every time a social app becomes popular it gets bombarded with “coaches” trying to make money. i like reading silly little articles about people’s lives, what they love, what they hate, and deep thoughts they have at midnight. i think it’s cool people can make money off of their passions on here but i don’t think that’s why they should start. i hope substack instead becomes bombarded with more authentic writers, such as yourself, with more interesting takes that scream personality.
HI ALYSSA! Thank you for being so nice!!!! I appreciate it so much! 🥹🫶🏻 I loved your profile picture, btw. And oh my god, these “coaches” really are an epidemic on every social app, we can’t escape them. But i’m glad we still can find each other and read our silly little articles in spite of them. They can definitely coexist with us (the cool people) but they can’t takeover like they’ve been doing for a while!
I agree with this so much !! I like getting to know people through their writings. I like reading stuff with emotion. Thats the kind of stuff I hope to post (im only one post in so far but it is definitely filled with late night thoughts that have long lived in only my journal lolll)
This is such a great think piece. When I first started on here six months ago, I was obsessed with people seeing my stuff. I still am but I’m feeling more comfortable posting whatever whenever. It’s definitely hard, though. But 1 like on here makes my day. 50 would probably send into shock. And I’m so with you on the paid content. I want my writing to be accessible and for it to mean something. It being behind a paywall just makes me cringe. I’m not trying to be like Super Duo (and there’s my next post idea)
Hey, lauryn! Thank you so much for taking the time to comment on this post! 🥹 And you’re so right. The best content comes organically, especially when it comes to writing. I feel like people will appreciate a thoughtful, insightful, beautifully crafted out post whenever you feel like posting so much more than a mediocre content posted every week. It’s also so sad to see people write about trending topics without being interested on them, which i have been seeing all over here. Keep up your beautiful, beautiful content! 🥹🫶🏻
Agree with this! I only started last week and i posted my first post yesterday - seeing ONE person read it had me giggling and kicking ny feet 🤣 i have always only written in my journal so even just the thought of any outsider reading my stuff makes my day. I write for me!! And agree about the paywalls as well… i get it though, as writing can take a lot of work and people need money. But i dont think i will have paywalls at least for awhile.
I agree with this entire piece!!!! I stress myself out when I don’t have a new post every week and I’ve to remind myself it’s okay, I’ll write when I feel like it!!! Also when someone comments on my post it literally makes my heart flutter and I think that’s what’s this is about. Making at least one person feel seen, give them something that makes them go “yeah I agree, I feel this too’ - which is what you just did for me!!
Hi, Reet! What an insightful comment omg. To me, that’s the entire point of writing, making people feel seen. I’m glad we both agree on that and i’m glad you commented on this post so i could find your beautiful work. If it takes you time to beautifully craft your work like you have been doing, then so be it, because it’s so worth it! Thank you for your comment, i’m glad we found each other! 🥹🫶🏻
Amanda you’ve just made my day!! Thank you for the kindest words!!! So glad I found your post too so I could feel seen!! Looking forward to read your writing 🩷
Making one person feel seen and understood <3 ahhh that's always been my mission with everything I do online. Honestly, if we're not doing that and just focusing on amassing numbers, then what the hell is the actual point?! Are we here for genuine connection and impact or just a number's game? We need more of this approach, as creators and as consumers.
YES! Finally someone talking sense! Thank you for writing this piece. It is very important to understand what we’re here for and what kind of community one wants to be a part of.
Hey, Sagar! Thank you so much for your comment!! You made my day! And i totally agree, it is very important to filter what is important to us and it’s also very important to pick communities and content that lets us grow and be better, instead of looking for a quick cash grab type thing.
Thank you so much for this, this comes at such an important time for me because I’ve been stressing so much about all of this lately and beating myself up for my perceived lack of “success.” But I don’t want to do all of these silly gimmicky things just to get subscribers who may not even engage that deeply with what I write. I hope that Notes doesn’t turn Substack into some vapid social
media thing. Overall, I think even if the process of writing just helped me clarify my thinking or gain a new insight or improve my
writing skills, it’ll have been worth it, regardless of how many people read it.
Hi, Ramya! Thank you so much for your comment! And this is such an important reason to write! Clarifying your thinking and improving your writing skills is so much more important than subscriber count. Self improvement is such a blessing. And real good, meaningful writing brings so much more people to your newsletter than doing vapid social media stuff. Keep making beautiful and meaningful content and most importantly, keep the self improvement. 🥹🩷
I LOVE this so much. I block block block any marketing strategy bro before my first bite of breakfast. Also, a thing I’ve been thinking about lately.. Does anyone know what it is going to look like when you actually have a lot paid subs for instance? How will it affect your writing? Will you be able to handle the pressure that comes along with mandatory writing for a living? I meann i think we’re all romanticizing it a bit too much without really seeing the full picture. Anyway, AMAZING piece. Thank you!!! ❤️
JASMINE!! Thank you so much for your comment, i’m so obsessed with your work! And you just said what has been in my mind forever!!!! People really aren’t thinking about the long run when posting content for paid subscribers! What I’ve been doing for the past few months is organizing a list of content that i think is interesting enough and putting ideas on that list that will be posted throughout the year, like a whole year of content. And it takes SO much of my time! But it’s better to be safe than sorry when it comes to these things! We should never play with other people’s money! Thank you so much for reading this! It’s such an honor. 🥹🫶🏻
AMANDA!!! another incredible post, i completely agree with all of this and you hit the nail perfectly on the head. it feels like a pyramid scheme type thing, toss so much content at us and hope it sticks, but i just want to see beautiful, creative, interesting, and thought provoking pieces on here. love you!
SARAH!!!!! Just know that you’re SO loved and appreciated by me. Seriously. Your content is all this app needs. If everyone wrote the same way you do, this app would be PARADISE. And you’re so right, these people are doing a pyramid scheme type thing, and it’s so laughable. Having a laugh over their notes and blocking them subsequently is the current vibe.
Dear Amanda, so excited to read your post and I found myself saying "yes, yes, yes" so many times! Just like you, I have noticed lots of people teaching how to write, how to become the best, how to get huge audiences and so on. Years ago I took an 18months course in performance coaching, then confidence coaching and so on. What I noticed in time is that the ones making money were the trainers not the coaches. So the whole game was to become a trainer to teach others how to become coaches. The same seems to happen in many areas including writing ... teach others how to write! I don't understand the hype! Are people looking for the shortcuts? Why aim for huge audiences? What's the point? If they are coming in an organic way .. it is perfect. Otherwise it is just a number. Years ago I was focused on Facebook ... for whatever reason I ended up with 5500+ followers. Why? I have no clue! How? Again I don't know! The truth is that one interacts with a handful of people anyway as the algorithm is the main master behind the scenes. Writing, just like learning a language is a craft .. it takes years to master (what a word :) it, to find one's voice but this is the whole point isn't it? Simply turn up in front of the screen, write and let go of any expectations.
Dearest Karina!!!! I wish i could restack your comment for everyone to see! You absolutely nailed it. I’m so glad we get to have people like you on substack, so observant!! You just putted everything into perspective. Coaches are teaching people how to be coaches, and that takes away the flair, substance and style of all kinds of artistic endeavors. It’s a shame that this is happening, but fortunately, there are people like you who aren’t buying it at all. Keep being so real. I loved your comment so much.
Dear Amanda delighted I found another kindred spirit! Please feel free to restack the comment! What puzzles me is how popular are the posts about .. writing! It reminds me of my university years and teachers teaching us about having a business! Ok you will say .. it s fine! Nope it is not! Those people never had a business! Theory is one thing. Practice another matter! Also .. just think .. Jane Austen simply wrote .. no lessons about the how .. she did it and like her tons of remarkable writers. Anyway I digress! It is still puzzling why so many people feel the need to read about … how to write! I will subscribe to your blog and read with interest!
Exactly!!! Imagine how it would be if all great authors like Jane Austen were tutored. They would sound all the same! they’d lose their writing style and authenticity, which is what makes them legends! Same thing nowadays, a future excellent writer could be tamed right now by a tutor who is only interested in money. Such a shame! Thank you for subcribing and again, thank you for being so real.
Omg I’m crossing all 20 fingers and toes and hoping and praying this app doesn’t turn into Instagram with all the bots and algorithm competition 😩 my absolute favorite blogs to read here are the whimsical ones about love letters and summer reading how beautifully mundane our lives are sometimes 🥹
your comment! And i really hope so too. I noticed writers are doing absolutely everything that they can to be successful here so they can finally log off of goddamn instagram! I also love all the whimsical posts and reading about summer and hope they never stop writing them. It’s what keeps this platform alive for me! 🫶🏻
LOVED this, lol. Made me laugh out loud. I despise these notes and substacks that focus on how to become a writer on here. It feels like MLM, or LinkedIn - and I hate both.
HI ANNIKA!!! Thank you SO MUCH. I loved your latest piece so much. And it really does feel like MLM or LinkedIn in here sometimes. EW. We have to be strong and stick together through times like these lol
Thank you! I really like what you've done here on your substack and am always looking forward to reading your newsletters. And I really do cross my fingers that substack, more importantly substack notes does not turn into LinkedIn 2.0.
This is such a refreshing reminder. It’s all too easy to get caught up in the rat race and this piece just puts everything in perspective again. Thank you!
Thank you so much, Sam! I appreciate that so much. I’m enjoying the experience of knowing people that managed to escape the rat race for a little bit. It’s so nice.
I don’t know how this managed to come across my feed, but I’m so glad it did. There were so many great things about this piece, not the least of which was the idea that the louder the music, the less likely your parents (or whoever) were likely to smell the cigarette smoke. When I was in high school, I believed this to be true of cigarettes AND acid, that music was some kind of cover-up. Thank you for taking me back there, and also for the reminder that 50 people is a lot, and for the reminder that the reason I started posting here was because I wanted to, and because it made me feel like myself, and that’s why I kept posting here even during the first year of my daughter’s life, which was hard, although tbh the second year has been harder as far as regular posting is concerned. Anyway. You seem very awesome, so thank you again. :)
Aw, Kate!!! Thank you so much for your comment!! It’s so insane to me that people can connect with each other like this, by having the same experiences (good or bad). Having a bond by shared experiences is so cool to me because it shows both of us how far we’ve been. Keep posting and keep writing!! 🥹🫶🏻✨💌🩷
I totally understand what you’re saying! With me, all my posts are free. If people want to support financially, they can, but nothing is behind a paywall!
Courtenay!! You’re AWESOME!!! I loved loved loved your work!!!!! You’re someone that deserves everything you want to accomplish because your work is simply SO good. It makes me so happy to see that everyone can read you! everyone should read you, in fact.
Slowing down and actually going deeper with our artistry, our work and the people who receive it - is advice the entire internet, and especially the online business space deeply needs.
Hey, Aiste! Thank you for your comment!!! And i believe so, too. It was definitely an advice i needed to hear myself. It makes me so happy to see how it reached so many amazing people! forever grateful. 🥹🫶🏻✨💌
every time a social app becomes popular it gets bombarded with “coaches” trying to make money. i like reading silly little articles about people’s lives, what they love, what they hate, and deep thoughts they have at midnight. i think it’s cool people can make money off of their passions on here but i don’t think that’s why they should start. i hope substack instead becomes bombarded with more authentic writers, such as yourself, with more interesting takes that scream personality.
HI ALYSSA! Thank you for being so nice!!!! I appreciate it so much! 🥹🫶🏻 I loved your profile picture, btw. And oh my god, these “coaches” really are an epidemic on every social app, we can’t escape them. But i’m glad we still can find each other and read our silly little articles in spite of them. They can definitely coexist with us (the cool people) but they can’t takeover like they’ve been doing for a while!
I agree with this so much !! I like getting to know people through their writings. I like reading stuff with emotion. Thats the kind of stuff I hope to post (im only one post in so far but it is definitely filled with late night thoughts that have long lived in only my journal lolll)
This is such a great think piece. When I first started on here six months ago, I was obsessed with people seeing my stuff. I still am but I’m feeling more comfortable posting whatever whenever. It’s definitely hard, though. But 1 like on here makes my day. 50 would probably send into shock. And I’m so with you on the paid content. I want my writing to be accessible and for it to mean something. It being behind a paywall just makes me cringe. I’m not trying to be like Super Duo (and there’s my next post idea)
Hey, lauryn! Thank you so much for taking the time to comment on this post! 🥹 And you’re so right. The best content comes organically, especially when it comes to writing. I feel like people will appreciate a thoughtful, insightful, beautifully crafted out post whenever you feel like posting so much more than a mediocre content posted every week. It’s also so sad to see people write about trending topics without being interested on them, which i have been seeing all over here. Keep up your beautiful, beautiful content! 🥹🫶🏻
Agree with this! I only started last week and i posted my first post yesterday - seeing ONE person read it had me giggling and kicking ny feet 🤣 i have always only written in my journal so even just the thought of any outsider reading my stuff makes my day. I write for me!! And agree about the paywalls as well… i get it though, as writing can take a lot of work and people need money. But i dont think i will have paywalls at least for awhile.
I agree with this entire piece!!!! I stress myself out when I don’t have a new post every week and I’ve to remind myself it’s okay, I’ll write when I feel like it!!! Also when someone comments on my post it literally makes my heart flutter and I think that’s what’s this is about. Making at least one person feel seen, give them something that makes them go “yeah I agree, I feel this too’ - which is what you just did for me!!
Hi, Reet! What an insightful comment omg. To me, that’s the entire point of writing, making people feel seen. I’m glad we both agree on that and i’m glad you commented on this post so i could find your beautiful work. If it takes you time to beautifully craft your work like you have been doing, then so be it, because it’s so worth it! Thank you for your comment, i’m glad we found each other! 🥹🫶🏻
Amanda you’ve just made my day!! Thank you for the kindest words!!! So glad I found your post too so I could feel seen!! Looking forward to read your writing 🩷
🥹🤞🏻🤞🏻💌🩷✨🌸 YOU’RE THE SWEETEST!!!
Making one person feel seen and understood <3 ahhh that's always been my mission with everything I do online. Honestly, if we're not doing that and just focusing on amassing numbers, then what the hell is the actual point?! Are we here for genuine connection and impact or just a number's game? We need more of this approach, as creators and as consumers.
🥹🥹🥹🥹🫶🏻🫶🏻🫶🏻🫶🏻✨✨✨
YES! Finally someone talking sense! Thank you for writing this piece. It is very important to understand what we’re here for and what kind of community one wants to be a part of.
Hey, Sagar! Thank you so much for your comment!! You made my day! And i totally agree, it is very important to filter what is important to us and it’s also very important to pick communities and content that lets us grow and be better, instead of looking for a quick cash grab type thing.
Thank you so much for this, this comes at such an important time for me because I’ve been stressing so much about all of this lately and beating myself up for my perceived lack of “success.” But I don’t want to do all of these silly gimmicky things just to get subscribers who may not even engage that deeply with what I write. I hope that Notes doesn’t turn Substack into some vapid social
media thing. Overall, I think even if the process of writing just helped me clarify my thinking or gain a new insight or improve my
writing skills, it’ll have been worth it, regardless of how many people read it.
Hi, Ramya! Thank you so much for your comment! And this is such an important reason to write! Clarifying your thinking and improving your writing skills is so much more important than subscriber count. Self improvement is such a blessing. And real good, meaningful writing brings so much more people to your newsletter than doing vapid social media stuff. Keep making beautiful and meaningful content and most importantly, keep the self improvement. 🥹🩷
I LOVE this so much. I block block block any marketing strategy bro before my first bite of breakfast. Also, a thing I’ve been thinking about lately.. Does anyone know what it is going to look like when you actually have a lot paid subs for instance? How will it affect your writing? Will you be able to handle the pressure that comes along with mandatory writing for a living? I meann i think we’re all romanticizing it a bit too much without really seeing the full picture. Anyway, AMAZING piece. Thank you!!! ❤️
JASMINE!! Thank you so much for your comment, i’m so obsessed with your work! And you just said what has been in my mind forever!!!! People really aren’t thinking about the long run when posting content for paid subscribers! What I’ve been doing for the past few months is organizing a list of content that i think is interesting enough and putting ideas on that list that will be posted throughout the year, like a whole year of content. And it takes SO much of my time! But it’s better to be safe than sorry when it comes to these things! We should never play with other people’s money! Thank you so much for reading this! It’s such an honor. 🥹🫶🏻
AMANDA!!! another incredible post, i completely agree with all of this and you hit the nail perfectly on the head. it feels like a pyramid scheme type thing, toss so much content at us and hope it sticks, but i just want to see beautiful, creative, interesting, and thought provoking pieces on here. love you!
SARAH!!!!! Just know that you’re SO loved and appreciated by me. Seriously. Your content is all this app needs. If everyone wrote the same way you do, this app would be PARADISE. And you’re so right, these people are doing a pyramid scheme type thing, and it’s so laughable. Having a laugh over their notes and blocking them subsequently is the current vibe.
also i love you so much!!!
Dear Amanda, so excited to read your post and I found myself saying "yes, yes, yes" so many times! Just like you, I have noticed lots of people teaching how to write, how to become the best, how to get huge audiences and so on. Years ago I took an 18months course in performance coaching, then confidence coaching and so on. What I noticed in time is that the ones making money were the trainers not the coaches. So the whole game was to become a trainer to teach others how to become coaches. The same seems to happen in many areas including writing ... teach others how to write! I don't understand the hype! Are people looking for the shortcuts? Why aim for huge audiences? What's the point? If they are coming in an organic way .. it is perfect. Otherwise it is just a number. Years ago I was focused on Facebook ... for whatever reason I ended up with 5500+ followers. Why? I have no clue! How? Again I don't know! The truth is that one interacts with a handful of people anyway as the algorithm is the main master behind the scenes. Writing, just like learning a language is a craft .. it takes years to master (what a word :) it, to find one's voice but this is the whole point isn't it? Simply turn up in front of the screen, write and let go of any expectations.
Dearest Karina!!!! I wish i could restack your comment for everyone to see! You absolutely nailed it. I’m so glad we get to have people like you on substack, so observant!! You just putted everything into perspective. Coaches are teaching people how to be coaches, and that takes away the flair, substance and style of all kinds of artistic endeavors. It’s a shame that this is happening, but fortunately, there are people like you who aren’t buying it at all. Keep being so real. I loved your comment so much.
Dear Amanda delighted I found another kindred spirit! Please feel free to restack the comment! What puzzles me is how popular are the posts about .. writing! It reminds me of my university years and teachers teaching us about having a business! Ok you will say .. it s fine! Nope it is not! Those people never had a business! Theory is one thing. Practice another matter! Also .. just think .. Jane Austen simply wrote .. no lessons about the how .. she did it and like her tons of remarkable writers. Anyway I digress! It is still puzzling why so many people feel the need to read about … how to write! I will subscribe to your blog and read with interest!
Exactly!!! Imagine how it would be if all great authors like Jane Austen were tutored. They would sound all the same! they’d lose their writing style and authenticity, which is what makes them legends! Same thing nowadays, a future excellent writer could be tamed right now by a tutor who is only interested in money. Such a shame! Thank you for subcribing and again, thank you for being so real.
Omg I’m crossing all 20 fingers and toes and hoping and praying this app doesn’t turn into Instagram with all the bots and algorithm competition 😩 my absolute favorite blogs to read here are the whimsical ones about love letters and summer reading how beautifully mundane our lives are sometimes 🥹
hi, Sharon! Thank you so much for
your comment! And i really hope so too. I noticed writers are doing absolutely everything that they can to be successful here so they can finally log off of goddamn instagram! I also love all the whimsical posts and reading about summer and hope they never stop writing them. It’s what keeps this platform alive for me! 🫶🏻
LOVED this, lol. Made me laugh out loud. I despise these notes and substacks that focus on how to become a writer on here. It feels like MLM, or LinkedIn - and I hate both.
HI ANNIKA!!! Thank you SO MUCH. I loved your latest piece so much. And it really does feel like MLM or LinkedIn in here sometimes. EW. We have to be strong and stick together through times like these lol
Thank you! I really like what you've done here on your substack and am always looking forward to reading your newsletters. And I really do cross my fingers that substack, more importantly substack notes does not turn into LinkedIn 2.0.
This means the world to me!!!!🥹🩷
🥹🥹🫶🏻🩷
This is such a refreshing reminder. It’s all too easy to get caught up in the rat race and this piece just puts everything in perspective again. Thank you!
Thank you so much, Sam! I appreciate that so much. I’m enjoying the experience of knowing people that managed to escape the rat race for a little bit. It’s so nice.
omg i am cackling this is genius
OMG thank you SO MUCH madeline!!!!!! 🥹🤞🏻🫶🏻
I don’t know how this managed to come across my feed, but I’m so glad it did. There were so many great things about this piece, not the least of which was the idea that the louder the music, the less likely your parents (or whoever) were likely to smell the cigarette smoke. When I was in high school, I believed this to be true of cigarettes AND acid, that music was some kind of cover-up. Thank you for taking me back there, and also for the reminder that 50 people is a lot, and for the reminder that the reason I started posting here was because I wanted to, and because it made me feel like myself, and that’s why I kept posting here even during the first year of my daughter’s life, which was hard, although tbh the second year has been harder as far as regular posting is concerned. Anyway. You seem very awesome, so thank you again. :)
Aw, Kate!!! Thank you so much for your comment!! It’s so insane to me that people can connect with each other like this, by having the same experiences (good or bad). Having a bond by shared experiences is so cool to me because it shows both of us how far we’ve been. Keep posting and keep writing!! 🥹🫶🏻✨💌🩷
I totally understand what you’re saying! With me, all my posts are free. If people want to support financially, they can, but nothing is behind a paywall!
Courtenay!! You’re AWESOME!!! I loved loved loved your work!!!!! You’re someone that deserves everything you want to accomplish because your work is simply SO good. It makes me so happy to see that everyone can read you! everyone should read you, in fact.
Oh my god! You’ve made my evening! ❤️✨
And you’ve made mine!! So talented!
And you! ✨❤️
Slowing down and actually going deeper with our artistry, our work and the people who receive it - is advice the entire internet, and especially the online business space deeply needs.
Hey, Aiste! Thank you for your comment!!! And i believe so, too. It was definitely an advice i needed to hear myself. It makes me so happy to see how it reached so many amazing people! forever grateful. 🥹🫶🏻✨💌
I really liked your writing. Specially when you articulate about Lorde lol
thank you so much, yara!!! really appreciated! omg lorde was (and kinda still is) a big moment of my life lol.