Over the last five days, I have had more than 200 new followers on Substack.
There is something a little weird about this. I do have an account there. I have never published on it:
Now I have a problem. How do I meet expectations?
I have an idea, but it might need a team expansion.
And that's under discussion....
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You could be showing up on the “Creators You May Like” listing people see from the substack home page. The check boxes make it easy to subscribe. There was a link on this blog to the substack of Kira Gunn Barrett (free speech advocate who blocks people from commenting) and I wonder if that drove an algorithm to put your substack on the promoted creators list. Just speculating.
Thanks
That may explain it…..
Richard, help me understand a bit better.
– recently, upon retirement, you’d said you welcomed the time to think …
– you’ve more recently said you are v busy (there’s a lot going on!)
What are the essential differences between sub-stack and your existing blog? Would the material essentially be similar/same? Would the readership essentially be similar? Can you simply redirect?
What is the driver to utilise more platforms? Wider reach, revenue? Could this be achieved other than by more platforms?
Ensure you have time to stop, pause, think.
I will do a reply, possibly as a blog post.
‘Best of luck either way.
I’m a fan of substack which has some great writers freed from the constraints of conventional media, writing in medium/long form. The commentators seem to be mostly well behaved. Especially useful at the moment re the US with people like Robert Reich, Paul Krugman, Heather Cox Richardson and Phillips P O’Brien. Even if its depressing reading.
I can see a role for less frequent pieces (fortnightly?) that might reach a wider, different audience, including some thoughtful and influential commentators. Maybe with less interaction from your yourself Richard, not least because you have finite time!
I tend to see the blog here as much more interactive, with a mostly sympathetic set of participants who themselves add value through their input. Substack is and would need to be rather different.
I will explain my correct thinking tomorrow, Robin. But it will be the more frequent model of the people you note.
I think what you are doing now is great – and enough.
I have greatly valued what I have learned from your “educational” posts – you have opened my eyes to a number of things – and I speak as someone who has run a successful company for decades.
One word of warning.
Stick to core business – stick to the knitting.
Beyond that lies ranting – along with the million and one others who wander away from their core expertise.
Advice not accepted.
I do political economy. It requires opinion.
Hi Richard
I love your content!
Please do write a Substack. Cast your net as far and wide as you can… educate, involve and inspire as many people as possible! Please continue making political economics interesting and accessible – after decades of underinvestment in education, and the disempowerment of electorates, the UK and world desperately need this.
I saw that one of your Tik Tok videos on Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill was recently picked up by Joy Ann Reid in the US – that’s fantastic!
Keep up the brilliant work!
M
Thank you
Hi Richard,
Not sure what your thoughts or plans on this are yet, but one aspect of Substack is whether you have paid subscribers. You don’t have to, but given Substack takes 10% of a writer’s revenue it’s very much in their interests that you do.
I will post on this.
[…] commentator on this blog, who posts using the name Ex-Teacher, but whose name is known to me, said this recently, in my response to my suggestion that I might add Substack to the range of platforms I post […]