Having maintained a very successful (and now retired) travel blog for 10 years, this advice is pretty on target.
I attribute my success to unique and very personal stories - things that other travel bloggers didn't write about. And mistakes. People LOVE reading about other people's mistakes because it makes them so relatable and human.
Longevity helps, too. You've got to stick with it even when it feels like no one is reading.
It's true. Now that I think about it, most of the writing I enjoy is about mistakes people have made, the humanness of it and potential redemption. It's so interesting also when writers include their inner dialogue (which is usually a little messy in a relatable way). Something to work on!
I agree. I think people like hearing or seeing someone's messy life. I know I enjoy reading stories that resonate with me. Ones that I can say "yes, that's me too"
Thank you for sharing all this! I'm just getting started on substack and appreciate your advice. To plan, or go off-the-cuff? That's the question I keep asking myself... I'm a planner by nature in my daily life (everything gets scheduled!) But for this endeavor, perhaps it's better to start anywhere than nothing at all 😊
Thank you for the wonderful insights and advice. I especially like the shout out for Skillshare. My son got a free subscription that he didn't cancel, so I am not using it. I have checked out some drawing classes and Canva but writing. I added it to my list. Learning how to use Notion is on my list as I need a place to correlate all my ideas from several notebooks. I want a. central place to keep myself better organized.
It’s funny isn’t it because before now I have had a few posts scheduled to go weeks in advance but these types of posts never seem to do as well as my more unplanned, off-the-cuff articles. I think, for me, the less planned articles come across more honest because they are less edited which my audience seems to like. It goes to show, everyone is different!
Thank you for sharing! I will definitely check out skillshare!
Thanks for all the great advice! And I confess that the apparently small detail of sharing that you made your divider on Canva was useful to me. I've been wondering how others do it, while I struggle with the standard divider, which feels too heavy. Thank you!
Ahh I found this super helpful, and also quite affirming in what I'm already doing (hopefully that doesn't sound too egotistical!!). The blogs/Substacks I love to read often "hold" my attention because of their layout, pictures etc. I would find one huge block of text just too much. Plus if I need to stop reading for any reason it's quick to find my way back to where I was. For these reasons, I've written my posts like they are ones I would want to read - I've tried to make the most of the title and subtitle and include headings throughout. Thank you for sharing! I'm definitely going to come back to this as my page grows more, and hopefully take more of the ideas into use.
Thanks Molly! You're suggestions are always welcome and absolutely useful. Sometimes I feel totally lost posting my blog even though writing comes easier to me than running a you tube channel...but there sometimes I feel like it's easier to reach out while when I post my blog I feel as if I'm not really able to make myself visible. I will treasure your words and I will pursue my goal, after all writing remains my most loved activity...right after reading.
I really enjoyed this Molly, thank you. I think having a bank of content/topics/ideas to dip into but then writing the actual piece in a more spontaneous way (with some research sprinkled in) feels like such a lovely way to approach it: thanks for reassuring me and helping me to confirm this in my mind x
Appreciate how generous your posts are ❤️ I started blogging in 2012, I've always loved writing online but lost my way a little with focusing purely on social media. Investing more in my writing is something I'm thinking more and more about. I've used Skillshare for other classes but never writing, will definitely be exploring this!
Oh such a brilliant read, I’m still quite new to blogging and have found this both beneficial and insightful as I seem to be going on the right direction following a number of your suggestions.
Beautiful reflections Molly! I’ve been curious about skillshare for ages so I’ve taken the leap and signed up - hopefully I’ll get chance to watch the class you recommend in this slower season! ✨
Ooh the Skillshare offer sounds fab! I’m not sure the link works though as it just circles back to this blog? Thanks for writing your tips up, an interesting insight! x
Having maintained a very successful (and now retired) travel blog for 10 years, this advice is pretty on target.
I attribute my success to unique and very personal stories - things that other travel bloggers didn't write about. And mistakes. People LOVE reading about other people's mistakes because it makes them so relatable and human.
Longevity helps, too. You've got to stick with it even when it feels like no one is reading.
Such good points, thank you for sharing! :)
Oh mistakes! That's so true. I've never really thought about that but I have tons of material in that department haha
Start writing them! It makes us soooo relatable 😊
It's true. Now that I think about it, most of the writing I enjoy is about mistakes people have made, the humanness of it and potential redemption. It's so interesting also when writers include their inner dialogue (which is usually a little messy in a relatable way). Something to work on!
I agree. I think people like hearing or seeing someone's messy life. I know I enjoy reading stories that resonate with me. Ones that I can say "yes, that's me too"
Thank you for sharing all this! I'm just getting started on substack and appreciate your advice. To plan, or go off-the-cuff? That's the question I keep asking myself... I'm a planner by nature in my daily life (everything gets scheduled!) But for this endeavor, perhaps it's better to start anywhere than nothing at all 😊
Totally! I'm a believer that done is better than perfect. The planning comes easier when you get into the habit of writing :)
Thank you for the wonderful insights and advice. I especially like the shout out for Skillshare. My son got a free subscription that he didn't cancel, so I am not using it. I have checked out some drawing classes and Canva but writing. I added it to my list. Learning how to use Notion is on my list as I need a place to correlate all my ideas from several notebooks. I want a. central place to keep myself better organized.
Thank you! In terms of Notion, I recommend Ali Abdaal's Notion class on Skillshare as its really comprehensive :)
Thanks for the recommendation. I can’t stand sifting through them all and trying to decide which one to choose. 😜
This is so interesting; thank you for sharing! I like the idea of scheduling in reflection time. I’m going to do this 🧡
I'm so glad you found it useful!
Such great advice! Thank you for sharing!
Thank you! :)
It’s funny isn’t it because before now I have had a few posts scheduled to go weeks in advance but these types of posts never seem to do as well as my more unplanned, off-the-cuff articles. I think, for me, the less planned articles come across more honest because they are less edited which my audience seems to like. It goes to show, everyone is different!
Thank you for sharing! I will definitely check out skillshare!
That's so interesting! Thanks so much for sharing your experience :)
I've had that experience too!
Thanks for all the great advice! And I confess that the apparently small detail of sharing that you made your divider on Canva was useful to me. I've been wondering how others do it, while I struggle with the standard divider, which feels too heavy. Thank you!
I'm glad to help! :)
Ahh I found this super helpful, and also quite affirming in what I'm already doing (hopefully that doesn't sound too egotistical!!). The blogs/Substacks I love to read often "hold" my attention because of their layout, pictures etc. I would find one huge block of text just too much. Plus if I need to stop reading for any reason it's quick to find my way back to where I was. For these reasons, I've written my posts like they are ones I would want to read - I've tried to make the most of the title and subtitle and include headings throughout. Thank you for sharing! I'm definitely going to come back to this as my page grows more, and hopefully take more of the ideas into use.
I'm so glad you found it useful! And yes, its always best to write what you would want to read :)
Thanks Molly! You're suggestions are always welcome and absolutely useful. Sometimes I feel totally lost posting my blog even though writing comes easier to me than running a you tube channel...but there sometimes I feel like it's easier to reach out while when I post my blog I feel as if I'm not really able to make myself visible. I will treasure your words and I will pursue my goal, after all writing remains my most loved activity...right after reading.
Thank you lovely! It can be hard sometimes to get traction so I wish you the best of luck! :)
I really enjoyed this Molly, thank you. I think having a bank of content/topics/ideas to dip into but then writing the actual piece in a more spontaneous way (with some research sprinkled in) feels like such a lovely way to approach it: thanks for reassuring me and helping me to confirm this in my mind x
Thank you lovely, I'm glad it helped! :)
Appreciate how generous your posts are ❤️ I started blogging in 2012, I've always loved writing online but lost my way a little with focusing purely on social media. Investing more in my writing is something I'm thinking more and more about. I've used Skillshare for other classes but never writing, will definitely be exploring this!
Oh I hope you enjoy the writing classes on Skillshare. I learnt so much! Thank you for your comment lovely :)
Oh such a brilliant read, I’m still quite new to blogging and have found this both beneficial and insightful as I seem to be going on the right direction following a number of your suggestions.
Thank you, I'm so glad you found it useful! :)
Beautiful reflections Molly! I’ve been curious about skillshare for ages so I’ve taken the leap and signed up - hopefully I’ll get chance to watch the class you recommend in this slower season! ✨
Thanks for your honesty and insights, very much appreciated!
Ooh the Skillshare offer sounds fab! I’m not sure the link works though as it just circles back to this blog? Thanks for writing your tips up, an interesting insight! x
Sorry! I've just updated the link now so it should work! :)
I've found that having a running list of potential topics and writing ahead and scheduling has been transformative for both quality and consistency.
That’s a great idea!