work so far — keep doing it your way. People who care about what you’re doing will sign up and stick around, no matter what it’s called.

Seth on the phone

I help creative people quit social media, promote their work in sustainable ways, and rethink how a website and newsletter can work together. Find out more here. 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️

Join us — Get a 30 day trial for $10 and join our next Zoom call meeting!

Looking for personalized help? Check out my Email Guidance offering.

Need help now? Book a 1:1 call here.

Email me: seth@socialmediaescape.club

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