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Shruthi Vidhya Sundaram's avatar

Okay, this is crazy Don! Because I was just about to ask questions and post something along the same lines!

Alex, this was such a beautiful and a nuanced post! Really fired up my brain and made me think. Because I've a feeling this comment could become an essay...I'm just putting my thoughts in points lol 😅:

- thank you for saying that about open rates, and comments. I felt a deep relief. I will accept that I keep checking for open rates... though reducing the quality of depth causes so much friction for me. I got really exhausted of reducing the depth....so I finally am who I am, even in notes and that's so relieving! You're absolutely right, the deep connections have just become more beautiful ❤️

- w.r.t consistency...here's where I had a tiny friction and would love to hear your 2 cents if it's okay. I typically end up posting about 3-4 times a months consistently... though again, having a consistent 'schedule' again causes deep friction because of how my creativity ebbs and flows in waves. If the reader knows that I'll publish 3-4 times a month consistently, how important is it for them to know the day and time? And how can I find some sense of balance if it's so?

- Again as Don said, I've stopped writing "for the audience". I write from the creativity, soul, heart first...and then edit it for the people reading it...but then it means polishing or just formatting.

(Well, it became an essay anyways😂...but thank you so much for this essay Alex! Ooofff! I can't wait for the notes one yet!)

P.S.: if you could do a piece about how to invite your subscribers into your paid products/spaces...with the balance, nuance and heart... it'd be really helpful. Because people like me... who're trying to find the middle...put themselves out there, while also not completely hide themselves from 'selling'...it becomes a tough job to find the middle lol.

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Don Boivin's avatar

Alex, this is great! I love how you've paid attention over the course of your writing, and evolved as you learned. I do have two questions/comments.

1. I just posted a Substack Note saying that most people don't remember what day or time you post—the opposite of what you're saying here! But I did qualify that devoted readers who await your post each week may actually know when you post. I can attest that I do not know when even my most favorite writers post. I just read them when I see them. I always keep an eye on the Substack inbox, so I don't have to read something as soon as it comes out; I can read it when I have time.

2. I love the idea of writing not for metrics but to engage, to feed your readers with what they've come to expect from you. And it is awesome that you listened and heard this insight. My one reserve here is that I don't think about what my readers want AT ALL when I write. I'm like a sculptor; I carve what I see in my mind and then those that are drawn to those particular lines stop to have a look. So, it's just a 'cart before the horse' thing; my readers have subscribed because they like how I think and how I express my thoughts. So the relationship is the same—one of deep care and engagement—but I don't have to worry when I'm writing if I've departed from what my readers want.

To be clear; I'm commenting because this is such a wonderfully smart and insightful post, and I wanted to get those two things off my chest and also to say thank you for sharing this, Alex!

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