Such a real life example. Love this. Engagement is different when you focus on who's reading and that they care about, it gives you the flexibility to pivot & change course when things are off or don't feel right... and more importantly if you're enjoying it your readers / audiences feels it. People bullshit barometers are pretty dialed in these days. Way more than the early days of IG.
(But those were fun times before they sold to Meta:)
I like the idea of slow growth for many of the reasons you mentioned. With the first publication I created on here I had a big growth spurt right in the beginning, but then slowly very poor engagement. So with the new one I’m working on, I’m glad that hasn’t happened and I can see the difference in quality vs quantity. Slow can sometimes be frustrating too because logically, let’s say you do eventually want subscribers to convert to paid, for you to actually make money doing that, the numbers count (at least I would think so as I imagine the average % that converts is low). Thanks for your post!
Very good point that you mentioned about engagement. Fast growth is usually the result of a viral post, which can attract a lot of people who don't truly care about you or your content. They may be there, but they never read or like your posts. That can be more frustrating than having fewer subscribers who constantly engage with you.
Great reminder, thank you. Constantly need to remind myself that I want something sustainable with an engaged community and that means showing up consistently and growing slowly. I’m exhausted by all the “I got a 1000 followers in 10 days” posts.
Needed to hear this today. I want to really support working parents with tools and inspiration on how to think out of the box. Just need to find them. :)
Thank you – I really love it! It's so easy to fall into the trap of focusing solely on numbers. I completely agree with your point on writing engaging content to build a loyal readership. For me I find value in consistently sharing smaller, meaningful pieces rather than chasing trends and falling into a cycle of posting lots then falling silent.
Thank you for this post, it reminds me of the importance of giving myself permission to go at my pace and learn what my pace looks like while showing up for those who are present and ready to receive.
This was very encouraging to read. I've pretty much posted weekly since launching my second publication and I was contemplating if I'd get more followers quickly by posting more frequently. Slow and steady does win the race!
Looking forward to next week’s post Andi! I just posted some of my thoughts and reflections about making a creative pivot, and my community started chatting about it in The Mindset Groupchat.
I have to remind myself of this constantly! The long-term foundation strength from slow growth outweighs the fire hose growth. Slow and steady for me.
Yes, it can be difficult at times, but when that happens, I always tell myself: you’re not there yet, yet. But you’re making progress!
By the way, I love your Substack :)
I have no idea how I missed this but thank you so much! 🫶🏻
Such a real life example. Love this. Engagement is different when you focus on who's reading and that they care about, it gives you the flexibility to pivot & change course when things are off or don't feel right... and more importantly if you're enjoying it your readers / audiences feels it. People bullshit barometers are pretty dialed in these days. Way more than the early days of IG.
(But those were fun times before they sold to Meta:)
Jen, you truly understand what it's all about! I'm so glad you read my post!
Oh yeah 👍🏻 😂
I’m all for moving and growing slowly. I’m the tortoise brought up by a family of hares, who finally found out the truth.
I like the idea of slow growth for many of the reasons you mentioned. With the first publication I created on here I had a big growth spurt right in the beginning, but then slowly very poor engagement. So with the new one I’m working on, I’m glad that hasn’t happened and I can see the difference in quality vs quantity. Slow can sometimes be frustrating too because logically, let’s say you do eventually want subscribers to convert to paid, for you to actually make money doing that, the numbers count (at least I would think so as I imagine the average % that converts is low). Thanks for your post!
Very good point that you mentioned about engagement. Fast growth is usually the result of a viral post, which can attract a lot of people who don't truly care about you or your content. They may be there, but they never read or like your posts. That can be more frustrating than having fewer subscribers who constantly engage with you.
💯
Great reminder, thank you. Constantly need to remind myself that I want something sustainable with an engaged community and that means showing up consistently and growing slowly. I’m exhausted by all the “I got a 1000 followers in 10 days” posts.
Definitely here to be the tortoise 🐢
Going slow, and figuring it all out as we go…
as someone just learning to take things at my own pace, i needed to hear this!
As someone just starting out with little followers I needed this reminder. Thank you!
I came here to say that cappuccino looks delicious!! And now I am off to read your article! haha
😀
Needed to hear this today. I want to really support working parents with tools and inspiration on how to think out of the box. Just need to find them. :)
I liked the way you expressed yourself with the car - morphed - sprinting. Made the reading a little interesting.
Thank you – I really love it! It's so easy to fall into the trap of focusing solely on numbers. I completely agree with your point on writing engaging content to build a loyal readership. For me I find value in consistently sharing smaller, meaningful pieces rather than chasing trends and falling into a cycle of posting lots then falling silent.
Thank you for this post, it reminds me of the importance of giving myself permission to go at my pace and learn what my pace looks like while showing up for those who are present and ready to receive.
This was very encouraging to read. I've pretty much posted weekly since launching my second publication and I was contemplating if I'd get more followers quickly by posting more frequently. Slow and steady does win the race!
Looking forward to next week’s post Andi! I just posted some of my thoughts and reflections about making a creative pivot, and my community started chatting about it in The Mindset Groupchat.
I don’t like people promoting 5000 subs in 10 Days. And it’s supposed to be slow at the start as you figure things out.
Mastery follows the same pattern: struggle → practice → fluency