Hi, thanks for opening this up! My situation may be a bit unique. I work as a VA but want to make money doing something fun on the side. I started my Substack in December as a way to grow a mailing list. I've never had a mailing list before and don't have much of a following except for a small one on my "bookstagram" account. I would eventually like to create a membership with my Substack or create online courses to sell to my subscribers. I have almost 70 subscribers at this point as it is still early. But I feel like my engagement is lacking and I don't know my subs very well. Any tips on increasing engagement and attracting more of my bookstagram followers? Or any other ways I should be marketing my Substack?
Thank you so much for the great question! We're in a similar position in that we both have 'day jobs' and Substack is a bit of a fun experiment to see where we can take it. I do also have a 'traditional' newsletter that I send through ConvertKit and I'm doing both at the moment (Substack + emailing via ConvertKit) to see which I prefer/which works best for me! (A post on this coming soon).
So, back to your Q. Here are a few things that have helped me improve engagement + grow on Substack:
- Include an easy-to-answer question in the first email new subscribers get when they sign up ('what's one passion project you'd like to start in the next 3 months'). I don't get a huge amount of replies, but I do get a few every month!
- Engage on Notes / comment on + restack other people's posts. While this isn't strictly necessary and I do suggest putting boundaries on your 'engagement time' (otherwise you can get lost in Notes), there's no denying that regular engagement (even 5-10 mins a day) really does help get discovered. Especially as small Substackers like we are!
- Don't call your Substack 'Substack' to other people on IG, LinkedIn, out in the real world. Refer to it as a newsletter or, even better, by its name. Hardly anyone outside of Substack knows what it is and that can be off-putting.
- Add a link to your newsletter in your email signature. I use Gmail, so in the footer of every single email I send to *anyone* I have the one liner 'selling' my newsletter (I.e. what's included) and then a link to it. This is actually a reminder to myself that I should make that link 'trackable' (I.e. use a UTM link) so that I can see how many clicks I'm getting!
- Finally, if you want to get really personal and build connections -- you can reach out to your most engaged subscribers directly. Go to 'Subscribers' > then find all the ones with 5 stars beside them. Send them an email thanking them for being part of your community and ask them about their favourite read this month / what they've got on their TBR pile.
Wow, thank you so much for taking the time to outline all of these tips for me! I so appreciate it! The first one that jumped out was not to call it a "Substack" so I will definitely adopt that tip when I share to my IG/FB/LI. I'll pop over and read Russell's post too. I tried doing a roundup in a Note a while back and it didn't do very well so I'm sure there's lots to learn there. Lots to digest here, thank you! ☺️
Hello and thank you! My question is, is it possible to use a blog as a top funnel if I don’t want to use any social media? Is social media a necessity even for raising awareness about one’s blog? My goal isn’t to increase followers, it’s just to increase traffic to my site who may become potential clients.
If you don't want to use any social media, I would suggest you replace that with email marketing so you have your blog/website and email marketing. The reason being is that blog writing (SEO) is a long-game. It can pay dividends in the long-run but it takes consistent weekly writing over the course of (usually) several years to drive meaningful traffic. And then, you're still at the whim of Google and its algorithm updates. That's why having another mode of generating traffic, like email marketing, is a good idea. It also means you 'own' your audience list as opposed to Google or Meta owning your account/audience.
You could use a platform like Substack or ConvertKit and pop an opt-in form on your website. Growing email subscribers takes time and consistency too. However, with features like ConvertKit's 'Creator Network' it is possible to grow subscribers from within the ConvertKit ecosystem (by being recommended by other newsletter writers). Same goes for Substack and their Recommendations feature.
This was so supportive! Thank you for your feedback. I saw further down you’re testing ConvertKit vs Substack to see which one you like better. I will have to research both. When one is blogging and has a newsletter, how do you decide what content is in each. Do you save the goodies for the subscribers? As a potential email newsletter newbie, it almost feels like another blog. I’ve been following you since 2021. And one of the first newsletters of yours I flagged to return to was “8 things to do when you're worn out by Instagram” which is kind of a mini blog post in itself.
What a brilliant idea, Bella! I guess the question I'd have is how you find the work life balance now you freelance? I worked for myself for years and loved it, but wasn't always great at shutting off at the end of the day. Always interested to hear the experiences of others
I love this question, Charlotte! I always love chatting about the lifestyle side of being freelancer/business owner. Honestly... I've gotten so much better but I'm still not great. I think not having kids gives me more of an excuse (/sheer time!) to spend thinking about work/what project I can start next/etc etc etc. And I do love working. I'm not very good at switching off completely. Though I will say that pursuing unpaid projects (building the niche website, writing a novel) alongside my actual work (and during the working day, not just in evenings and weekends) makes me feel fulfilled and not like my whole life is at the whim of clients/client work. I also block off Fridays completely to not to any client work (and this works 90% of the time haha). That helps! x
Hi Bella! Do you get the fear too about what to share on Substack vs what to share via your convertkit? And do you use the same list for both? I am struggling f with this re my Substack and my flodesk (and what is ok to do with lists…) x
I don't have the same lists on SS and CK, no. I started on SS with zero subs and didn't transfer any across. think perhaps some (?) people have migrated from ConvertKit to here because I've mentioned SS-only content on Instagram like this AMA but otherwise, they're quite separate.
At the moment, I post 4x per month on Substack and 2x per month on Converkit. My 2 free monthly newsletters on Substack are exactly the same content I send out on CK.
Then I have 2 paid newsletters per month on Substack which I *don't* send on CK.
At the moment, I'm doing this as a bit of an experiment. I want to see how growth/engagement compares on both platforms as honestly I'm not 100% certain about Substack long-term. I'm loving it right now, but there are pros and cons (writing about this in more detail in tomorrow's post!).
I also haven't experimented with CK's paywall/subscription options... something I'd like to experiment with in the next few weeks!
I really hope that helps somewhat. Let me know if you have any more Qs xx
I was at both your sessions that you did for Passion Into Profit on instagram & SEO - solid gold btw & the quickest 2 hours of my life! since then I've been trying to put all the wee nuggets into action.
You said in the instagram session to set a goal for your business for a set period of time ie increase engagement by 25% in one month.
As a fledgling business & brand I'm not really sure what I should be doing tbh? I guess I want to grow my followers as the more eyeballs on my brand the better right? or is than not meaningful enough? I started on social media for the first time ever in my life on 25th January & launched my website on Galentine's Day & will be bringing art prints online on International Women's Day. I want to make a living from what I do not just have a hobby or side hustle. What would you suggest when I am just starting out? I'm a blank canvas - OMG now that's a terrible pun from an artist, just for that you shouldn't answer my query - slaps heads in shame! kx
Haha it's not terrible! I love a pun 😍 and THANK YOU for your kind words!
Okay, first things first -- have you got a strategy in place? I.e. do you know what you're posting and why over the next few weeks? You don't have to have everything created and scheduled, but you should have an idea of upcoming topics/formats.
If yes to that, then I would say that these 2-3 goals should be your focus:
- Posting consistently
- Increasing your followers
- Increasing engagement
As you're starting from scratch, everything will probably be in the green right now -- I.e. all the numbers will be going UP! It's a nice place to be in. If you haven't already, this week take a look at your Insights and make a note of the analytics. What's your follower count/reach? What posts have performed best (in terms of saves, comments and follows)?
You want to try to improve on this over the next 4 weeks!
If you have any stand-out posts/Reels, create more like these over the next month (I.e. do more of what's working) and if you can, spend even 10 minutes a day engaging with people on the platform. Asking Qs in Stories (with the help of polls), responding to comments on your posts, and commenting under other people's content.
Engagement breeds engagement, so even doing a little bit of this regularly will help give *your* content a boost, too.
i've been trying your approach of have a theme in your stories and also creating a newsletter that i can then sort of Frankenstein chop up into reels and posts. but i think it might be a bit repetitive to have the same in newsletter, reel, post and story? or is that just cause i'm seeing it all and my followers (all 108 of them - she says loud and proud) maybe only see one thing, well unless they are obsessed with me - a healthy obsession of course!
should my stories be different from my reels and posts Bella?
Regularly reminding people about your newsletter will feel FAR more repetitive to you than anyone else. Remember -- people need to see a message SO many times (10+) for it to even register with them, let alone them do anything about it.
Your Stories should be different to Reels in that they should be quicker/easier to put together. Stories are meant to be 'everyday / behind-the-scenes' in style so if you decide you want to promote your newsletter on Wednesdays (on Stories) I would suggest literally sharing 3-5 photos (or plain coloured slides) with text over the top that teases the newsletter content. Then have a link to sign up on the final slide. Go have a look at Amanda's IG Story now to see what I mean (though the example I gave above is a bit shorter/simpler!).
Your 'Reel' promoting your newsletter will look a bit different because it's a different format. Sharing this every Friday, let's say, wont feel like overkill for people because it's a couple of days apart and it's a different medium. And you're sharing other content throughout the week (so it's balanced!). I hope that helps xx
So many similar Qs around SEO/blogging vs. Substack! A great one.
Okay, so similarly to what I said to a couple of other people --- the reason I'm hesitant to tell anyone to replace a blog completely with Substack is that the SEO/discoverability of Substack is poor. Certainly compared to Wordpress/Squarespace/most other website providers.The potential search traffic you could generate from well-optimised blog posts vs. Substack posts is incomparable . But blogging takes time and consistent effort to pay off.
So, it depends on your goals and your capacity. Growing on Substack also takes a lot of time and effort. If building a community here and generating an income is a priority, then I'd say to focus your efforts here. Spreading yourself too thinly across both may make progress slow/frustrating in each area. I really hope that helps x
While it's certainly harder to grow on Instagram compared to 2, 3, 4 + years ago, it is still possible. There's two things to consider:
1) What do you mean by growth? Do you mean followers? Or engagement? Or sales? Or lead gen (for example, using Instagram to drive sign-ups for your newsletter). When you know *why* you're using Instagram, you can set a goal and then create purposeful content (+ a plan) to help you get there. In my experience, too many business owners/creators aren't clear on this and get quickly burnt out after months of posting content + not seeing results.
2) The great thing about starting on Instagram now is that you can skip over the years of learning/mistakes that other accounts made before they started creating content that works. I suggest studying other accounts in your niche/industry that have great engagement and a healthy sized following and focus on their best performing posts. Notice the format, the design, the style, the length, the topics --- all of those little details are really important and you can apply them to your content.
In terms of what content formats are performing best right now -- across the board (and across niches) Instagram Reels (that are around 6 seconds in length, use trending audio, and have a good hook/title at the start) are great for discovery and growth. Carousels (multi-image posts) that share education / insights are also performing well right now. Photos have had something of a renaissance too in the last 1-2 years, but video (Reels) is definitely the best format for growth! I hope that helps x
Hi Carly, when you say paid -- do you mean what content should be behind a pay wall?
Re: blog/Substack -- the main reason I'm hesitant to tell anyone to replace a blog completely with Substack is that the SEO/discoverability of Substack is poor. Certainly compared to Wordpress/Squarespace/most other website providers.The potential search traffic you could generate from well-optimised blog posts vs. Substack posts is incomparable . But blogging takes time and consistent effort to pay off.
So, it really depends on your goals and your capacity. Growing on Substack also takes a lot of time and effort. If building a community here and generating an income is a priority, then I'd say to focus your efforts here. Spreading yourself too thinly across both may make progress slow/frustrating in each area. I really hope that helps x
That’s a wonderful reply thank you. I’ve had my blog for 15 years and I have decent traffic but it’s dwindled a little. I struggle with SEO because I write about habits but it’s not super niche and all the SEO advice is niche, micro niche. I want to do both! Conundrum!
15 years is a long time! And means you have probably built up strong authority. Were you affected by Google's 'helpful content update' (HCU) that rolled out last September ? If you're not sure what I'm talking about, did you see a noticable drop in traffic round then that hasn't recovered? If not, then you're considered a strong authorative site by Google, which is definitely worth considering as it means your site still has lots of potential for growth and search traffic (unlike many sites that were battered in the HCU and haven't recovered!)
It's definitely not a lost cause because you've built up all that authority over 15 years, but it would take work to update your previous content to be in line with the HCU guidelines and then to start creating fresh content. Definitely could be worth it, but again.. it's a question of time/resource. I have a writer who helps me with my niche website as I can't do it all myself!
Welll, when I first went freelance I actually worked for my previous employer for a 1-2 days (for the first two years). This really helped with cash flow! In terms of brand new social media clients, my first proper client came a few months after I went freelance. They had been following me on Instagram for a while (as I'd been posting quite regularly there long before I quit my day job). I undercharged them but it meant I got experience/feedback/a testimonial and built my confidence. I would definitely recommend offering to work for free/charge a lower rate in the beginning (and not for an extended period of time). For example, offer your services for free/reduced rate for 3 months until you start getting results/can show the value of your work and then charge a normal rate. Reach out to anyone in your network who might need your services! It's always easiest to start with people you know (+ people they may know).
Hi, thanks for opening this up! My situation may be a bit unique. I work as a VA but want to make money doing something fun on the side. I started my Substack in December as a way to grow a mailing list. I've never had a mailing list before and don't have much of a following except for a small one on my "bookstagram" account. I would eventually like to create a membership with my Substack or create online courses to sell to my subscribers. I have almost 70 subscribers at this point as it is still early. But I feel like my engagement is lacking and I don't know my subs very well. Any tips on increasing engagement and attracting more of my bookstagram followers? Or any other ways I should be marketing my Substack?
Hi Cassandra,
Thank you so much for the great question! We're in a similar position in that we both have 'day jobs' and Substack is a bit of a fun experiment to see where we can take it. I do also have a 'traditional' newsletter that I send through ConvertKit and I'm doing both at the moment (Substack + emailing via ConvertKit) to see which I prefer/which works best for me! (A post on this coming soon).
So, back to your Q. Here are a few things that have helped me improve engagement + grow on Substack:
- Include an easy-to-answer question in the first email new subscribers get when they sign up ('what's one passion project you'd like to start in the next 3 months'). I don't get a huge amount of replies, but I do get a few every month!
- Engage on Notes / comment on + restack other people's posts. While this isn't strictly necessary and I do suggest putting boundaries on your 'engagement time' (otherwise you can get lost in Notes), there's no denying that regular engagement (even 5-10 mins a day) really does help get discovered. Especially as small Substackers like we are!
- Don't call your Substack 'Substack' to other people on IG, LinkedIn, out in the real world. Refer to it as a newsletter or, even better, by its name. Hardly anyone outside of Substack knows what it is and that can be off-putting.
- Add a link to your newsletter in your email signature. I use Gmail, so in the footer of every single email I send to *anyone* I have the one liner 'selling' my newsletter (I.e. what's included) and then a link to it. This is actually a reminder to myself that I should make that link 'trackable' (I.e. use a UTM link) so that I can see how many clicks I'm getting!
- Russell Nohelty just wrote a brilliant piece about how powerful 'round-up' posts can be at helping you grow: https://www.theauthorstack.com/p/why-and-how-to-do-a-roundup
- Finally, if you want to get really personal and build connections -- you can reach out to your most engaged subscribers directly. Go to 'Subscribers' > then find all the ones with 5 stars beside them. Send them an email thanking them for being part of your community and ask them about their favourite read this month / what they've got on their TBR pile.
I really hope that helps! xx
Wow, thank you so much for taking the time to outline all of these tips for me! I so appreciate it! The first one that jumped out was not to call it a "Substack" so I will definitely adopt that tip when I share to my IG/FB/LI. I'll pop over and read Russell's post too. I tried doing a roundup in a Note a while back and it didn't do very well so I'm sure there's lots to learn there. Lots to digest here, thank you! ☺️
Hello and thank you! My question is, is it possible to use a blog as a top funnel if I don’t want to use any social media? Is social media a necessity even for raising awareness about one’s blog? My goal isn’t to increase followers, it’s just to increase traffic to my site who may become potential clients.
Hi Elisheva,
Lovely to see you here 🥰
If you don't want to use any social media, I would suggest you replace that with email marketing so you have your blog/website and email marketing. The reason being is that blog writing (SEO) is a long-game. It can pay dividends in the long-run but it takes consistent weekly writing over the course of (usually) several years to drive meaningful traffic. And then, you're still at the whim of Google and its algorithm updates. That's why having another mode of generating traffic, like email marketing, is a good idea. It also means you 'own' your audience list as opposed to Google or Meta owning your account/audience.
You could use a platform like Substack or ConvertKit and pop an opt-in form on your website. Growing email subscribers takes time and consistency too. However, with features like ConvertKit's 'Creator Network' it is possible to grow subscribers from within the ConvertKit ecosystem (by being recommended by other newsletter writers). Same goes for Substack and their Recommendations feature.
I really hope that helps xx
This was so supportive! Thank you for your feedback. I saw further down you’re testing ConvertKit vs Substack to see which one you like better. I will have to research both. When one is blogging and has a newsletter, how do you decide what content is in each. Do you save the goodies for the subscribers? As a potential email newsletter newbie, it almost feels like another blog. I’ve been following you since 2021. And one of the first newsletters of yours I flagged to return to was “8 things to do when you're worn out by Instagram” which is kind of a mini blog post in itself.
What a brilliant idea, Bella! I guess the question I'd have is how you find the work life balance now you freelance? I worked for myself for years and loved it, but wasn't always great at shutting off at the end of the day. Always interested to hear the experiences of others
I love this question, Charlotte! I always love chatting about the lifestyle side of being freelancer/business owner. Honestly... I've gotten so much better but I'm still not great. I think not having kids gives me more of an excuse (/sheer time!) to spend thinking about work/what project I can start next/etc etc etc. And I do love working. I'm not very good at switching off completely. Though I will say that pursuing unpaid projects (building the niche website, writing a novel) alongside my actual work (and during the working day, not just in evenings and weekends) makes me feel fulfilled and not like my whole life is at the whim of clients/client work. I also block off Fridays completely to not to any client work (and this works 90% of the time haha). That helps! x
Hi Bella! Do you get the fear too about what to share on Substack vs what to share via your convertkit? And do you use the same list for both? I am struggling f with this re my Substack and my flodesk (and what is ok to do with lists…) x
Hi Laura,
I don't have the same lists on SS and CK, no. I started on SS with zero subs and didn't transfer any across. think perhaps some (?) people have migrated from ConvertKit to here because I've mentioned SS-only content on Instagram like this AMA but otherwise, they're quite separate.
At the moment, I post 4x per month on Substack and 2x per month on Converkit. My 2 free monthly newsletters on Substack are exactly the same content I send out on CK.
Then I have 2 paid newsletters per month on Substack which I *don't* send on CK.
At the moment, I'm doing this as a bit of an experiment. I want to see how growth/engagement compares on both platforms as honestly I'm not 100% certain about Substack long-term. I'm loving it right now, but there are pros and cons (writing about this in more detail in tomorrow's post!).
I also haven't experimented with CK's paywall/subscription options... something I'd like to experiment with in the next few weeks!
I really hope that helps somewhat. Let me know if you have any more Qs xx
hey Bella
I was at both your sessions that you did for Passion Into Profit on instagram & SEO - solid gold btw & the quickest 2 hours of my life! since then I've been trying to put all the wee nuggets into action.
You said in the instagram session to set a goal for your business for a set period of time ie increase engagement by 25% in one month.
As a fledgling business & brand I'm not really sure what I should be doing tbh? I guess I want to grow my followers as the more eyeballs on my brand the better right? or is than not meaningful enough? I started on social media for the first time ever in my life on 25th January & launched my website on Galentine's Day & will be bringing art prints online on International Women's Day. I want to make a living from what I do not just have a hobby or side hustle. What would you suggest when I am just starting out? I'm a blank canvas - OMG now that's a terrible pun from an artist, just for that you shouldn't answer my query - slaps heads in shame! kx
Haha it's not terrible! I love a pun 😍 and THANK YOU for your kind words!
Okay, first things first -- have you got a strategy in place? I.e. do you know what you're posting and why over the next few weeks? You don't have to have everything created and scheduled, but you should have an idea of upcoming topics/formats.
If yes to that, then I would say that these 2-3 goals should be your focus:
- Posting consistently
- Increasing your followers
- Increasing engagement
As you're starting from scratch, everything will probably be in the green right now -- I.e. all the numbers will be going UP! It's a nice place to be in. If you haven't already, this week take a look at your Insights and make a note of the analytics. What's your follower count/reach? What posts have performed best (in terms of saves, comments and follows)?
You want to try to improve on this over the next 4 weeks!
If you have any stand-out posts/Reels, create more like these over the next month (I.e. do more of what's working) and if you can, spend even 10 minutes a day engaging with people on the platform. Asking Qs in Stories (with the help of polls), responding to comments on your posts, and commenting under other people's content.
Engagement breeds engagement, so even doing a little bit of this regularly will help give *your* content a boost, too.
I really hope that helps Kelly xx
Thanks Bella this really helps, strategy will be my middle name from here on in! Kx
Let me know if you have any follow up Qs! Xx
i've been trying your approach of have a theme in your stories and also creating a newsletter that i can then sort of Frankenstein chop up into reels and posts. but i think it might be a bit repetitive to have the same in newsletter, reel, post and story? or is that just cause i'm seeing it all and my followers (all 108 of them - she says loud and proud) maybe only see one thing, well unless they are obsessed with me - a healthy obsession of course!
should my stories be different from my reels and posts Bella?
kx
Regularly reminding people about your newsletter will feel FAR more repetitive to you than anyone else. Remember -- people need to see a message SO many times (10+) for it to even register with them, let alone them do anything about it.
Your Stories should be different to Reels in that they should be quicker/easier to put together. Stories are meant to be 'everyday / behind-the-scenes' in style so if you decide you want to promote your newsletter on Wednesdays (on Stories) I would suggest literally sharing 3-5 photos (or plain coloured slides) with text over the top that teases the newsletter content. Then have a link to sign up on the final slide. Go have a look at Amanda's IG Story now to see what I mean (though the example I gave above is a bit shorter/simpler!).
Your 'Reel' promoting your newsletter will look a bit different because it's a different format. Sharing this every Friday, let's say, wont feel like overkill for people because it's a couple of days apart and it's a different medium. And you're sharing other content throughout the week (so it's balanced!). I hope that helps xx
thanks Bella kx
What's your handle Kelly and I'll take a look at your profile + share follow-up thoughts to your Q here! x
eek ok please be gentle with me, this is me on insta: @kweeniestudio
kx
I misread this as the corgis you were building 😅
I’d love to ask your thoughts on replacing my blog on my website with my Substack? X
Wouldn't that be the dream? 😅
Before I give you a proper answer I'd love to know why you're weighing up this decision at all + why you might not want to replace the blog fully? x
Haha it would be!
Great Q, SEO I guess -- I'm not sure how powerful Substack's is atm, though I remember reading last year that it was something they were working on...
So many similar Qs around SEO/blogging vs. Substack! A great one.
Okay, so similarly to what I said to a couple of other people --- the reason I'm hesitant to tell anyone to replace a blog completely with Substack is that the SEO/discoverability of Substack is poor. Certainly compared to Wordpress/Squarespace/most other website providers.The potential search traffic you could generate from well-optimised blog posts vs. Substack posts is incomparable . But blogging takes time and consistent effort to pay off.
So, it depends on your goals and your capacity. Growing on Substack also takes a lot of time and effort. If building a community here and generating an income is a priority, then I'd say to focus your efforts here. Spreading yourself too thinly across both may make progress slow/frustrating in each area. I really hope that helps x
You are so wise, Bella, thank you. And thank you for such a generous post, too!X
That's the loveliest feedback! Thank you Ellie x
I attended your email marketing workshop a few weeks ago with BIID -- it was great! Had two pages worth of notes 😆 Now just to implement them!!!
My question is -- is it still possible to grow on Instagram in 2024 / is it worth trying now if I haven't been very active before?
Hi Lizzie, great question!
While it's certainly harder to grow on Instagram compared to 2, 3, 4 + years ago, it is still possible. There's two things to consider:
1) What do you mean by growth? Do you mean followers? Or engagement? Or sales? Or lead gen (for example, using Instagram to drive sign-ups for your newsletter). When you know *why* you're using Instagram, you can set a goal and then create purposeful content (+ a plan) to help you get there. In my experience, too many business owners/creators aren't clear on this and get quickly burnt out after months of posting content + not seeing results.
2) The great thing about starting on Instagram now is that you can skip over the years of learning/mistakes that other accounts made before they started creating content that works. I suggest studying other accounts in your niche/industry that have great engagement and a healthy sized following and focus on their best performing posts. Notice the format, the design, the style, the length, the topics --- all of those little details are really important and you can apply them to your content.
In terms of what content formats are performing best right now -- across the board (and across niches) Instagram Reels (that are around 6 seconds in length, use trending audio, and have a good hook/title at the start) are great for discovery and growth. Carousels (multi-image posts) that share education / insights are also performing well right now. Photos have had something of a renaissance too in the last 1-2 years, but video (Reels) is definitely the best format for growth! I hope that helps x
Do you have any thoughts on maintaining a blog as well as Substack? What content should be paid? I’m a habits/lifestyle writer.
Hi Carly, when you say paid -- do you mean what content should be behind a pay wall?
Re: blog/Substack -- the main reason I'm hesitant to tell anyone to replace a blog completely with Substack is that the SEO/discoverability of Substack is poor. Certainly compared to Wordpress/Squarespace/most other website providers.The potential search traffic you could generate from well-optimised blog posts vs. Substack posts is incomparable . But blogging takes time and consistent effort to pay off.
So, it really depends on your goals and your capacity. Growing on Substack also takes a lot of time and effort. If building a community here and generating an income is a priority, then I'd say to focus your efforts here. Spreading yourself too thinly across both may make progress slow/frustrating in each area. I really hope that helps x
That’s a wonderful reply thank you. I’ve had my blog for 15 years and I have decent traffic but it’s dwindled a little. I struggle with SEO because I write about habits but it’s not super niche and all the SEO advice is niche, micro niche. I want to do both! Conundrum!
15 years is a long time! And means you have probably built up strong authority. Were you affected by Google's 'helpful content update' (HCU) that rolled out last September ? If you're not sure what I'm talking about, did you see a noticable drop in traffic round then that hasn't recovered? If not, then you're considered a strong authorative site by Google, which is definitely worth considering as it means your site still has lots of potential for growth and search traffic (unlike many sites that were battered in the HCU and haven't recovered!)
Yes I was severely affected. I also had a name change and stopped posting as regularly so that all added up. Is worth trying to revive it?
It's definitely not a lost cause because you've built up all that authority over 15 years, but it would take work to update your previous content to be in line with the HCU guidelines and then to start creating fresh content. Definitely could be worth it, but again.. it's a question of time/resource. I have a writer who helps me with my niche website as I can't do it all myself!
Thank you so much Bella you've been so helpful and generous with your time! When I have the time to do any online courses, I will be choosing yours.
Hi Ibrahim,
Welll, when I first went freelance I actually worked for my previous employer for a 1-2 days (for the first two years). This really helped with cash flow! In terms of brand new social media clients, my first proper client came a few months after I went freelance. They had been following me on Instagram for a while (as I'd been posting quite regularly there long before I quit my day job). I undercharged them but it meant I got experience/feedback/a testimonial and built my confidence. I would definitely recommend offering to work for free/charge a lower rate in the beginning (and not for an extended period of time). For example, offer your services for free/reduced rate for 3 months until you start getting results/can show the value of your work and then charge a normal rate. Reach out to anyone in your network who might need your services! It's always easiest to start with people you know (+ people they may know).