Category: WritingCategory: Writing

A lot of us are like a local shop with a non-descript name, no clear offering in the window, and nothing that sets us apart from anybody else.

If you don’t put a sign in your window that says COFFEE in big bright lights, people won’t randomly walk in and order coffee.

Instead, we’re hoping to attract as many people as possible, thinking we’ll win over a few fans by way of luck and self-selection.

We’ll link to a pre-order or a Patreon once, but we don’t wanna seem too pushy, so we won’t mention again for another few weeks.

It’s a lot easier when we send clear signals about what we’re looking to do and who we are. We then attract the right people, pulling them into our creative orbit.

So it’s not about going “viral” and crossing our fingers for more subscribers, it’s about getting the right subscribers on our list.

You don’t need a million followers, you need like 200 hardcore fans to make a difference. Then once you get those subscribers, deliver your best work to them on a consistent basis.

Those are the people familiar enough with your work who will understand that yes, you might post about our upcoming book a few times. To your fans it’s not annoying, it’s part of the way things work in 2025.

If they don’t like it, they can unsubscribe. Later.

For example, if you’re been reading this newsletter for awhile, you know I enjoy helping people get away from social media platforms, build an email list, resurrect their website, and build a community along the way to help each other accomplish this work.

• I send two newsletters a week.
• Paid subscribers can join my weekly Zoom calls.
• I offer Email Guidance if you’re seeking personalized help.
• Those are my photos at the top of every post.
• I make soundscapes for interplanetary commuting.

When you know what you’re doing, and who you’re for, it’s easier to find the other weirdos and freaks who get what you’re doing and want to come along on your adventure.

You don’t need a map or a manifesto for this, you just need a compass.

• There’s musicians that don’t play bars or link to Spotify.
• Authors who make block prints.
• Artists who only sell their work via their email list.
• Photographers that make videos about building fences.
• Teachers with French He-Man posters in the background.

The art of “being authentic” online isn’t just “sharing bad stuff, too” but building boundaries and sending the right signals for curious onlookers to recognize from afar.

It’s okay to not be for everybody, because you don’t actually need everybody to make a living, or get the word out.

A bunch of people who love your work could be enough, but those people might need to be reminded on occasion about the work you’re truly trying to make.

Here’s a bit of some Email Guidance I wrote someone recently, about launching a newsletter. They were wondering if they should plan out what to write, and I started riffing on stories:

But think of three stories you like telling people. Or even three stories that involve the wonderful people in your orbit. It all comes back to you, right?

The people you’ve worked with. Recorded with. Performed with. So many people!

BECAUSE then you can send that newsletter to those people! Re-connect, catch up, laugh together about it.

Maybe follow that energy. Instead of thinking about what you’ll write, think about who. Who lights you up? Who made you happy? Who’d you make memories with?

Because if you’re writing from a place of joy and good memories, it’ll probably be easier for your audience to connect with, you know? I mean, you gotta write the music for yourself first, right? Same could be said for a newsletter – write around the good energy of the people you’ve met, and the stories you’ve created with those people.

For artists of all types, it’s very easy to get stuck in this broadcast mode of talking the things we do, and who we are. We are interesting people, of course, but writing about ourselves is HARD. It never feels good, right?

Which is why I suggest writing about other folks in your creative orbit. Weave that into your newsletter, and see what unfolds.

Erin Shetron of FREQUENT CRIERS CLUB (and marketing consultant) wrote about the messiness that sometimes comes with working as a “growth strategist,” and how there’s many ways to develop growth:

“I realize that i’m working with a grander definition of “growth.” growth in authenticity, in craft, in honesty, in nuance, in alignment. the question “how can I grow my newsletter?” becomes, “what happens when I work on my creativity so deeply and in such true alignment that my project naturally expands?”

I wrote something similar in Posting is a distraction:

“What if our practice became so deep and rich that the 100 people lucky enough to be on our email list started telling more people?

What if the magic isn’t about hitting an arbitrary subscriber count, but reaching the tipping point in our work where the magic can longer be contained, and it begins to spread without us needing to write messages on beaches?”

The “messages on beaches” part is how I think about posting on social media; constant posting, seeking growth, yet all that work washes away in minutes.

But the true work, as Erin explains – “growth in authenticity, in craft, in honesty, in nuance, in alignment” – that’s where the visible growth can come from. When the foundation is strong, and the motives pure, the work becomes a vibration, a wavelength for others to pick up on.

No one discovered you because of your About page, or your well written bio.

You’re discovered from a piece you wrote, a story you crafted, a video you made, a song you wrote, a photo you posted.

Everything you post is your “About page.” Bake in your credentials, your wisdom, your unique viewpoint that only you can offer.

That’s why when I see people repost something, and their only commentary is “THIS,” I get sad.

Here’s a post, a “piece of content” that you shared with your followers, and an AI bot could have done it.

But an AI bot (or someone with 15 years less experience than you) can’t add to the reposted item like you can.

Every post is another opportunity to impress someone for the first time. And this is a big internet, so it might also be your last time.

I’m not saying everything you post has to be perfect, without typos, but don’t post without highlighting yourself in someway.

Not in a boisterous, ego-driven way, but in a way that you’ve earned, from your hard work and long hours you’ve devoted to your craft over the decades.

I’m running a Talking About “About Pages” Workshop this week, Thursday, February 13th from 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM EST. It’s free, and yes, a replay video will be available.

This happens on social media a lot – you post something about a subject matter that isn’t actually your thing, and it takes off. Goes semi-viral. And suddenly that’s your most popular piece, when you have all this other stuff you write about.

The thing is – we don’t get to choose.

So write for your email list first.

If they’re not vibing, or opening, either rework how your doing it, or accept they signed up for something you’re not giving them. And that’s okay. Let them unsubscribe.

But keep writing to your newsletter audience about your real work, regardless of open rate or click data. Maybe there’s “only” 10 people that give a fuck about it.

Don’t let the other 90% determine it’s not worth continuing, because man, there’s also a zillion other people out there that don’t give a fuck about what you’re doing, too. But you don’t have time to worry about them, and it’s the same for the people on your list who don’t either.

I had a boss one time who said this in regards to audience who doesn’t click, or vibe with what you’re doing – “fuck ‘em.”

I hit 5,000 subscribers recently, and 70ish paid subscribers – that’s barely 1.5% of my people. And even still, 14 people were on my call the other day from 2 to 3pm.

The most important 14 people in the world that hour was those people. Full attention. 

Have I worked “this hard” for this many years for 14 people? I guess so! And I’m completely fine with that, because at least I know those 14 people now, and they hang out with me on a workday in the middle of the afternoon. It’s so great.

A lot of people would love your work but they don’t even know about it yet – so keep writing about it so when they find you someday, it’ll feel like they’re home.