Here's what I thought while reading this piece (which is very well written and kept me engaged--top to bottom): You also could adopt many of the strategies that Sullivan employs and make it work for you on your Substack, Simon. As I went through your collection of posts this evening I thought, "I've seen a lot of this kind of content elsewhere." But who is this Simon guy? My suggestion: Personalize your Substack more. Take pictures out of your own window. Share some of the things that puzzle YOU personally about the topics you cover. How the hard parts were overcome. What it's like to be original (the nuts and bolts of it for YOU--not just what experts have written about it on Bloomberg Biz.
I've been 'blogging' since 1998, in fact, I was doing it when the word blogging didn't even exist--and what was it that built my audience and sustained my readership and the opening of wallets? I talked about myself a lot, but not in a solipsistic way.
People are still looking for the 'personable' online today -- now more than ever before as social media is proving to be a sort of vapid mirage of feigned contact.
So mix it up on your Substack. Don't be afraid to share and show things about yourself, especially if it steps out of the constant stream of success stories that have been done zillions of times before. You're also good looking and as my old friend always says to me: Your face is your fortune. Don't be afraid to mug more for the camera. People like looking at other good looking people.
I wish you success and congratulate you for where you are positioned presently--and will watch to see what's to come. I subscribed earlier this evening and will consider a paid subscription as we go.
It’s interesting you comment that $20/year is “obscenely low” for the work of single writer. The likes of Sullivan and Greenwald have indeed shown that with sufficient clout it’s possible to hit a very healthy revenue number by charging more, but it remains to be seen if any more than a tiny percentage of the population at large think a price that’s ~ 50% of a Netflix or NYT subscription is good deal.
Hundreds of thousands of people collectively subscribe to Substack newsletters. Millions of people subscribe to creators on Patreon.. And these companies are still at their early life stages. People are willing to pay premium prices for niche content they really like. Let me give you an analogy: You can get a pound of decent ground coffee at your local grocery store. And yet coffee shops are a multi billion industry despite the fact that their individual coffees cost many multiples more than what it would to make your coffee at home. People are willing to pay more for something that's niche and artisanal.
Here's what I thought while reading this piece (which is very well written and kept me engaged--top to bottom): You also could adopt many of the strategies that Sullivan employs and make it work for you on your Substack, Simon. As I went through your collection of posts this evening I thought, "I've seen a lot of this kind of content elsewhere." But who is this Simon guy? My suggestion: Personalize your Substack more. Take pictures out of your own window. Share some of the things that puzzle YOU personally about the topics you cover. How the hard parts were overcome. What it's like to be original (the nuts and bolts of it for YOU--not just what experts have written about it on Bloomberg Biz.
I've been 'blogging' since 1998, in fact, I was doing it when the word blogging didn't even exist--and what was it that built my audience and sustained my readership and the opening of wallets? I talked about myself a lot, but not in a solipsistic way.
People are still looking for the 'personable' online today -- now more than ever before as social media is proving to be a sort of vapid mirage of feigned contact.
So mix it up on your Substack. Don't be afraid to share and show things about yourself, especially if it steps out of the constant stream of success stories that have been done zillions of times before. You're also good looking and as my old friend always says to me: Your face is your fortune. Don't be afraid to mug more for the camera. People like looking at other good looking people.
I wish you success and congratulate you for where you are positioned presently--and will watch to see what's to come. I subscribed earlier this evening and will consider a paid subscription as we go.
Cheers,
Frederick
It’s interesting you comment that $20/year is “obscenely low” for the work of single writer. The likes of Sullivan and Greenwald have indeed shown that with sufficient clout it’s possible to hit a very healthy revenue number by charging more, but it remains to be seen if any more than a tiny percentage of the population at large think a price that’s ~ 50% of a Netflix or NYT subscription is good deal.
Hundreds of thousands of people collectively subscribe to Substack newsletters. Millions of people subscribe to creators on Patreon.. And these companies are still at their early life stages. People are willing to pay premium prices for niche content they really like. Let me give you an analogy: You can get a pound of decent ground coffee at your local grocery store. And yet coffee shops are a multi billion industry despite the fact that their individual coffees cost many multiples more than what it would to make your coffee at home. People are willing to pay more for something that's niche and artisanal.