I'm serializing three memoirs on Substack simultaneously. (That's a little crazy, I know.)
And what has consistently surprised me in the comments I get is how something I mention that's happened to me triggers a memory for someone else. And they tell me about it. They're not just reading my stories, they are re-living some of their own lives as they do. And they want to tell me about their own experiences. That's what I love about Substack, because you wouldn't get this same kind of interaction if someone was just reading a book. You'd rarely, if ever, hear their thoughts. With Substack, the audience is right there in front of you. And if your writing resonates, they want to tell you right away about it. I love that.
Thank you, Sarah, David, and Gregory. I resonated with all of this. I do not have the numbers that David and Gregory have, not by a longshot. I often hear from readers that they want to linger in silence after the essays. When people do comment, they tend to have a lot to share. I set aside a good chunk of time to meet them at the depth they offer. I would add that engaging readers at this level builds another layer of trust. I was struck by your comments, Sarah, about vertical structure vs. building community.
Thank you for this! My biggest takeaways are consistency in content and building a community, which is exactly my goal! I've established a rhythm of blocking out time to respond to comments and while it's definitely a commitment, it’s so worth it. Those little things build meaningful connections, which is the very thing that I love about Substack.
How do you create a vibrant comments culture on your Substack?
I'm serializing three memoirs on Substack simultaneously. (That's a little crazy, I know.)
And what has consistently surprised me in the comments I get is how something I mention that's happened to me triggers a memory for someone else. And they tell me about it. They're not just reading my stories, they are re-living some of their own lives as they do. And they want to tell me about their own experiences. That's what I love about Substack, because you wouldn't get this same kind of interaction if someone was just reading a book. You'd rarely, if ever, hear their thoughts. With Substack, the audience is right there in front of you. And if your writing resonates, they want to tell you right away about it. I love that.
Thank you, Sarah, David, and Gregory. I resonated with all of this. I do not have the numbers that David and Gregory have, not by a longshot. I often hear from readers that they want to linger in silence after the essays. When people do comment, they tend to have a lot to share. I set aside a good chunk of time to meet them at the depth they offer. I would add that engaging readers at this level builds another layer of trust. I was struck by your comments, Sarah, about vertical structure vs. building community.
Thank you for this! My biggest takeaways are consistency in content and building a community, which is exactly my goal! I've established a rhythm of blocking out time to respond to comments and while it's definitely a commitment, it’s so worth it. Those little things build meaningful connections, which is the very thing that I love about Substack.
I'm lucky that I've come across this video :)
I love David’s Substack, have to check out Gregory’s!
Both are so, so good.