Notes From My Desk #5: Why I'm using Substack *and* ConvertKit 💌
+ some interesting things I've realised
This week’s business diary entry features the stupid ego (mine) that almost cost me the best post EVER and my Substack vs. ConvertKit experiment…
March 4th, 2024
How is it March? HOW?! Also: Thank God it’s March. I need light.
🎵 Favourite song to work to right now:
As we enter month 3 of 2024 and inch ever closer to being 1/4 of the way through the year (huh?!?) let’s evaluate what’s changed since I started this #NotesFromMyDesk series:
I’ve gained 2 clients for ongoing social media management (bringing total retainer clients to 6)
I’ve fired 1 client
I’ve paused trying to launch a (new) Google ads management service for the sake of my time/sanity
I’ve surpassed 200 subscribers on Substack (now I’ve said it, I’ll almost certainly lose enough to put me back in my box/get me back down to the one hundreds)
I’ve reached 270 subscribers on ConvertKit (a well-known email service provider) after a *massive* list clean-up last year that lost me 800+ subscribers—more on why I’m doing both ConvertKit and Substack below
I’ve purchased several courses to help with the growth of my niche website (an ongoing SEO project I’m doing for fun/experience) and found a talented writer to work with—but the website is yet to recover from Google’s ‘Helpful Content Update’ that it rolled out in September 2023 😩
My first AMA
Month 3 of 2024 also saw me post my first ever ‘Ask Me Anything’—which I nearly deleted shortly afterwards because it got no response. Not for many, many hours.
I shared a Note about why I’m so happy I didn’t let my ego get the better of me. If you fancy getting involved, please do.
AMAs are normally reserved for paid subscribers as I don’t hold back on my advice/responses. However, this first one is open to everyone. So let’s chat!
Funnily enough, the main topic of conversation has been about traditional blogging vs. Substack, and what it means for SEO.
Thank you so much to
, , , , , , and for asking such great questions.A quickie on NY’s resolutions
In case you missed it, my New Year’s Resolution was to attend one networking event a month.
And you know what? Thank God 2024 was a leap year! I managed to sneak in an event just in the nick of time on 29th Feb…
On a rainy Thursday night in a pub in Tooting, I met some really interesting people AND a fellow Substacker! Food photographer and recipe developer Substacker,
✨Now onto today’s topic…
Great question.
And no, it’s not because I like to make life extra difficult for myself. Though it certainly feels that way sometimes 🤪
For context—I’ve been writing a newsletter almost every week for the last 5 years. Email marketing has been great for my business both in terms of sales and as a source of content ideas for other social media channels.
I’ve used various lead magnets to get people on my list including a free video series, templates, and most recently, a hooks cheatsheet. Today, I also use the concept of this newsletter (which is the same on both platforms) to entice people to sign up. Time-maximizing tips, behind-the-scenes insights from my business, and social media marketing advice are reasons enough for some people to subscribe, it seems.
Though I’ve dabbled with other email service providers, ConvertKit has always been my favourite.
Unlike Substack, it’s 100% focused on emails—specifically, facilitating the creation and delivery of emails from creator/business owner to subscribers. It has great analytics and a host of features like segmentation and sequences. Plus, the fees are low.
Substack, on the other hand, is more akin to old-school blogging. Its strength lies in fostering community and content sharing from within the Substack ecosystem.
If you like to write and want to share content and connect with like-minded individuals in one place (that’s part social media, part publishing platform), Substack is a worthy choice.
However, if you’re serious about growth and less concerned with the social network element, ConvertKit (for most people) is better. Automations, integrations, analytics, and A/B testing help creators/writers/business owners to improve, to make the experience better for subscribers, and ultimately, to grow their newsletter.