OMG! The Warrior Forum. I haven't heard that in a long time -- since I got banished for challenging the owner and questioning the bullshit hype. Seems like the both of us have been at this game long enough now to see the garbage in the ocean circle back time and time again.
Geez you guys. I was a member of Warrior forum too, nearly went for their War Room to get away from the spamming junk until the names from 'the Room' were the main culprits. Are we really that old.😉
We are old. LOL! Unfortunately I helped contribute to that mess when I helped create and launch membership websites with WordPress. But that's another story.
So...I've been on SS for 3 months and platform rocks! I can see where growth is important but it's gotta be organic. "Follow for follow" will only retrict later on. It's hard not to look at metrics but just straight content.
Id rather have 100 subs than actually read my stuff versus 10000 that glance it over. I've been on social media since early 2000s and SS does that nostalgic feel. I hope it stays pure and not just a growth machine. Great stuff, Mark.
I’ve always found it odd that so many people post all these salesy tips and tricks about getting subscribers and followers and then converting them to paid. Don’t the readers realise that they are the ones being converted to paid by the salesy writer?
I'm wondering what I'm not understanding. Are you all (writer and commenters) writing online for a reason other than to grow or earn revenue? I'm puzzled by how coaching people to grow their content business is different from what you're ranting about. Sincerely, I'm not following the reason you're upset. If posts about how to navigate Substack are very popular, isn't that because a lot of people read them? It's a complicated and somewhat non-intuitive platform--when I began, I was thrilled to find posts to shorten the learning curve. What is the point I'm missing, please.
Back then it was similar to what’s it like here now, quite chilled out with lots of helpful posts and advice .
Then it changed and people were posting constantly about how to grow on Twittter and that was the only focus.
You’d see people with month old accounts posting courses, sending DM’s etc about helping people grow. Then setting up groups to boost each others content came next.
There was nothing else … just here is how you grow on Twitter …
That’s what we don’t want happening here… posts helping others to navigate is fine, so are progress reports but making everything you do about growing on Substack the only reason you post on Substack isn’t what I or many others want to see .
What would be the point of coming here if the only posts you saw were how to grow on Substack?
Thank you, very thoughtful. I joined just a few months ago and it has been indeed striking that most articles on substack are also about substack. Whether substack is interested in moderating this - I doubt. But we can try.
I completely agree with you. I don't want to see a bunch of how to grow on Substack articles in my feed. It's one thing to provide pertinent and relevant advice. It's another to constantly talk about how to monetize which is really what these articles are aiming for.
It's a Both/And scenario. (And yes, I remember Godin's Squidoo)
It seems you are ranting about certain kinds of 'marketing' and the tone of that marketing.
I see it like a multi-lane highway. When we drive on it, there are the 'idiots' (from our eyes) that drive way too fast, the ones that drive too slow, and the ones that change lanes without shoulder checking, signalling, etc.
Yet... we still choose to drive on those highways.
With your reference to Squidoo, you may be of a generation similar to mine, which remembers when TVs did not have remotes. This means it took effort to mute commercials.
Then the remote came, then PVR, etc. (and now we don't even have a TV in our household)
Like it or not, Substack, like other social media platforms on the Interweb, also has hate speech and questionable content - that they don't block or silence. For many of us, this probably doesn't appear in our 'feed' (kind of ironic name...) But it doesn't mean it's not there.
It's not necessarily the certain types of marketing that may be the problem, but one's perception of it, and preferences.
So, yes, I hear ya, but I don't - and I do see some irony in your commentary based on what you do - and that's totally OK. Appreciate you taking it on.
I've been on substack for a few months and I am genuinely interested in building an audience and a tribe - so I can really enjoy being here and become successful at writing.
I realized the same thing - you did - a couple weeks ago. My feed is full of "how to grow".
It dawned on me that's because I subscribed to a bunch of accounts that write about growth.
Duh...
I decided it's probably a good idea to narrow it down to 2 or 3. That way I can study and implement as I go instead of being inundated with a huge pile of information that will end up gathering digital dust.
There's already a ton of that on and around my desk and in my hard drive
I like the atmosphere here. I've found some really interesting and smart people I'd like to be friends with.
Kind and generous.
Your post points out a common fear, I think, that the Substack we like will morph and we won't like it anymore.
We're all kind of thinking "please don't screw this up" with interruption marketing, as Seth Godin would say.
I think we'd all prefer to be able to find what we're looking for when we need it rather than having it jammed in our face all the time.
OMG! The Warrior Forum. I haven't heard that in a long time -- since I got banished for challenging the owner and questioning the bullshit hype. Seems like the both of us have been at this game long enough now to see the garbage in the ocean circle back time and time again.
Geez you guys. I was a member of Warrior forum too, nearly went for their War Room to get away from the spamming junk until the names from 'the Room' were the main culprits. Are we really that old.😉
We are old. LOL! Unfortunately I helped contribute to that mess when I helped create and launch membership websites with WordPress. But that's another story.
lol I probably bought them!
Lol… I haven’t thought about the war room for years…I still think I might be a member!
Yep…
So...I've been on SS for 3 months and platform rocks! I can see where growth is important but it's gotta be organic. "Follow for follow" will only retrict later on. It's hard not to look at metrics but just straight content.
Id rather have 100 subs than actually read my stuff versus 10000 that glance it over. I've been on social media since early 2000s and SS does that nostalgic feel. I hope it stays pure and not just a growth machine. Great stuff, Mark.
https://substack.com/profile/14259650-mark-duncan-stuart/note/c-78417826
I’ve always found it odd that so many people post all these salesy tips and tricks about getting subscribers and followers and then converting them to paid. Don’t the readers realise that they are the ones being converted to paid by the salesy writer?
I'm wondering what I'm not understanding. Are you all (writer and commenters) writing online for a reason other than to grow or earn revenue? I'm puzzled by how coaching people to grow their content business is different from what you're ranting about. Sincerely, I'm not following the reason you're upset. If posts about how to navigate Substack are very popular, isn't that because a lot of people read them? It's a complicated and somewhat non-intuitive platform--when I began, I was thrilled to find posts to shorten the learning curve. What is the point I'm missing, please.
Were you on Twitter a few years ago?
Back then it was similar to what’s it like here now, quite chilled out with lots of helpful posts and advice .
Then it changed and people were posting constantly about how to grow on Twittter and that was the only focus.
You’d see people with month old accounts posting courses, sending DM’s etc about helping people grow. Then setting up groups to boost each others content came next.
There was nothing else … just here is how you grow on Twitter …
That’s what we don’t want happening here… posts helping others to navigate is fine, so are progress reports but making everything you do about growing on Substack the only reason you post on Substack isn’t what I or many others want to see .
What would be the point of coming here if the only posts you saw were how to grow on Substack?
I hope that clarifies things
I appreciate the explanation.
Thank you, very thoughtful. I joined just a few months ago and it has been indeed striking that most articles on substack are also about substack. Whether substack is interested in moderating this - I doubt. But we can try.
I completely agree with you. I don't want to see a bunch of how to grow on Substack articles in my feed. It's one thing to provide pertinent and relevant advice. It's another to constantly talk about how to monetize which is really what these articles are aiming for.
I hear ya Mark, but also don't.
It's a Both/And scenario. (And yes, I remember Godin's Squidoo)
It seems you are ranting about certain kinds of 'marketing' and the tone of that marketing.
I see it like a multi-lane highway. When we drive on it, there are the 'idiots' (from our eyes) that drive way too fast, the ones that drive too slow, and the ones that change lanes without shoulder checking, signalling, etc.
Yet... we still choose to drive on those highways.
With your reference to Squidoo, you may be of a generation similar to mine, which remembers when TVs did not have remotes. This means it took effort to mute commercials.
Then the remote came, then PVR, etc. (and now we don't even have a TV in our household)
Like it or not, Substack, like other social media platforms on the Interweb, also has hate speech and questionable content - that they don't block or silence. For many of us, this probably doesn't appear in our 'feed' (kind of ironic name...) But it doesn't mean it's not there.
It's not necessarily the certain types of marketing that may be the problem, but one's perception of it, and preferences.
So, yes, I hear ya, but I don't - and I do see some irony in your commentary based on what you do - and that's totally OK. Appreciate you taking it on.
I follow 5-6 people offering good advice on how to maximise the platform but beyond that, I’m scrolling on through to the leadership thought leaders
Your post resonated with me.
I agree with you and I think you're right.
I've been on substack for a few months and I am genuinely interested in building an audience and a tribe - so I can really enjoy being here and become successful at writing.
I realized the same thing - you did - a couple weeks ago. My feed is full of "how to grow".
It dawned on me that's because I subscribed to a bunch of accounts that write about growth.
Duh...
I decided it's probably a good idea to narrow it down to 2 or 3. That way I can study and implement as I go instead of being inundated with a huge pile of information that will end up gathering digital dust.
There's already a ton of that on and around my desk and in my hard drive
I like the atmosphere here. I've found some really interesting and smart people I'd like to be friends with.
Kind and generous.
Your post points out a common fear, I think, that the Substack we like will morph and we won't like it anymore.
We're all kind of thinking "please don't screw this up" with interruption marketing, as Seth Godin would say.
I think we'd all prefer to be able to find what we're looking for when we need it rather than having it jammed in our face all the time.
Good post. Thanks.