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.....?!' 😉🤣
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.
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.
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.....?!' 😉🤣
Still sorting through my feelings on this topic, so it was great to read so many perspectives! Thanks for this.
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.
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.
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
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.