23 Comments
Sep 24Liked by Jessica Smock

I find the tools for posting on substack are great, especially for someone who is tech adverse like myself. I’m struggling to get more subscribers from substack itself (out of my own network) and recommendations from more established writers.

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Thanks for sharing! Those are extremely common struggles and hopefully our new cohort of midlife writers will help you with your growth!

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Hi Kate!

I’ve found it useful for publication growth to engage using Notes, being in active writing communities like Beth Kempton’s & Katherine May’s. Restacking helps too, plus engaging on Notes. It’s helped me gain over 60 subscribers in the last few weeks.

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Yes, interacting in communities and on Notes are important! We'll have our own share threads for Notes and posts on Midstack coming up in the next weeks.

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Thanks Lisa! Super helpful!

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Sep 24·edited Sep 24Liked by Jessica Smock

Thank you so much. I'm in the process of navigating my way around podcasts; and to work out what my paywall offering can be.

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author

I'd love to hear about your experiences with podcasts, and I'm sure a lot of others will have questions about paywalls. Looking forward to meeting!

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Love the idea of this community and very excited to be a part of it! Can’t make it live Monday but will be sure to watch the recording.

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I am going to request a lunch hour change so I can attend. Look forward to meeting some Midstack writers!

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We hope you can make it, but we'll also send out a recording if the time ends up not working for you!

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Sep 24Liked by Jessica Smock

Excited for this! I am in the beginning stages of my midlife substack and bringing forth my second act. I am so encouraged by all the women here and the desire to gather, connect and support. Carry on!

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Here's to second acts!

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I'm very new to Substack and would love guidance on how and why to use the various tools- notes, etc. Also, whether I should create a publication or just continue posting without one. I'm really looking forward to this workshop!

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author

Great question! Looking forward to seeing you on Monday!

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I am not getting any traction with the notes that I post. Wondering what some common mistakes that people make are -- because I certainly must be making a few. Thanks!

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I'm still learning — we all are! — what works on Notes, and I know that how to use this feature will be a big part of our upcoming discussions.

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I'm excited to be here! As a small-sized Substack, my main struggle is probably the same as others - gaining subscribers. I might be traveling on Oct 7, but I will definitely watch for the replay.

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I'm so sorry to hear about your illness, Jessica. My daughter had it all last week. Rough. Feel better soon!

In terms of what I'd love to talk about on Midstack, gaining subscribers is always a thing, but more than that, I am having trouble finding the right groove for publishing while also trying to write for submissions to other publications, using the voice I am trying to establish on Substack. What pieces do I keep on Substack, what ideas do I save for pitches, and when do I find time to do it all while trying to get a manuscript out the door for querying. It is a seemingly Midstory problem, along with managing kids, marriage, and all the other midlife stuff. But I want my focus to be on writing.

Not sure that is an answerable question. Just putting it out there.

Finally, will there be a link sent out afterwards? I may be a bit late to the call. Thanks!

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Yes, a link will be sent out afterwards! I completely understand your question, and I'm sure it's a common one for members of this community. I think what you need to figure out is what your goals are for this publication, who are you writing for, and what are you offering them. I think a lot of what we'll be doing here at Midstack is talking about how to get clear on a mission statement for our publications.

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I write using a pseudonym as my content is erotica for women in midlife. This also means I don't necessarily want to tap up my own network to build my foundation subscriber base. So any tips on building a base from almost zero greatly received. I'm in the UK so probably won't make the call unfortunately.

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I missed the workshop in real time, but I'm listening to the replay right now. One woman had a concern about her comments to the posts of others showing up on a Google search. There's actually an easy solution. IF you're talking about something you're not willing or don't want any possibility of it being exposed to the entire internet, rather than commenting (like this, this is a comment to a post) you can usually message the author directly. The equivalent of Instant Message or Google Messenger. You lose the contact with the greater Substack community that comments and Notes give you, BUT you do get to connect with one person at a time. So, sometimes you have to make a decision. The nice thing is that there are options, depending on what you're saying and what your comfort levels are. I hope this was helpful. (Sharing this as a note, which exposes it to the greater Substack community, for example)

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Hope everyone feels better quickly, and only has the mildest of symptoms!

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Thank you! It’s just me in the house who’s sick now, thank goodness.

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