Thanks for participating! There's a lot of talk in the Substack community about "growth" and getting subscribers, but I do think we're all better off with the right subscribers: readers who are happy with what they're reading, and writers who get into a reciprocal feedback loop with their readers and enjoy the benefits of mutuality. Growth for growth's sake just feels like the wrong answer (to me anyway).
Sometimes when I subscribe I'm curious what they will send and say. Often it's not what I was expecting and unsubscribe. Other times it's because I get WAY too many emails from them. If I'm given an opportunity to tell them why I do. On occasion, I also get carried away "decluttering" my inbox and unsubscribe to kinda "start fresh" with other subscriptions.
I only follow very interesting Authors. I'm not a writer but I am a great critic there are some Authors on Substack that are going to be Famous one day. Happy writing
Great post, Tom! I enjoyed reading so many views on the sticky 'unsubscribe' issue. I particularly like Bryn's reference to 'curating' subscriptions. That's a good way to look at it.
Mind you, that 'Please Unsubscribe...' subject line in my e-mail inbox hit me hard! I was like, 'WHAT? Tom doesn't want me subscribing to his Stack any more.....?!' 😉🤣
Thanks Rebecca!I wanted to try this provocative title, the exact opposite of what I usually ask of people, in part because of the way it would land with different people. But I also wanted people not to feel bad if they wanted to unsubscribe. So far, only two people have taken me up on the title, though I wonder about those who just let it go to their spam folder and ignore it or those (like my wife) whose inbox fills and fills with unread items. We’re all so different, aren’t we?
LOL, Tom, I get it - I’m just joshing with you! Really insightful post - I learned a lot!
I’m subscribing to rather too many Stacks to handle right now, but I feel if I’ve subscribed then I owe it to the author and myself to read the posts. I think I’ll be doing some curating of my own in the interests of not getting bogged down with more reading than I can handle.
I knew YOU were kidding, but my reply was serious. What I thought was kind of interesting was the no one said: “I feel like anyone who subscribes owes it to me to stick with it.” That’s entirely a creation of the person who subscribes and feels bad about unsubscribing (at least I think so). It’s those messy human feelings clouding our judgment again! Isn’t that interesting? We don’t feel that way about corporate newsletters, so it must speak to the immediacy of the human connection implied in the Substack newsletter: we are engaging with a real person when we subscribe, not some faceless corporate entity. And isn’t that awesome!
Great summation, Tom! This piece, and an ever so slight feeling of burnout, and seeing dismal free to paid conversion rates for even really popular newsletters, and my novel, and just the harried sense of life in general, has got me reassessing what exactly I'm trying to achieve with Substack.
I think this unsubscribe piece speaks to the risk of burnout and overdose among both readers and writers. The platform is hot, people are starting accounts like crazy, and it's an exciting place to be writing. That said, as someone who's followed stock markets and the tech sector for a decade, this feels very bubble-like.
Don't get me wrong, I'm loving this platform and I'm not going anywhere. But I'm wondering if a less is more approach is going to end up working better for many writers. Something to explore in a follow-up piece analyzing how the Substack community evolves.
Yeah, it’s been very illuminating for me as well, to hear all the thoughts of the contributors (and pair that with your recent piece, your kind of “aha” about fielding questions). I think there will be a backlash to this Substack boom, that not everybody can chase the kind of growth that seems to be the mania right now. But where will that leave us? I’m not sure. I do know that I like the communities and conversations that form in the eddy of some articles … Let’s keep visiting this topic.
I love the community features and I've met a ton of great people. That's rewarding. Ultimately though the monetization angle looks unsustainable. There are only so many dollars to go around and they're going to get allocated to people who are already famous. That's just how the internet economy works.
So if generating income isn't necessarily the goal - because it's likely not realistic- what is? Something to keep exploring. Happy to have contributed to this conversation.
Like you, Amran, I too have wondered about the monetization. I think it’s great that people can find a way to generate income for their work, but will there be a limit to that? It’s like whenever a new restaurant pops up in town - sure it’s great to have variety, but only if you forget that about the other two restaurants that weren’t sustained with business and recently closed.
I pay for a podcast (off-Substack) that I’ve listened to for a number of years. The amount and quality of content is insane, but it’s also proportional to the patrons they have; I think 3/4 now have left their full-time jobs to be employed by their podcast, and they find new ways to add value (new limited series or sideshows, touring capacity). So I might be biased by their model, but with monetization, I want that extra value that balances with compensating their time and talent.
The restaurant analogy is spot on. Whether we want to admit it or not, as writers we're all in competition for eyeballs and potentially dollars. I actually started on Medium because I was leery of my ability to monetize on Substack - and still am. I'm much happier writing on Substack because the community and quality of writing is stronger.
But as I think about what my real objective is, I'm wondering if writing less, for attention, is more viable than writing more, for money.
Let’s meet up for a beer, all of us, and discuss whether we’re in competition (I can argue both sides) and what our real objectives are! If Kris Mole comes, it could get dangerous, but I’m still in. And we can’t leave until we define what our “real objective” is! I debate with myself what mine is, but I know that right now it’s more focused on rhythm and voice than on eyeballs or monetization. Not that that’s the right answer, it’s just my answer.
As a writer, I don't pay attention to subs/unsubs. My notifications are turned off, and I haven't looked at my stats in ages. This is partly because I haven't been able to give my newsletter any attention, lately, and partly because no matter how much I tell myself these things don't matter, I'll get overly emotionally involved, anyway. I'm like an anorexic who's just better off without any scales around.
As a reader, I subscribe to anything that seems like it might be entertaining or in my niche. Mostly, I'm looking to connect to the writer's voice. I almost never read back posts, I just wait for their next newsletter to come in. If they send 5-6 newsletters in a row that don't work for me, I unsubscribe. I've also occasionally unsubscribed because they were just sending too many emails.
I think it's normal and human to feel good when we get subscribers and feel bad when they leave. As writers, we all have to find our own way to cope with that reality. Readers are only human, and we all have limited time and attention.
Great article Tom. And if I may, I'll briefly mention my thinking on this.
When it comes me subbing, I tend to lurk for a while. I bookmark, read, maybe comment, etc. The reason is when I do decide to sub, I want to be (more) sure. As Amran said, I too am a "tough subscribe and a reluctant unsubscribe." Also, I'm still feeling out the ground here on Substack, reading all kinds of wonderful stuff
As for people unsubbing from me, I'm fairly new here and so don't have much experience. But still, I just accept it (it has happened) and move on. No problem. Different strokes and all that. Only a momentary pang.
Anyhow, I enjoyed reading the various viewpoints on this. Thanks again.
Great variety of comments - thanks for writing this.
Thanks for participating! There's a lot of talk in the Substack community about "growth" and getting subscribers, but I do think we're all better off with the right subscribers: readers who are happy with what they're reading, and writers who get into a reciprocal feedback loop with their readers and enjoy the benefits of mutuality. Growth for growth's sake just feels like the wrong answer (to me anyway).
Couldn't agree with you more, Tom.
Sometimes when I subscribe I'm curious what they will send and say. Often it's not what I was expecting and unsubscribe. Other times it's because I get WAY too many emails from them. If I'm given an opportunity to tell them why I do. On occasion, I also get carried away "decluttering" my inbox and unsubscribe to kinda "start fresh" with other subscriptions.
I declutter too, figuring I'l make my way back if I miss one I nuke. Given my newsletter count these days, it's about time for a pruning ...
I only follow very interesting Authors. I'm not a writer but I am a great critic there are some Authors on Substack that are going to be Famous one day. Happy writing
Any recommendations?
Great post, Tom! I enjoyed reading so many views on the sticky 'unsubscribe' issue. I particularly like Bryn's reference to 'curating' subscriptions. That's a good way to look at it.
Mind you, that 'Please Unsubscribe...' subject line in my e-mail inbox hit me hard! I was like, 'WHAT? Tom doesn't want me subscribing to his Stack any more.....?!' 😉🤣
Thanks Rebecca!I wanted to try this provocative title, the exact opposite of what I usually ask of people, in part because of the way it would land with different people. But I also wanted people not to feel bad if they wanted to unsubscribe. So far, only two people have taken me up on the title, though I wonder about those who just let it go to their spam folder and ignore it or those (like my wife) whose inbox fills and fills with unread items. We’re all so different, aren’t we?
LOL, Tom, I get it - I’m just joshing with you! Really insightful post - I learned a lot!
I’m subscribing to rather too many Stacks to handle right now, but I feel if I’ve subscribed then I owe it to the author and myself to read the posts. I think I’ll be doing some curating of my own in the interests of not getting bogged down with more reading than I can handle.
I knew YOU were kidding, but my reply was serious. What I thought was kind of interesting was the no one said: “I feel like anyone who subscribes owes it to me to stick with it.” That’s entirely a creation of the person who subscribes and feels bad about unsubscribing (at least I think so). It’s those messy human feelings clouding our judgment again! Isn’t that interesting? We don’t feel that way about corporate newsletters, so it must speak to the immediacy of the human connection implied in the Substack newsletter: we are engaging with a real person when we subscribe, not some faceless corporate entity. And isn’t that awesome!
Still sorting through my feelings on this topic, so it was great to read so many perspectives! Thanks for this.
I almost wrote a TLDR intro: It's Not About You!
Ha ha! Yep. That was my take-away.
Great summation, Tom! This piece, and an ever so slight feeling of burnout, and seeing dismal free to paid conversion rates for even really popular newsletters, and my novel, and just the harried sense of life in general, has got me reassessing what exactly I'm trying to achieve with Substack.
I think this unsubscribe piece speaks to the risk of burnout and overdose among both readers and writers. The platform is hot, people are starting accounts like crazy, and it's an exciting place to be writing. That said, as someone who's followed stock markets and the tech sector for a decade, this feels very bubble-like.
Don't get me wrong, I'm loving this platform and I'm not going anywhere. But I'm wondering if a less is more approach is going to end up working better for many writers. Something to explore in a follow-up piece analyzing how the Substack community evolves.
Yeah, it’s been very illuminating for me as well, to hear all the thoughts of the contributors (and pair that with your recent piece, your kind of “aha” about fielding questions). I think there will be a backlash to this Substack boom, that not everybody can chase the kind of growth that seems to be the mania right now. But where will that leave us? I’m not sure. I do know that I like the communities and conversations that form in the eddy of some articles … Let’s keep visiting this topic.
I love the community features and I've met a ton of great people. That's rewarding. Ultimately though the monetization angle looks unsustainable. There are only so many dollars to go around and they're going to get allocated to people who are already famous. That's just how the internet economy works.
So if generating income isn't necessarily the goal - because it's likely not realistic- what is? Something to keep exploring. Happy to have contributed to this conversation.
Like you, Amran, I too have wondered about the monetization. I think it’s great that people can find a way to generate income for their work, but will there be a limit to that? It’s like whenever a new restaurant pops up in town - sure it’s great to have variety, but only if you forget that about the other two restaurants that weren’t sustained with business and recently closed.
I pay for a podcast (off-Substack) that I’ve listened to for a number of years. The amount and quality of content is insane, but it’s also proportional to the patrons they have; I think 3/4 now have left their full-time jobs to be employed by their podcast, and they find new ways to add value (new limited series or sideshows, touring capacity). So I might be biased by their model, but with monetization, I want that extra value that balances with compensating their time and talent.
The restaurant analogy is spot on. Whether we want to admit it or not, as writers we're all in competition for eyeballs and potentially dollars. I actually started on Medium because I was leery of my ability to monetize on Substack - and still am. I'm much happier writing on Substack because the community and quality of writing is stronger.
But as I think about what my real objective is, I'm wondering if writing less, for attention, is more viable than writing more, for money.
I typically write satire/dark humor, but in my introductory post I wrote about the pros and cons of each platform: https://agowani.substack.com/p/welcome-to-the-party-pal
You might find it insightful.
Let’s meet up for a beer, all of us, and discuss whether we’re in competition (I can argue both sides) and what our real objectives are! If Kris Mole comes, it could get dangerous, but I’m still in. And we can’t leave until we define what our “real objective” is! I debate with myself what mine is, but I know that right now it’s more focused on rhythm and voice than on eyeballs or monetization. Not that that’s the right answer, it’s just my answer.
Done! I'd be up for a virtual beer/cocktail to discuss as well. Just let me know.
Thanks for writing this, Tom (and for the opportunity to participate too!)
As a writer, I don't pay attention to subs/unsubs. My notifications are turned off, and I haven't looked at my stats in ages. This is partly because I haven't been able to give my newsletter any attention, lately, and partly because no matter how much I tell myself these things don't matter, I'll get overly emotionally involved, anyway. I'm like an anorexic who's just better off without any scales around.
As a reader, I subscribe to anything that seems like it might be entertaining or in my niche. Mostly, I'm looking to connect to the writer's voice. I almost never read back posts, I just wait for their next newsletter to come in. If they send 5-6 newsletters in a row that don't work for me, I unsubscribe. I've also occasionally unsubscribed because they were just sending too many emails.
I think it's normal and human to feel good when we get subscribers and feel bad when they leave. As writers, we all have to find our own way to cope with that reality. Readers are only human, and we all have limited time and attention.
Such a sensible approach!
Great post idea Tom -- thanks for letting me contribute!
Glad to see it's getting such great response. A universal topic -- not just in Substack, but in life... lol
~Graham
Ain’t it the truth! Survey results shared soon …
Great article Tom. And if I may, I'll briefly mention my thinking on this.
When it comes me subbing, I tend to lurk for a while. I bookmark, read, maybe comment, etc. The reason is when I do decide to sub, I want to be (more) sure. As Amran said, I too am a "tough subscribe and a reluctant unsubscribe." Also, I'm still feeling out the ground here on Substack, reading all kinds of wonderful stuff
As for people unsubbing from me, I'm fairly new here and so don't have much experience. But still, I just accept it (it has happened) and move on. No problem. Different strokes and all that. Only a momentary pang.
Anyhow, I enjoyed reading the various viewpoints on this. Thanks again.
I unsubscribed from a few writers. Too political and angry for my taste.
Substack should offer authors the option of sending an unsubscriber a questionnaire about the reason.