24 Comments

Thank you for this excellent free post with your experiences. I appreciate that you leave comments on in your posts. It is not possible to pay for all the Substacks, and it is frustrating when you read an excellent article but are unable to comment. Personally, it makes me less likely to subscribe.

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Thank you for this helpful information. I’m fairly new to Substack and just found you this week. I’m hoping to start writing here myself and your ideas are super useful. I’m looking forward to reading more of your posts.

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I'm so glad you found this useful! :)

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Thank you for sharing.

I'm hoping to launch my own Substack soon, but I am trying to make sure I have a little stack of draft posts to keep me going before I start.

I plan to post weekly at first, and figure if I have 5 or 6 posts waiting in the wings I will be able to keep consistent even when life throws me a lemon.

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That's a great idea Cheryl! :)

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Thank you. I feel like it might be a little all over the place at first but I figure finding my focus will come with time. ☺️

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Good Luck! It is a great idea to have some posts in the wings.

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Thank you, Molly. This is very useful and your advice resonates with me. Sounds like you have found that balance for things to work out just right.

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Thank you for your wisdom! I’m still working out what I’m doing here and where to go, and it’s really helpful to read about others’ experiences. I have so much to share - I just need to work out how, what and when….

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Very insightful post thank you so much. I’m yet to turn on paid membership for my Substack but it’s something I will consider in future so your thoughts and reflections are very much appreciated :)

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So glad you found this useful lovely! :)

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Thanks Molly for these useful tips, I’m hoping to grow my Substack this year✍️🫖

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Thank you Molly. I turned on Paid at the beginning of the year and have been learning how to find the right balance for me. I love the idea of allowing paid subscribers 'behind the scenes' and creating a more intimate community. That's lovely.

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Thank you Molly! Thank you to for the reminder we do not need to rush into all the features on Substack. I too came here to write and I was worrried about needing to do all the things on this platform 🌿You are right we must do what is right for our own authentic selves.

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Thank you for this, Molly. I've just started my Substack writing, so this is helpful advice!

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I completely agree with “freebies” for paid subscribers.

I’m here to build a community of healers, and I try to achieve this through Substack based online community gatherings. I started giving out comp subscriptions for those who would like to join this gatherings and offer a contribution (like poems, or readings) for the community in return. I recently shifted the narrative and I now mention on my welcome emails for example, “you can join these gatherings by becoming a paid subscriber.” I haven’t seen any conversion yet — because freebies don’t work. I’d rather people to show willingness first, and become a paid subscriber and then learn about these offerings. Not the other way around. At least, that’s not what my community like to hear — that’s what I realised.

I don’t think anyone would become a paid subscriber just because you send something in return, but it’s always lovely to gift something back for those who want to support you. 🌻

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Very true, it is all a balancing act :)

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Molly- such a nice post.

I’m so happy for you that this has evolved, over the last couple of years, into something you can sink your teeth into.

Keep writing.

Keep sharing.

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Thank you for sharing this helpful advice! In particular, sharing the fact that we don’t need to feel pressured to use ALL of the Substack tools - and focus on our creative strengths. Personally I will be borrowing the more intentional planning approach. I used to do that in my blogging days of the 2010s, and I really need to remember that lesson. Thank you again!

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So glad you found this useful! :)

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I really enjoyed your post - thank you

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I've yet to really use the Chat feature. It just seems like too much to add on, especially when, for some reason, I'm still getting a handle on the Notes feature. It's nice to hear someone say that we don't need to use every Substack feature!

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“refine or invest in your craft” I love this reminder that what we’re creating isn’t “just content” is so much more 💕 Thanks Molly!

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