Oh thank you for the share I just noticed it! I didn’t actually post the tutorial yet as I got carried away talking about something else this week. At least I have my next post lined up though!
Lovely listen and lovely read as always Claire. This week has been a bit fraught, feel like I say that a lot at the moment. It’s the first week that I didn’t send a letter out yesterday but I am feeling the effects of burnout at the moment from my day job and my Friday needed to be just about pottering and releasing myself from the pressure of my enormous to do list. I’m interested to hear more of your views on different publications for the same writer vs different tabs.
I LOVE a Friday potter - I always think it's better to rest and potter than to force the words - when I rest I usually have a creativity tumble in the coming days after and a fair few lightening bolts - we are not machines are we. Cx
AHHHHH thanks for the shout out!!! I've really love the space you've manage to multivate, you're using the platform exactly how I envision to use it and it's great to see it happening infront of my eyes. :)
Thank you so much for the podcast mention, Claire! What a lovely surprise to be reading through and find us mentioned! 🥰 I would never in a million years have suspected I'd love podcasting so much, Helen asked me to be a guest last summer and I surprised myself by thoroughly enjoying it. You really never know what opportunities are going to pop up 💫
You really don't do you. My friend and I have just published our first episode here using Substack as the host - it's called Company of Two and explored being, balance and business in motherhood - it's the thing we wish existed when our first babies were born and we are SO excited to share it and to be doing it here. I'll look forward to listening to yours again next month - it's really so insightful. I feel like it takes months and months to get to know our readers and listeners in reality doesn't it? Exciting! Cx
Hi Claire, these are such useful tips, thank you. Whereas when I started my Substack I found it quite intuitive and easy (I love how easy using audio is for example) but I'm now finding it a little overwhelming to manage because there are so many new additions here, handles and sections and tags. I haven't even started notes or threads because I can't quite distinguish them and then I'm also unsure that I want to get into a place of feeling like I need to be posting in all the places to connect with my readers. I want to connect with them of course but I worry about it getting too noisy...and then I have bouts of FOMO for not activating them yet lol. Thanks for your posts,, they are really inspiring to keep the creativity going.
Ah Michelle - I hear you. You absolutely don't have to 'do all the things' because your readers are just there to hear from YOU first and foremost. I really like notes and I'm still in the experimental stage there but I'm enjoying posting and starting a chat.
With threads (and I wrote about this in last week's email) I think it is SO confusing - I started a paid thread for my members yesterday and I feel like that's the first time it's worked and it works better than chat because no one replied - haha! I've officially ditched chat in favour of threads and Notes.
I think with sections it makes most sense if you have to alternative things to talk about where one person might not want both - I set it up because I wanted to give people the option just to hear from me once a month... so my monthly email is a 'section' and people can just get that rather than all my Substack tips and paid stuff etc...
I'm glad you are getting something from these posts and I think it's really a case of 'all in good time' here isn't it - work with your own goals and you can't go far wrong?
You can post it rather than email it out. Can you see that when you go to publish?
You can also (once posted) back date it so it goes further down your time line... I did that with a blog I pulled through that had sat in Wordpress drafts for years! 🙉
Sorry to bother you again with this. I just checked and the box at the bottom, there are two options; Delivery -Send via email and the Substack app OR Scheduling- Schedule time to email and publish. I'm confused and you are my Substack Agony Aunt!! SOS!
OMG- I've just realised I dont have to check the boxes. I thought it was a case of choose one of these two options, but if I uncheck them then I can still publish... I never thought to do that. LOL
Morning! I'm getting to the stage where I'm about to bring over my mailing list from elsewhere and tbh I'm having a wobble. I relate to you saying about the different ways Substack can be consumed and I'm just a bit worried that my list might be confused. (I know they ain't stupid but I was confused when I first came here) so I suppose in writing that first message to them from here I don't want to overwhelm them with information about SS but I also don't want to assume anything. I'm probably overthinking it all 🤣
Also I think I need to put my Audio diary in a section, it's currently not a podcast but wonderering if it would serve me better if it was?!
This has turned into a long comment! Have a great day.
Ah yes I think you’re right to guide them in. So I send monthly emails called Notes from the Sea so when I brought them I just sent that and unpacked that Substack was a new mailing list platform so the design would look a little different and popped in my header about using the Substack app.
Not everyone reads every email so I’ve kept the bit about the Substack app in my header so if they are opening further down the line it makes it obvious. Some did unsubscribe but I saw that as a good thing because I was about to pay to email them on mailchimp and if they weren’t connected or finding value in what I write about it’s better they clear out their inbox. I think with unsubscribes it’s a good opportunity in mindset because you are gaining space to speak to your right people not loosing anything...?
You can defo edit posts into a section retrospectively I did that with an old Content Club post. You just press the 3 dots to edit the post and choose for it to sit in your new section then update. You could also just use a tag which I have for membership if you click on my home page on the desktop you can see the difference between a section “notes from the sea” and a tag “membership”
Hope that helps... I think there is so much we could “do” here to help our audience feel guided and supported because like you say unless you understand Substack and have spent lots of time on the platform it is confusing! Cx
Ah thanks, great tips. I've a habit of getting so excited that I'll rush something, but then realise later I should have done it a better way, so baby steps I think!
Claire, I think you're right in that this platform is thr best for creatives of all kinds! Love the space and insights you offer. You're very inspiring. Keep up the good work!!
I'm learning the ropes, Claire. I'm getting ideas for how I want to journey here. I'm taking it one day at a time. Reading, subscribing, learning, unsubscribing. I love the audio/recording function. Definitely wanna give that a shot. Thanks, Claire 💓 .
Is it okay to ask you what books you plan on reading this summer?
Sounds perfect. Yes some memoir recommended by my friend and author Caro Giles and something by Brene Brown I think! I've read two of her books so far. 🌸
My own books that just arrived from Amazon. I wrote a book. But knowing them by chapter order is important when referencing. I want to do more with my book. So I'm going to reread it.
Other than that I read Haruki Murakami but only bedtime or reading on the go. No rush to gobble down books, 'coz I want to focus on speaking. Author- speaker.
Oh thank you for the share I just noticed it! I didn’t actually post the tutorial yet as I got carried away talking about something else this week. At least I have my next post lined up though!
💖✨🌱🗺️✏️🌺
Lovely listen and lovely read as always Claire. This week has been a bit fraught, feel like I say that a lot at the moment. It’s the first week that I didn’t send a letter out yesterday but I am feeling the effects of burnout at the moment from my day job and my Friday needed to be just about pottering and releasing myself from the pressure of my enormous to do list. I’m interested to hear more of your views on different publications for the same writer vs different tabs.
I LOVE a Friday potter - I always think it's better to rest and potter than to force the words - when I rest I usually have a creativity tumble in the coming days after and a fair few lightening bolts - we are not machines are we. Cx
AHHHHH thanks for the shout out!!! I've really love the space you've manage to multivate, you're using the platform exactly how I envision to use it and it's great to see it happening infront of my eyes. :)
You're so welcome Isabelle - it's great to be connected!
Thank you so much for the podcast mention, Claire! What a lovely surprise to be reading through and find us mentioned! 🥰 I would never in a million years have suspected I'd love podcasting so much, Helen asked me to be a guest last summer and I surprised myself by thoroughly enjoying it. You really never know what opportunities are going to pop up 💫
You really don't do you. My friend and I have just published our first episode here using Substack as the host - it's called Company of Two and explored being, balance and business in motherhood - it's the thing we wish existed when our first babies were born and we are SO excited to share it and to be doing it here. I'll look forward to listening to yours again next month - it's really so insightful. I feel like it takes months and months to get to know our readers and listeners in reality doesn't it? Exciting! Cx
Hi Claire, these are such useful tips, thank you. Whereas when I started my Substack I found it quite intuitive and easy (I love how easy using audio is for example) but I'm now finding it a little overwhelming to manage because there are so many new additions here, handles and sections and tags. I haven't even started notes or threads because I can't quite distinguish them and then I'm also unsure that I want to get into a place of feeling like I need to be posting in all the places to connect with my readers. I want to connect with them of course but I worry about it getting too noisy...and then I have bouts of FOMO for not activating them yet lol. Thanks for your posts,, they are really inspiring to keep the creativity going.
Ah Michelle - I hear you. You absolutely don't have to 'do all the things' because your readers are just there to hear from YOU first and foremost. I really like notes and I'm still in the experimental stage there but I'm enjoying posting and starting a chat.
With threads (and I wrote about this in last week's email) I think it is SO confusing - I started a paid thread for my members yesterday and I feel like that's the first time it's worked and it works better than chat because no one replied - haha! I've officially ditched chat in favour of threads and Notes.
I think with sections it makes most sense if you have to alternative things to talk about where one person might not want both - I set it up because I wanted to give people the option just to hear from me once a month... so my monthly email is a 'section' and people can just get that rather than all my Substack tips and paid stuff etc...
I'm glad you are getting something from these posts and I think it's really a case of 'all in good time' here isn't it - work with your own goals and you can't go far wrong?
Sending sparkles
Claire x
Also- I cant figure out how to Not send a post and just have it on my SS. I'm missing something I'm sure!
You can post it rather than email it out. Can you see that when you go to publish?
You can also (once posted) back date it so it goes further down your time line... I did that with a blog I pulled through that had sat in Wordpress drafts for years! 🙉
Sorry to bother you again with this. I just checked and the box at the bottom, there are two options; Delivery -Send via email and the Substack app OR Scheduling- Schedule time to email and publish. I'm confused and you are my Substack Agony Aunt!! SOS!
OMG- I've just realised I dont have to check the boxes. I thought it was a case of choose one of these two options, but if I uncheck them then I can still publish... I never thought to do that. LOL
That’s the one!!!
😅😅
Ah okay. I'll have another look. And yes, I've a few of those blog posts!
What an interesting thought about how you would design your own Substack dashboard! A great idea I think. . .
:)
Yes I wonder if we can make it happen Jess!? Cx
I think it could be done! :)
Morning! I'm getting to the stage where I'm about to bring over my mailing list from elsewhere and tbh I'm having a wobble. I relate to you saying about the different ways Substack can be consumed and I'm just a bit worried that my list might be confused. (I know they ain't stupid but I was confused when I first came here) so I suppose in writing that first message to them from here I don't want to overwhelm them with information about SS but I also don't want to assume anything. I'm probably overthinking it all 🤣
Also I think I need to put my Audio diary in a section, it's currently not a podcast but wonderering if it would serve me better if it was?!
This has turned into a long comment! Have a great day.
Ah yes I think you’re right to guide them in. So I send monthly emails called Notes from the Sea so when I brought them I just sent that and unpacked that Substack was a new mailing list platform so the design would look a little different and popped in my header about using the Substack app.
Not everyone reads every email so I’ve kept the bit about the Substack app in my header so if they are opening further down the line it makes it obvious. Some did unsubscribe but I saw that as a good thing because I was about to pay to email them on mailchimp and if they weren’t connected or finding value in what I write about it’s better they clear out their inbox. I think with unsubscribes it’s a good opportunity in mindset because you are gaining space to speak to your right people not loosing anything...?
You can defo edit posts into a section retrospectively I did that with an old Content Club post. You just press the 3 dots to edit the post and choose for it to sit in your new section then update. You could also just use a tag which I have for membership if you click on my home page on the desktop you can see the difference between a section “notes from the sea” and a tag “membership”
Hope that helps... I think there is so much we could “do” here to help our audience feel guided and supported because like you say unless you understand Substack and have spent lots of time on the platform it is confusing! Cx
Ah thanks, great tips. I've a habit of getting so excited that I'll rush something, but then realise later I should have done it a better way, so baby steps I think!
Claire, I think you're right in that this platform is thr best for creatives of all kinds! Love the space and insights you offer. You're very inspiring. Keep up the good work!!
Ah thanks Neha! ✨💌 how’s your week been here?!
I'm learning the ropes, Claire. I'm getting ideas for how I want to journey here. I'm taking it one day at a time. Reading, subscribing, learning, unsubscribing. I love the audio/recording function. Definitely wanna give that a shot. Thanks, Claire 💓 .
Is it okay to ask you what books you plan on reading this summer?
Sounds perfect. Yes some memoir recommended by my friend and author Caro Giles and something by Brene Brown I think! I've read two of her books so far. 🌸
Oooh! Nice. Love Brene Brown's work! And your friend and author Caro Giles and I may have a few things in common. Sounds beautiful! 🌸
how about you? What's gathering dust on your book shelf Neha? 💜
😆. Love your use of sense of humor too.
My own books that just arrived from Amazon. I wrote a book. But knowing them by chapter order is important when referencing. I want to do more with my book. So I'm going to reread it.
Other than that I read Haruki Murakami but only bedtime or reading on the go. No rush to gobble down books, 'coz I want to focus on speaking. Author- speaker.
Such a wise move and I am definitely doing the same for July, maybe even August too. Cx