This is amazing. Thank you for taking the time to inspire others. I just wish I could get even a little encouragement from Substack to do the same.
I recently did a test. I posted exactly duplicated content on Facebook, Instagram and Substack. I made it a reel on Instagram (which I actually enjoy making) but with the same photo and the same text. In 24 hours, 200 plays on Instagram, 25 likes on Facebook and absolute crickets on Substack. Now admittedly, I have twice the followers on Instagram that I do on Substack, but crickets? Zero response of any kind, which is the usual. I have run a program for decades now, with most of my clients coming from social media. Finding another way to connect feels daunting, to say the least. And yes, I've looked at podcasts etc. Not nearly as easy as it might seem.
In principle I love Substack. I would love to move here completely, but I am astonished by the lack of responsiveness to so much amazing material. In fact, the majority of “successful“ posts I see are all about teaching people how to make money on Substack. No one seems actually to care about the writing itself.
I have been a writer my whole life, and I will always write so that’s not in question. But I am writing here to communicate, not just to think out loud. I confess I am losing faith and it’s so disappointing. I'll keep following your inspiration Jennie and see if Substack gives me just a little love back.
Hi Adi, that IS an interesting experiment indeed. I have a theory that Substack has to "notice" you and once that happens, a snowball effect takes place.
For starters, how often do you post a note? I would recommend posting notes relentlessly, because that seems to be the fastest way to get noticed. It definitely seems like shouting into the void at first - everyone has expressed a similar feeling - and then one day, something hits.
Also, like your own notes. Again, based on nothing scientific whatsoever, I think that first like tells the algorithm that what you wrote is likable. In any case, it can't hurt, right? Now mind you, most of my notes don't do much - they'll get maybe 12 likes. Restacks perform really poorly too, which is dumb because we're supposed to be promoting others, right? I think the way restacks are set up is bad, like on desktop you can't see the article title or subtitle, so the disembodied quote isn't grounded in anything that makes people want to click. But every now and then, even a restack will take off.
It truly is a numbers game, so I urge you not to give up. Your writing is AMAZING and deserves real exposure on this platform. I have absolute faith that if you give notes the same effort you once gave (or continue to give) your IG reels, it will happen for you. Come chat with me in the DMs any time you're discouraged. I won't let you quit. We need your stories too much!
Jennie thank you so much for the encouragement and tips. I am truly grateful and will do as you suggest and keep you posted. I so appreciate your connection.
Interesting experiment! I actually enjoy reading perspectives like yours because everyone seems to love Substack so much— I never really hear anything negative about it. Which is great, but I prefer a more balanced approach to anything and everything in life
Shlee and my view is certainly not entirely negative. I have often sung Substack's praises. But the engagement part is a puzzle to me, and frustrating.
No I totally get that. You didn’t come off as negative at all— just more in line with the way I’ve been feeling about Substack. I like it, of course. Trying to figure out how to LOVE it is another issue entirely
I love that you provide step-by-step instructions for these tech activities. I am a bit older than you, so I was lucky to grow up during a time when social media did not exist. So I've never grown as dependent on it as so many others (don't even get me started on my kids' generation!) But I am edging away from the Meta universe in response to current events, so this info will be kept in my back pocket. In the meantime, Substack has become my biggest time suck, but I am not mad about it.
I bet we're the exact same age Leslie 😉. Gen Xer representing here, and oh how I miss when we weren't all attached to our smart phones. I can't get my mom to even look up from hers. I could come out as a lesbian or share the news that I'm getting traditionally published, and she'd still be scrolling cat videos 😔
I almost wrote a disclaimer in the post acknowledging that Substack is also social media and requires establishing some boundaries or you will succumb to the same bad habits. The feed is a lot more wholesome, to be sure, but I can definitely still lose entire days, especially on weekends. I'm finding my way, and no, I'm not mad about it either.
I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE that you have presented this in an actionable step-by-step manner. Thank you! I would love to leave the metaverse, but I haven't figured out what that looks like for me.
Completely fair! I'm just looking to be a lighthouse for people when they're ready. We all have to decide for ourselves when the time is right. Sending you strength for whenever that time comes!
This post is so amazing I want to hug it. Gahdamn, girl. You’re a snarky-sherpa-sheriff of all things soon to be viral! Because this post is DEF getting 1,000 hearts.
This leads to a special consideration of the work of art. Too often the work of a creator is looked upon as a series of isolated testimonies. Thus artist and man of letters are confused. A profound thought is in a constant state of becoming; it adopts the experience of a life and assumes its shape. Likewise, a man's sole creation is strengthened in it successive and multiple aspects: his works. One after another they complement one another, correct or overtake one another, contradict one another too. If something brings creation to an end, it is not the illusory cry of the blinded artist: "I have said everything", but the death of the creator which closes his experiences and the book of his genius.
Best move you could make! I beat you to it years ago and I didn't even miss it. The only reason I still have a Facebook profile is for all the memories of my son and "brother" who have both passed on in the last few years.
If not for those memories, Meta is useless for someone like me. Boooooo!
I'm sorry Kristi, I didn't realize. 💔 I totally understand keeping it for that reason. It's why I'm not just deleting my account. And I did find myself on there yesterday to write a tribute on the page of someone very dear to me who also passed. Normally, I think most of what's posted on there ought to be kept private, but in the case of sharing memories about a person who made the world a better place, I really want the people in his circle to see my words.
But now I'm back to being a FREE agent, like you, Ms. SmartStuff!
I deleted my instagram in July last summer and it was a detox and I am so free now! I have an e-book waiting for me to read about how not to publish with Amazon or Kindle and how to own your content even if you select a publisher to print your book. I haven’t read it yet but I am very cognisant of how tricky it is not to get sucked dry.
This is great, and if/when I do decide to ditch social media (outside of Substack), I have bookmarked this and will definitely come back to it. For now, I've got my own dilemma about whether to put all of my eggs in the Substack basket, and for the time being, far from giving up on Meta, Insta, etc, I probably need to embrace them even more and take the plunge into the cesspit of TikTok. I'm trying to reach an audience that is still reluctant to use Substack and hangs out a lot on Insta, etc.
To each their own, Daniel. Just promise me if you ever have the sensation that any of those platforms are DRAINING YOUR LIFE FORCE, you will RUN, not walk, away from them. My article will be there waiting 😊
Love the pinned banner idea for IG! I stopped actively posting to Meta a few months ago but never placed any kind of treasure map clues so it just looks abandoned.
Thank you for this post! I've been trying to figure out where I want to spend my ever-more limited time, and I've concluded that it's not on anything Meta (which, unfortunately, now includes TikTok). It's scary to break up with social media, especially when you're building a business, but honestly, it never gave me much, to begin with, and most of my clients have come from elsewhere. :)
You're welcome! And that's the thing . . . if you're getting something out of it, I mean seeing REAL ROI, then consider it a necessary evil. For me, it became ever more clear that it was just plain evil. And current events made putting the nail in the coffin very easy for me.
Well, I’ve never had a social media account of any kind but I appreciated this newsletter anyway. I’m sure many people will find it helpful and, at the very least, start thinking about a life that doesn’t include being shackled to social media
Smart or scared? I’m not quite sure 🤔😂When social media became a thing all those years ago I was scared of 2 things: being stalked by a psycho ex-boyfriend and becoming addicted to using it. So I pushed it aside and out of my mind never to be tempted by it again
I suppose the “why” is less important than the fact that you are one of the rare few who is unscathed. I know literally two other people like you and the rest of the world are ADDICTS 😳
We pulled the plug on all news sources and social media on Election Night. I am learning guitar, Portugeuse and enjoying my extra free time. The world can take care of itself until further notice
This is amazing. Thank you for taking the time to inspire others. I just wish I could get even a little encouragement from Substack to do the same.
I recently did a test. I posted exactly duplicated content on Facebook, Instagram and Substack. I made it a reel on Instagram (which I actually enjoy making) but with the same photo and the same text. In 24 hours, 200 plays on Instagram, 25 likes on Facebook and absolute crickets on Substack. Now admittedly, I have twice the followers on Instagram that I do on Substack, but crickets? Zero response of any kind, which is the usual. I have run a program for decades now, with most of my clients coming from social media. Finding another way to connect feels daunting, to say the least. And yes, I've looked at podcasts etc. Not nearly as easy as it might seem.
In principle I love Substack. I would love to move here completely, but I am astonished by the lack of responsiveness to so much amazing material. In fact, the majority of “successful“ posts I see are all about teaching people how to make money on Substack. No one seems actually to care about the writing itself.
I have been a writer my whole life, and I will always write so that’s not in question. But I am writing here to communicate, not just to think out loud. I confess I am losing faith and it’s so disappointing. I'll keep following your inspiration Jennie and see if Substack gives me just a little love back.
Hi Adi, that IS an interesting experiment indeed. I have a theory that Substack has to "notice" you and once that happens, a snowball effect takes place.
For starters, how often do you post a note? I would recommend posting notes relentlessly, because that seems to be the fastest way to get noticed. It definitely seems like shouting into the void at first - everyone has expressed a similar feeling - and then one day, something hits.
Also, like your own notes. Again, based on nothing scientific whatsoever, I think that first like tells the algorithm that what you wrote is likable. In any case, it can't hurt, right? Now mind you, most of my notes don't do much - they'll get maybe 12 likes. Restacks perform really poorly too, which is dumb because we're supposed to be promoting others, right? I think the way restacks are set up is bad, like on desktop you can't see the article title or subtitle, so the disembodied quote isn't grounded in anything that makes people want to click. But every now and then, even a restack will take off.
It truly is a numbers game, so I urge you not to give up. Your writing is AMAZING and deserves real exposure on this platform. I have absolute faith that if you give notes the same effort you once gave (or continue to give) your IG reels, it will happen for you. Come chat with me in the DMs any time you're discouraged. I won't let you quit. We need your stories too much!
Jennie thank you so much for the encouragement and tips. I am truly grateful and will do as you suggest and keep you posted. I so appreciate your connection.
You're welcome! Connecting with and cheerleading for the incredibly talented humans on this platform is my favorite thing ever 🩵
Jennie you have a beautiful heart.
Interesting experiment! I actually enjoy reading perspectives like yours because everyone seems to love Substack so much— I never really hear anything negative about it. Which is great, but I prefer a more balanced approach to anything and everything in life
I'm surprised you haven't seen people complaining, Shlee! It seems to be a mixed bag these days. I'd like to borrow your feed 😉
Really?! Maybe I’m not on here enough 😂 Seems like all the complaints are about Medium these days
Oh there’s that too 🤣
Shlee and my view is certainly not entirely negative. I have often sung Substack's praises. But the engagement part is a puzzle to me, and frustrating.
No I totally get that. You didn’t come off as negative at all— just more in line with the way I’ve been feeling about Substack. I like it, of course. Trying to figure out how to LOVE it is another issue entirely
I love that you provide step-by-step instructions for these tech activities. I am a bit older than you, so I was lucky to grow up during a time when social media did not exist. So I've never grown as dependent on it as so many others (don't even get me started on my kids' generation!) But I am edging away from the Meta universe in response to current events, so this info will be kept in my back pocket. In the meantime, Substack has become my biggest time suck, but I am not mad about it.
I bet we're the exact same age Leslie 😉. Gen Xer representing here, and oh how I miss when we weren't all attached to our smart phones. I can't get my mom to even look up from hers. I could come out as a lesbian or share the news that I'm getting traditionally published, and she'd still be scrolling cat videos 😔
I almost wrote a disclaimer in the post acknowledging that Substack is also social media and requires establishing some boundaries or you will succumb to the same bad habits. The feed is a lot more wholesome, to be sure, but I can definitely still lose entire days, especially on weekends. I'm finding my way, and no, I'm not mad about it either.
I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE that you have presented this in an actionable step-by-step manner. Thank you! I would love to leave the metaverse, but I haven't figured out what that looks like for me.
Completely fair! I'm just looking to be a lighthouse for people when they're ready. We all have to decide for ourselves when the time is right. Sending you strength for whenever that time comes!
You're an actual badass, AND a functional badass, you know it?
This might be my favorite comment ever.
I loved this. Humourous and informative, with a how to. Well done 👍
Thank you! That’s high praise and it makes my day 😊
Happy to make someone’s day! That feels good
So, so, sooooo much love, admiration and gratitude for this post! Thank you!🙏🏻
You’re so welcome! I wouldn’t be mad if it prompts a mass exodus 🤞🏼
🙏🏻✨💫🪄🙌🏻
Faaaak meeee!
This post is so amazing I want to hug it. Gahdamn, girl. You’re a snarky-sherpa-sheriff of all things soon to be viral! Because this post is DEF getting 1,000 hearts.
Haha your comments are the absolute best!! 😘
This leads to a special consideration of the work of art. Too often the work of a creator is looked upon as a series of isolated testimonies. Thus artist and man of letters are confused. A profound thought is in a constant state of becoming; it adopts the experience of a life and assumes its shape. Likewise, a man's sole creation is strengthened in it successive and multiple aspects: his works. One after another they complement one another, correct or overtake one another, contradict one another too. If something brings creation to an end, it is not the illusory cry of the blinded artist: "I have said everything", but the death of the creator which closes his experiences and the book of his genius.
Sartre
Best move you could make! I beat you to it years ago and I didn't even miss it. The only reason I still have a Facebook profile is for all the memories of my son and "brother" who have both passed on in the last few years.
If not for those memories, Meta is useless for someone like me. Boooooo!
I'm sorry Kristi, I didn't realize. 💔 I totally understand keeping it for that reason. It's why I'm not just deleting my account. And I did find myself on there yesterday to write a tribute on the page of someone very dear to me who also passed. Normally, I think most of what's posted on there ought to be kept private, but in the case of sharing memories about a person who made the world a better place, I really want the people in his circle to see my words.
But now I'm back to being a FREE agent, like you, Ms. SmartStuff!
I deleted my instagram in July last summer and it was a detox and I am so free now! I have an e-book waiting for me to read about how not to publish with Amazon or Kindle and how to own your content even if you select a publisher to print your book. I haven’t read it yet but I am very cognisant of how tricky it is not to get sucked dry.
Oooooooh can you share the title of that book? I don't want to give another penny to Bezos ever again, ESPECIALLY when I publish my book.
It was called Chokepoint Capitalism by Rebecca Giblin and Cory Doctorow. He launched it on Kickstarter.
Cool, I’ve pulled it up and bookmarked it for my next read. Thank you!
Thank you for this info and inspiration to move beyond the SM madness.
You’re so welcome! Nothing pleases my soul like hearing about someone taking their life back 🥰
This is great, and if/when I do decide to ditch social media (outside of Substack), I have bookmarked this and will definitely come back to it. For now, I've got my own dilemma about whether to put all of my eggs in the Substack basket, and for the time being, far from giving up on Meta, Insta, etc, I probably need to embrace them even more and take the plunge into the cesspit of TikTok. I'm trying to reach an audience that is still reluctant to use Substack and hangs out a lot on Insta, etc.
To each their own, Daniel. Just promise me if you ever have the sensation that any of those platforms are DRAINING YOUR LIFE FORCE, you will RUN, not walk, away from them. My article will be there waiting 😊
Love the pinned banner idea for IG! I stopped actively posting to Meta a few months ago but never placed any kind of treasure map clues so it just looks abandoned.
Thank you! I borrowed the idea from a friend because it just looked so slick and buttoned up and it made my brain happy :)
Thank you for this post! I've been trying to figure out where I want to spend my ever-more limited time, and I've concluded that it's not on anything Meta (which, unfortunately, now includes TikTok). It's scary to break up with social media, especially when you're building a business, but honestly, it never gave me much, to begin with, and most of my clients have come from elsewhere. :)
You're welcome! And that's the thing . . . if you're getting something out of it, I mean seeing REAL ROI, then consider it a necessary evil. For me, it became ever more clear that it was just plain evil. And current events made putting the nail in the coffin very easy for me.
Well, I’ve never had a social media account of any kind but I appreciated this newsletter anyway. I’m sure many people will find it helpful and, at the very least, start thinking about a life that doesn’t include being shackled to social media
Ohhhh you’re one of those unicorns I didn’t think actually existed. You are a smart smart human, Shlee 😍😍😍
Smart or scared? I’m not quite sure 🤔😂When social media became a thing all those years ago I was scared of 2 things: being stalked by a psycho ex-boyfriend and becoming addicted to using it. So I pushed it aside and out of my mind never to be tempted by it again
I suppose the “why” is less important than the fact that you are one of the rare few who is unscathed. I know literally two other people like you and the rest of the world are ADDICTS 😳
Yikes. Yeah I’d be lying if I didn’t say I feel I dodged a bullet
We pulled the plug on all news sources and social media on Election Night. I am learning guitar, Portugeuse and enjoying my extra free time. The world can take care of itself until further notice
The amount of joy this comment brings me cannot be expressed in words. Way to take your life back, Michael! 💪🏼