A catch-up on recent posts, some of my favourite reads from other writers and news about the platform and Grow Your Newsletter, as well as other bits and pieces worth knowing.

✉️ What’s in today’s edition?

• 💰 My thoughts on Substack burnout

• 👀 What you might have missed on GYN

• 📚 My three favourite reads this week

• 🛠️ A Substack feature you should be using

My thoughts on Substack burnout 📰

I’ve been feeling a little bit of burnout lately. That’s probably not surprising, given the sheer volume of hours I spend here each week. I love it here, and I’m extremely grateful, but it still can be a lot sometimes.

And that’s fine. And it’s fine for you to feel the same, whatever your Substack experience looks like.

Yes, posting is great. Yes, I have subscribers I need to supply content, opportunities or obligations to. But that doesn’t have to come at the cost of my mental wellbeing.

It can be hard to switch off from running a newsletter. Checking Stripe every five minutes, constantly scrolling through the app, always planning the next post. But it’s important to think consciously about taking breaks.

So, I’m going to start spending at least one day a week logged out. Probably Saturdays, where I’ll enjoy (or tolerate) a full 24 hours without anything Substack. I’m no longer on social media, so that means plenty of time for catching up on reading or watching live sport.

Burnout is okay. But rest and recovery is important for dealing with it. Find ways to switch off, whatever that looks like, and allow your mind the chance to feel better about being on here.

Trust me, we all need a break sometimes!

Missed anything from GYN? 👀

This week I shared a post with you about the case for shrinking your mailing list, plus a step-by-step guide for paid subscribers on how to do so, as well as the metrics I use.

And more than 50 of you have shared your newsletters in the GYN chat thread (you can read more in the link below). This thread is for you to find similar creators and grow recommendations and reach prospective collaborators.

Just make sure you read through and reach out to relevant people, don’t just self promote! This is about working together, not trying to grow independently.

My top three reads this week 📚

The Link Tank™️

The Smart Way to Publish on LinkedIn and Substack

Read more

8 months ago · 23 likes · 6 comments · Melanie Goodman

Melanie’s Substack The Link Tank is all about growing on LinkedIn. Look, I get that LinkedIn isn’t much fun. Nothing about it feels authentic. But it remains important for your career or business, especially if you’re a freelancer like me. This piece, about publishing on LinkedIn and Substack, was great. I’d recommend subscribing if you want to know more about how to grow over there.

tick tick bitch

six years of life and cancer, my prognosis now

After my first post, the overarching sentiment in response was “wdym 5 years??” Most people were less direct, which I appreciated. Cancer rates in young people are surging. This Time Magazine article profiled cancer survivors diagnosed at age 18, 26, 28, and 40…

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8 months ago · 6 likes · 7 comments · Rose Wong

If you haven’t read Rose Wong, I’d really recommend checking her work out. A newer Substack, this one is all about finding meaning in life with the threats of terminal cancer, climate change, automation and late-stage capitalism - and the writing is fantastic. This post is about Rose’s experience, and it’s a really brilliant read. If you enjoy reading personal essays, check this one out this week.

Lavender Sound

You Probably Missed These 10 Releases by LGBTQ+ Artists. Here’s a Paragraph About Each

By Max Freedman, Editor-in-Chief…

Read more

8 months ago · 4 likes · 3 comments · Lavender Sound

If you’d like to read more about LGBTQ+ music, you should definitely check out Lavender Sound. This breakdown of releases by LGBTQ+ artists was a highlight of mine. Plus, Lavender Sound has the aim of paying music writers fair rates, and that’s hugely commendable - reading and supporting them helps with all of that. A great online magazine worth reading, especially if you love your music.

Are you using email headers and footers? 🛠️

Do you know what email headers and footers are? Do you know what they can do?

Have a look in your publication settings. If you’re not using them, you should be. And it doesn’t have to be used to endlessly sell upgrades to your readers, you can use them to share a welcome message, a reminder of what you write about, or links to other things.

Really, it’s up to you. I’ve had lots of success in growing with using headers and footers, but they work a little differently for everyone.

I’m going to share a post with you soon with more details on what they can do for you, plus some examples of different content in them for paid subscribers.

Any thoughts? 💬

Let me know if you have anything to say on anything from today’s Substack Weekend Musings. I always love to hear from you!

Leave a comment

A catch-up on recent posts, some of my favourite reads from other writers and news about the platform and Grow Your Newsletter, as well as other bits and pieces worth knowing.

✉️ What’s in today’s edition?

• 💰 Thoughts on the Substack plagiarism controversy

• 💼 The latest on my new 1-2-1 sessions

• 👀 What you might have missed on GYN

• 📚 My three favourite reads this week

• 🛠️ Some of my plans for the Substack chat

This week on Substack 📰

Plagiarism! That’s the hot topic on Substack this week.

This week, bestseller Katie Jgln accused another creator, Maalvika, of plagiarism. This upset many people on Substack, because the whole idea here is that everyone’s content is original. It doesn’t really matter what you write about, but it does matter that said writing is your own.

The whole thing confused me at first. But having read the passage Katie accused Maalvika of stealing, it’s clearly lifted. I was amazed by the shamelessness of promoting it on TikTok too, and doing so with a straight face.

The real issue is that Substack seems to have rewarded her. She’s now a bestseller, and for most of the past week she’s ranked near the top of the ‘Rising’ list in the Technology category. That ranking is based on paid subscriptions. In other words, she’s making (probably good) money off someone else’s work.

I don’t know where the limit is. If you’d steal one piece and pass it off as your own, why wouldn’t you do it again? How much of what’s published here is actually written by the person whose name is on it? The Freelance Writing Network has been plagiarised before. I didn’t kick up a fuss that time, and I know other writers who’ve had the same thing happen.

And it made me think. We’re all trying to deal with AI, and nobody has clear answers. But we know that AI is trained on stolen writing. So does it change how we think about what counts as ‘fair game’? Does it blur the line between what’s shared, what’s copied, and what’s just stolen?

I’m genuinely curious. Let me know what you think in the comments.

Leave a comment

P.S. I’m planning to write more on this subject in a full post soon, so stay tuned.

The latest on my new 1-2-1 sessions 💼

This week saw the first of my new 1-2-1 sessions, with one Substack Strategy Session and two of The Growth Sprint, the latter of which involves a detailed audit and lots of hyper-specific techniques to grow a newsletter audience, regardless of what stage the creator is currently at.

The sessions have been a unique reminder for quite how much I know about Substack, and how much I’m able to help people grow an audience on the platform. It’s also been great fun deep diving into newsletters that are new to me, as well as creating practical growth strategies that writers can implement.

I’m going to be sharing more with you on these 1-2-1 sessions in the next few weeks, but I would point out here that they will increase in price in September. That means this is your chance to lock in the highest quality Substack growth sessions for a very reasonable price, while you still can!

Have a look using the link below, I’d love to see if we can work together soon! And if you have questions, please feel free to reach out to me about them too.

View GYN's 1-2-1 sessions!

Missed anything from GYN? 👀

This week I shared two new posts with you all: What most new newsletter writers get wrong, plus 60 proven ways to grow your newsletter audience and find your first 1000 subscribers.

My top three reads this week 📚

We’ve got a great mix of posts this week, from plagiarism to fashion to self-education.

Here are three of my favourite reads this week:

The Noösphere

Mama, There’s a Plagiarist Behind You

Around a year ago, I opened the TikTok app and was served a video of Maalvika discussing an essay she’d just published. ‘It’s my most well-researched Substack,’ she announced proudly…

Read more

8 months ago · 4840 likes · 564 comments · Katie Jgln

This is the full piece that Katie wrote regarding the recent plagiarism issue. I don’t need to say much about it, you should just read it for yourself. It’s an excellent piece.

fashion blog #69

FASHION 101: SCHIAPARELLI

As you may know I am a fashion enthusiast, a detective even. I’ve wanted to start a series for a while now where I can share my findings on how to tell fashion houses and their works apart…

Read more

8 months ago · 2 likes · joseph

This Fashion 101 post is more something of interest to me personally than a general piece about writing or Substack, so it’s nice to mix it up a little. I loved Joseph’s Schiaparelli post from this week. He’s got a really unique and engaging writing style, and I learned a lot too. If you’re keen on your fashion (especially fashion history with this piece), I’d strongly suggest checking it out.

Knowledge Lust

Why I Ditched Year-Long Self-Education Goals for 12-Week Sprints

For the past few years, I’ve been using annual planning to organize my self-education and reading life…

Read more

8 months ago · 54 likes · 20 comments · Sam Rinko

I’m often thinking about learning and knowledge, especially as a Substack creator. Sam Rinko’s Knowledge Lust is great for this, and I love his breakdowns on how to improve self-education. If you’re a passionate learner, this post (and the Substack in general) will help you become better at that. It’s an insightful read.

The Substack chat with GYN 🛠️

Another aspect of Grow Your Newsletter that I’m refining right now is the Substack chat, which is always a valuable tool for working with your community and subscriber base.

I’m planning to use this chat more regularly than I have with the FWN, and as a cohesive tool to support your newsletters.

This will include things like Ask Me Anything chats and Note shares, plus paid subscribers will have the option to start new threads whenever and get feedback and support from myself, as well as the wider community.

Join the chat

If there’s anything you’d like to see from these chats, please let me know either in the comments or via message. I’m always open to hearing about how I can support you!

Any thoughts? 💬

Let me know if you have anything to say on anything from today’s Substack Weekend Musings. I always love to hear from you!

Leave a comment

As a reminder, this (mostly) weekly roundup will share a load of things worth knowing if you’re growing a newsletter on Substack (or even if you’re just an active user).

A catch-up on recent posts here, some of my favourite reads from other writers and news about the platform, as well as other bits and pieces worth knowing.

✉️ What’s in today’s edition?

• 💰 Thoughts on controversial Substack creators

• 👀 What you might have missed from GYN

• 🗳️ The first weekly poll

• 📚 My three favourite reads this week

• 🛠️ A Substack strategy I’m thinking about

This week on Substack 📰

Not everyone on Substack is enjoying themselves. Well, perhaps most of us are. The ones who aren’t happy will generally end up leaving.

I am curious about one common complaint I’ve seen recently: that Substack is allowing fascists and far right extremists to publish freely, effectively platforming them. But I don’t function in those spaces, and my feed is curated in such a way that I almost never come across problematic content.

So I’m curious. To what extent does who Substack ‘platforms’ bother you? I’d like there to be limits, but isn’t the basis for this platform that it is, in its most basic form, a place to write a blog and email subscribers? Should you choose, you can do that and virtually nothing else. And you can easily move your entire list of subscribers elsewhere should you choose.

Problematic creators haven’t concerned me a great deal. One, I simply ignore them. Two, they’re on every other platform as well. In certain cases, I’d prefer Substack took action and banned certain people. But once you go down that route, it can become a slippery slope to censorship of any view you deem unacceptable.

I’m not suggesting that Substack allow Nazis to spew hate freely to all who’ll listen, but I would prefer caution when it comes to banning accounts.

And I want to know what you think. Should Substack be doing more to remove potentially harmful political views? As someone not in those spaces, and not reading anything from those creators, perhaps I’m unaware of how bad things really are. Let me know your thoughts!

Leave a comment

Missed anything from GYN? 👀

This week I shared two new posts with you all: Three key things to consider before you start monetising your content, and a thoughtful piece about whether unsubscribes are really as bad as they feel.

Poll of the week 🗳️

I want to know how long you have been using Substack for.

By all accounts, Substack is growing rapidly, with more users and more paid subscribers every single month. But how long have you been around? I’m curious to know how new the platform is to you, and to what extent you’ve seen it change since you arrived.

I’ve been here for just under two years now, and just in that span I’ve seen lots change already. As always, still excited to see what the future holds here!

My top three reads this week 📚

This week, I asked for recommendations from you via the Substack chat. You shared some amazing work, and I’ve enjoyed taking the time to read through and see what you’re all working on.

Here are three of my favourites:

Promises Kept

What kids literature is for

“Most of us know what we should expect to find in a dragon's lair, but, as I said before, Eustace had read only the wrong books. They had a lot to say about exports and imports and governments and drains, but they were weak on dragons.” ― C.S. Lewis…

Read more

a year ago · 10 likes · 2 comments · Dani Nichols

I loved this piece by Dani Nichols about kids literature. It’s a really insightful view into why imaginative and creative storytelling is important. It gets at something that many writers of children’s fiction forget: children’s stories don’t need to perfectly mirror the hardest realities of life. They have all of adulthood for that!

Children love stories that stretch their imagination, spark courage and show them excitement. The best children’s books teach not with lectures, but by sharing truly delightful, creative work. This piece was a great read, especially for any of you out there writing children’s books right now.

Uncompliant Substack

Your Wellness Initiatives Suck

I apologize for the clickbait title. I don’t actually think your wellness initiatives suck; I was just trying to be disruptive and jazzy. Of course they don’t suck! You put your heart and soul into creating them because you are amazing like that. You did your research, you polled your networks, maybe you conducted a survey or held a roundtable and had t…

Read more

9 months ago · 3 likes · Jennifer Houle

I really enjoyed this piece by Jennifer Houle which dives into the nonsense that many companies use under the banner of ‘wellness’. It’s sharp, honest, and embedded in reality. I think we’re all familiar with how surface-level solutions are used, often to patch over deeper dysfunction within an organisation!

I’m familiar with many a ‘pizza party’ that usually involves a slice or two (if lucky) of cold pizza, alongside a non-alcoholic drink from a plastic cup. What could be better for employee wellness than that?

Sidenotes

Coastal Time

This summer all I have been able to think about is the sea. A persistent, nagging fantasy haunts me: to escape to a seaside town in New England where no one knows my name…

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9 months ago · 7 likes · 3 comments · Carly Bush

Finally, I really enjoyed reading this post from Carly Bush. It’s gentle and honest, and really makes you think about how it feels to be stuck in a creative limbo, especially when significant life events take their toll. It’s a lovely reflective piece, and reminds us that sometimes the best thing to write is just whatever brings us peace.

A Substack strategy I’m thinking about 🛠️

I go backwards and forwards a lot on pricing when it comes to Substack. How to know what to charge? Until I started the FWN nearly two years ago, I’d never had to consider charging for something unless I was selling my old clothes on Vinted.

So now, with everything that I offer across my two newsletters, I’m often thinking about pricing and value for money. Given Substack take 10% of every fee, Stripe takes 3% plus $0.30 from every individual transaction, it doesn’t take long before a subscription fee looks a little thin when it arrives in the account.

So what is fair pricing? And how do you decide what your newsletter is worth? I sometimes base mine on what similar newsletters are offering, so that I can ensure I’m competitive within the market. But if I believe my content is the best, as I do (else I wouldn’t be doing this), is that fair value?

The difficulty with newsletter subscriptions is that you need hundreds of paid subscribers to compensate you for your time. Even fewer than 100 paid readers will most likely work out at less than minimum wage. That’s fine—amazing even—if it’s a hobby, but what if you’re trying to devote more time to the work? We all need to make a living in some way or another.

Let me know your thoughts. How do you decide to price the paid section of your newsletters?

Any thoughts? 💬

Let me know if you have anything to say on anything from today’s Substack Weekend Musings. I always love to hear from you!

Leave a comment

I’ve been wanting to start something like this for a while, and this new publication is the perfect place for it.

This (mostly) weekly roundup will share a load of things worth knowing if you’re growing a newsletter on Substack (or even if you’re just an active user). A catch-up on recent posts here, some of my favourite reads from other writers and news about the platform, as well as other bits and pieces worth knowing.

✉️ What’s in today’s edition?

• 💰 A quick look at Substack’s new $100m investment

• 👀 What you might have missed this week

• 📚 Three of my favourite reads

• 🛠️ A Substack tool I’m testing out

This week on Substack 📰

Substack announced $100m in Series C funding this week, led by rich people like your favourite agent Rich Paul and the co-founder of the underwear brand SKIMS, among others. SKIMS actually joined Substack moments later, meaning you’ll now be able to keep up with all those underwear updates you’ve been missing out on.

In all seriousness, this new funding is significant. According to a post this week, Substack says it will use this money to “invest in better tools, broader reach, and deeper support for the writers and creators driving Substack’s ecosystem.” You can read the full post all about this new investment, written by the three Substack co-founders, right here.

I can sit here and explain what that might look like, but the fantastic Emma Gannon has already bagged a full interview with two of the co-founders: Chris Best and Hamish McKenzie.

This interview is currently free to watch or read, and I’d recommend checking it out (link here) if you’re interested in the future of Substack.

This isn’t just worth watching if you’re keen on expanding your audience or monetisation, but rather if you’re interested in the future of the entire platform. They touch on learning from the mistakes of others (thanks again for ruining Twitter, Elon), what they’re looking to invest this money in and how you can expect Substack to continue to grow.

I’ve been on Substack for nearly two years and publishing for around 18 months. Just within that time frame I’ve seen it grow and expand far more than I expected. Yes, it’s not perfect. It can certainly be frustrating. Some creators are problematic. But this is absolutely the best place to build your brand and share your writing, I’m absolutely certain about that.

Exciting days ahead here!

Missed anything from GYN? 👀

I’m still working on expanding the content here at Grow Your Newsletter, and there’s lots more coming at you over the next few weeks.

This week I shared two new posts: A little more about why GYN is its own thing, plus a post about the paywall decision and some lesser considered thoughts about the whole process.

These are both free to read, while some paid-only posts will start from this week.

My top three reads this week 📚

I want to use this weekly space to highlight work from other creators on Substack. So here are three of my favourites from this week:

This Might Be Cringe

The Four Things Framework: How to Do Just Enough During a Layoff

Getting things done can be difficult for me in general, but during a layoff, it can feel almost impossible…

Read more

9 months ago · 9 likes · 5 comments · Julie Laufer

Julie’s fantastic post is great whether you’re going through a layoff, low energy, or just have a chaotic brain (yeah, that one’s me). This is a refreshing way to structure your day, and I’m looking forward to implementing some ideas. The Four Things Framework is full of practical advice, especially if you’re neurodivergent or, like me, tired of the usual productivity hacks.

The Practical Freelancer

Non-disclosure agreements for freelancers

If you’ve been freelancing for a while, you’ll undoubtedly have been asked to sign a non-disclosure agreement by at least one of your clients. If you have, then you’ll probably know what an NDA is all about, but for those that haven’t seenone or are just starting their freelance journey, they can be a daunting prospect…

Read more

9 months ago · 2 likes · Paul Docherty

Paul Docherty’s post about NDAs for freelancers is really insightful. If you’re not sure what they are, or what they might mean for you as a working professional, check this post out. Paul’s publication is all about practical freelancing advice and support, and I’d recommend checking it out in more detail if that’s your jam.

Sparkle on Substack

Why I won't leave Substack even though my growth fell off the cliff last month 🏔️

Hi folks. I’m Claire. I like on the (currently) very sunny Northumberland Coast in the UK with my family and our pet whippet pup Stella…

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9 months ago · 164 likes · 74 comments · Claire Venus ✨

Finally, I really loved Claire Venus’ post about why she’s not leaving Substack despite growth slowing down last month. It’s a fantastic, honest read about creative slowdowns, connecting with readers and staying in the game. It also has a ton of the emotional transparency we need more of, especially in the newsletter business.

A Substack tool I’m testing out 🛠️

Sections!

You’re actually reading one right now. It means that if you were to hit ‘unsubscribe’ at the bottom, you could actually just decide which sections you wanted to hear from, meaning you control the relevant content from the publication.

I’m mostly going to be implementing this more at the Freelance Writing Network, though I’m unsure about how it will go. It gives readers more control on what content they receive directly, but it also implies people are more willing to press buttons and change settings than they really are.

Sure, I do it all the time, but I’m on here all the time (my phone’s screen time for Substack is shocking, especially given I could swear I only use it on my laptop). I’m looking forward to testing sections out for a few weeks before I report back to you on the impact they do or don’t have!

Any thoughts? 💬

Let me know if you have anything to say on anything from today’s inaugural Substack Weekend Musings. I always love to hear what you have to say!

Leave a comment