This is really interesting - it can feel soul destroying to pour so much time into things you feel passionately about, just for them to fall into a void. I love the coffee queue analogy though - makes a lot of sense!
Yes, it’s very demoralizing to write into the void. That’s why building even a small support circle really helps you get through the early stage when you still have few subscribers.
As for the coffee analogy, I’m so glad you liked it. 😊 Substack reminds me of academia in some ways. Yes, the main events are conferences and seminars, but they’re always followed by coffee chats or cheese-and-wine gatherings. And it’s exactly in those informal conversations that I found true admirers of my work—people who later attended all my talks.
Appreciate the tips. This is coming at the perfect time for me with still under 6 subscribers. Looking forward to turning that around as I try your approach.
Insightful post, thanks for sharing it! Do you have tips for when notes only get 10 views? I have tried different things and every time I only get 10 views, I don’t know what’s going wrong here
I looked at your account—you currently have 1 subscriber. I think that’s exactly why your Notes are only getting around 10 views. Substack shows posts and Notes to a wider audience only if there are comments and some activity on the account. So at the very beginning, you need to actively promote your Notes and posts yourself. In the post, there’s a link to my article about how I got my first 100 subscribers. Take a look—it answers your question in more detail.
and the "conference room vs coffee shop" distinction is the most elegant way I've seen this named 😭
bc that's exactly it. people subscribe bc of the expertise. but they stay, engage, and eventually pay bc of the human they met in the comments section at 11pm on a Tuesday!! 🤍
and the 70/30 rule is what I've been living for 81 days now without having a name for it.
Day 81 of my 100 Day Conversation Experiment.
the whole philosophy from day 1 has been exactly this.... comments and replies build trust. trust builds relationships. relationships bring opportunities. that's the entire system in one sentence.
the proof is in the experiment itself. my first dollar online came from a conversation not a post. my first podcast guest was someone I replied to genuinely before I ever pitched anything. my first founding member showed up bc she felt seen in the comment section long enough to care abt what I was building 🤍
nd the part abt consistency preparing the ground before the note explodes is the one most people skip over bc it doesn't fit the "one viral note changed everything" story. but that's the real story. always 😄
Alesia u've named smth that took me 81 days of documenting to fully understand.... and u put it in a coffee shop metaphor that I'll probably be quoting for the rest of this experiment 😭
what's ur take on comments specifically.... do u think the quality of ur comments on other people's posts compounds the same way ur notes do?
Thank you for the useful information ! I shall definitely look into your work when I have funds.
I love your article. Great and useful information! I’ve subscribed 😊
Thank you! Wishing your Substack rapid growth!
You are very welcome. Thank you 😊
This is really interesting - it can feel soul destroying to pour so much time into things you feel passionately about, just for them to fall into a void. I love the coffee queue analogy though - makes a lot of sense!
Thank you Sarah!
Yes, it’s very demoralizing to write into the void. That’s why building even a small support circle really helps you get through the early stage when you still have few subscribers.
As for the coffee analogy, I’m so glad you liked it. 😊 Substack reminds me of academia in some ways. Yes, the main events are conferences and seminars, but they’re always followed by coffee chats or cheese-and-wine gatherings. And it’s exactly in those informal conversations that I found true admirers of my work—people who later attended all my talks.
Great post! Thanks for the encouragement!
You’re welcome!
Appreciate the tips. This is coming at the perfect time for me with still under 6 subscribers. Looking forward to turning that around as I try your approach.
I’m really glad the post found you at the right time! If you have any questions along the way, feel free to reach out—I’ll be happy to answer them.
Thanks, Alesia!
Will definitely take you up on that when the time is right! Stay tuned and subscribe to stay up to date 😁
Insightful post, thanks for sharing it! Do you have tips for when notes only get 10 views? I have tried different things and every time I only get 10 views, I don’t know what’s going wrong here
Thank you Juliette!
I looked at your account—you currently have 1 subscriber. I think that’s exactly why your Notes are only getting around 10 views. Substack shows posts and Notes to a wider audience only if there are comments and some activity on the account. So at the very beginning, you need to actively promote your Notes and posts yourself. In the post, there’s a link to my article about how I got my first 100 subscribers. Take a look—it answers your question in more detail.
I will definitely look into that! Thank you so much for your response 🙏
Coming up with ideas and consistency. This was helpful information. Thank you.
I’m glad it was useful! Best of luck with your Substack!
okay... i read this one...
and the "conference room vs coffee shop" distinction is the most elegant way I've seen this named 😭
bc that's exactly it. people subscribe bc of the expertise. but they stay, engage, and eventually pay bc of the human they met in the comments section at 11pm on a Tuesday!! 🤍
and the 70/30 rule is what I've been living for 81 days now without having a name for it.
Day 81 of my 100 Day Conversation Experiment.
the whole philosophy from day 1 has been exactly this.... comments and replies build trust. trust builds relationships. relationships bring opportunities. that's the entire system in one sentence.
the proof is in the experiment itself. my first dollar online came from a conversation not a post. my first podcast guest was someone I replied to genuinely before I ever pitched anything. my first founding member showed up bc she felt seen in the comment section long enough to care abt what I was building 🤍
nd the part abt consistency preparing the ground before the note explodes is the one most people skip over bc it doesn't fit the "one viral note changed everything" story. but that's the real story. always 😄
Alesia u've named smth that took me 81 days of documenting to fully understand.... and u put it in a coffee shop metaphor that I'll probably be quoting for the rest of this experiment 😭
what's ur take on comments specifically.... do u think the quality of ur comments on other people's posts compounds the same way ur notes do?
Numbers are never important …