As you know, I'm a newbie blogger, & Substack is my first blog site. But my perception is that Substack is going through some growing pains right now. Like they want to be true to their original mission but they also want to brag about their writers who are well-known or who have many paid subscribers (which is business, I get it), and they want to try out new toys/ gimmicks etc. I'll echo you & Lynn in the disappointing categories we have to choose from on Substack & in the general internet spotlight being on polished how-to vlogs for U.S. gardening.
Congrats on 6 months!! I'm impressed with your consistent posting schedule. I like reading a variety of subjects & essay formats from writers I subscribe to, but maybe that's just my ADHD talking and most people want predictability more? I'll keep reading whatever you all write-- travel stories, what you're planting, cat shenanigans... One more thought... it may be the timing rather than the subject that drove your most popular pieces, too... were more people off work around a holiday, were they stuck inside on their computer due to weather extremes? Just a thought, there's often randomness to people's likes and dislikes. Cheers!
The substack categories annoy me too. Definitely need to add ones for gardening, nature, etc. There is huge interest in gardening the US judging from social media, but it's very hard to break into, at least it has been for me. People seem to like slick YouTube videos and being told exactly what to do, which is the opposite of what I offer. You're doing great work and I think the trick is just plugging away with quality content consistently, which you're already doing.
Honestly I don't see many of the emails because they get redirect to the promotions folder but I have rectified that. Articles I can think of off the top of my head that I've really enjoyed are Kate Downham's, the sourdough pre-ferment, and the Charleston articles as I drove there by myself in 2001 and partook of a ghost tour in the downtown (historical perhaps) area. Actually it was quite a feat for a recently widowed twenty-something from rural Appalachia.
I have been gardening since I can remember but it took the pandemic to make me realize this is what I want to do and am hoping to eventually be able to sustain my efforts by selling extra plants. I also wanted to spend time at home with our daughter as she was in her first year of elementary school when the pandemic started.
Unfortunately the pandemic also cut our income tremendously and thankfully we have little debt but also little disposable income. My husband has had a myriad of health issues in the last few months and that too has cut down on our income. I would eventually like to be a paid subscriber.
I'd love to see more articles about people realizing their dreams. Also enjoy cooking and foraging articles as well as living off the land and anything to do with gardening! Chaco articles are enjoyable too as I also have cats that amuse me with their antics.
One thing I've noticed with a quilting blog I used to read religiously is that posts have gone from quilting to cross-stitch, cooking, grandkids, family drama, etc to the point that there's very few quilting posts anymore and I have pretty much stopped checking it out. While it's the blogger's decision of what to post, continual posts off-topic or posting about family drama just isn't my cup of tea. Now I'm in no way insinuating that you go off topic, just saying what annoys me about other blogs.
Now that I have the emails going to the right folder I promise to be a more dedicated reader. Also my apologies for not getting you the picture of my kiddo and the permaculture playing cards that I won. I put them up for safekeeping and it has indeed been safe as I've yet to locate them again.
As you know, I'm a newbie blogger, & Substack is my first blog site. But my perception is that Substack is going through some growing pains right now. Like they want to be true to their original mission but they also want to brag about their writers who are well-known or who have many paid subscribers (which is business, I get it), and they want to try out new toys/ gimmicks etc. I'll echo you & Lynn in the disappointing categories we have to choose from on Substack & in the general internet spotlight being on polished how-to vlogs for U.S. gardening.
Congrats on 6 months!! I'm impressed with your consistent posting schedule. I like reading a variety of subjects & essay formats from writers I subscribe to, but maybe that's just my ADHD talking and most people want predictability more? I'll keep reading whatever you all write-- travel stories, what you're planting, cat shenanigans... One more thought... it may be the timing rather than the subject that drove your most popular pieces, too... were more people off work around a holiday, were they stuck inside on their computer due to weather extremes? Just a thought, there's often randomness to people's likes and dislikes. Cheers!
Hi! I just found your newsletter and I’m excited to devour your content!
The substack categories annoy me too. Definitely need to add ones for gardening, nature, etc. There is huge interest in gardening the US judging from social media, but it's very hard to break into, at least it has been for me. People seem to like slick YouTube videos and being told exactly what to do, which is the opposite of what I offer. You're doing great work and I think the trick is just plugging away with quality content consistently, which you're already doing.
Honestly I don't see many of the emails because they get redirect to the promotions folder but I have rectified that. Articles I can think of off the top of my head that I've really enjoyed are Kate Downham's, the sourdough pre-ferment, and the Charleston articles as I drove there by myself in 2001 and partook of a ghost tour in the downtown (historical perhaps) area. Actually it was quite a feat for a recently widowed twenty-something from rural Appalachia.
I have been gardening since I can remember but it took the pandemic to make me realize this is what I want to do and am hoping to eventually be able to sustain my efforts by selling extra plants. I also wanted to spend time at home with our daughter as she was in her first year of elementary school when the pandemic started.
Unfortunately the pandemic also cut our income tremendously and thankfully we have little debt but also little disposable income. My husband has had a myriad of health issues in the last few months and that too has cut down on our income. I would eventually like to be a paid subscriber.
I'd love to see more articles about people realizing their dreams. Also enjoy cooking and foraging articles as well as living off the land and anything to do with gardening! Chaco articles are enjoyable too as I also have cats that amuse me with their antics.
One thing I've noticed with a quilting blog I used to read religiously is that posts have gone from quilting to cross-stitch, cooking, grandkids, family drama, etc to the point that there's very few quilting posts anymore and I have pretty much stopped checking it out. While it's the blogger's decision of what to post, continual posts off-topic or posting about family drama just isn't my cup of tea. Now I'm in no way insinuating that you go off topic, just saying what annoys me about other blogs.
Now that I have the emails going to the right folder I promise to be a more dedicated reader. Also my apologies for not getting you the picture of my kiddo and the permaculture playing cards that I won. I put them up for safekeeping and it has indeed been safe as I've yet to locate them again.