"When the connection becomes real .. readers don't just read your words, they feel them." That's the secret, John. You have it now.
I never cared or worried very much about numbers. I knew I was doing well on Substack when a reader wrote and told me my poem had made her cry because "it was so sad and beautiful." That's a powerful thing to tell a writer. It keeps you at it.
Thank you, Martin. I couldn't agree more. Numbers come and go, but knowing your words touched someone's heart is what truly matters. When a reader feels seen, understood, or moved to tears, that's the real reward of writing. I appreciate your encouragement and your friendship.
Appreciate this, John. The 'delayed truth' line especially. I'm about 11 weeks into my own Substack and still working out how to measure whether any of it's landing. This is a useful reminder that the quiet doesn't mean nothing's happening.
Thank you, Takara. Eleven weeks is still the beginning…. keep showing up. The quiet often comes before the growth. Wishing you the very best on your journey.
Thanks, John. I appreciated reading this as I step into the Substack platform and community. Although I have been developing community spaces online for over a decade in my professional life for organizations I have worked for, I have been slow to adopt public spaces for writing and creating community personally. Your reflections mirror my professional experience with these community spaces, where the focus on engagement numbers often doesn't translate into impact. You rarely will see the breadth of your impact. Several years ago, I finally committed myself to a year-long experiment writing more publicly, starting simply with my personal Facebook friends. What surprised me was what I learned in the process of sharing my writing, both the ahas that arose once I clicked post, the conversations, and experiences that others brought forward. Such a rich way to be human together.
Thank you for sharing that. I love what you said you rarely see the full breadth of your impact. That's exactly why community matters. We never know which words will encourage someone until we have the courage to share them.
John, I was just talking to two different friends last week about this very issue. One did, in fact, delete her Substack (she still has a blog on Ghost). The other told me she's just stepped away. I told them I've always resisted the idea of branding myself, because humans are, by nature, complex, textured, and nuanced.
What I'm also learning is that some writers, perhaps like yourself and definitely like me, do not grow rapidly, because we offer something besides a "how-to" or a "best practices" type of presence. That's just it - we offer presence.
And that means slow growth, which is okay.
Honestly, it's refreshing to know there are other writers out there in this situation, besides myself. Just know you are not alone in this, John.
As someone still finding her feet here, I’m learning that connection grows far more slowly than numbers, and perhaps that’s exactly what makes it real. Thank you X
You make many excellent points; writing and posting never looses it's intrensic value.
My issue with Substack, and I see this in my subscribers from 2025, who, like me, have stopped posting. The Substack format has changed in ways I find to be almost anti-short story writer and poet.
The Substack format of the first 6 months of 2025, with a headline banner with photos and story titles, was excellent, and encouraged strangers to read our work. That format was effective for being noticed and read.
That format changed drastically in the autumn of 2025, and now Substack feels more like Facebook than the old and beloved Substack of the now 'old days,' where writers and poets had a place to communicate and be read, . . . much more so than today.
I understand your perspective. The platform has definitely evolved, and many writers miss the earlier emphasis on long-form content. That said, I still believe readers are looking for authentic stories and poetry. The challenge today is finding new ways to help them discover our work amid all the noise.
So glad you stayed and chose to do things your way. Your authentic voice is a breath of fresh air and your support for the wider writing community doesn’t go unnoticed.
"When the connection becomes real .. readers don't just read your words, they feel them." That's the secret, John. You have it now.
I never cared or worried very much about numbers. I knew I was doing well on Substack when a reader wrote and told me my poem had made her cry because "it was so sad and beautiful." That's a powerful thing to tell a writer. It keeps you at it.
Thanks for this. Thanks for being authentic.
Thank you, Martin. I couldn't agree more. Numbers come and go, but knowing your words touched someone's heart is what truly matters. When a reader feels seen, understood, or moved to tears, that's the real reward of writing. I appreciate your encouragement and your friendship.
Appreciate this, John. The 'delayed truth' line especially. I'm about 11 weeks into my own Substack and still working out how to measure whether any of it's landing. This is a useful reminder that the quiet doesn't mean nothing's happening.
Thank you, Takara. Eleven weeks is still the beginning…. keep showing up. The quiet often comes before the growth. Wishing you the very best on your journey.
Thanks, John. I appreciated reading this as I step into the Substack platform and community. Although I have been developing community spaces online for over a decade in my professional life for organizations I have worked for, I have been slow to adopt public spaces for writing and creating community personally. Your reflections mirror my professional experience with these community spaces, where the focus on engagement numbers often doesn't translate into impact. You rarely will see the breadth of your impact. Several years ago, I finally committed myself to a year-long experiment writing more publicly, starting simply with my personal Facebook friends. What surprised me was what I learned in the process of sharing my writing, both the ahas that arose once I clicked post, the conversations, and experiences that others brought forward. Such a rich way to be human together.
Thank you for sharing that. I love what you said you rarely see the full breadth of your impact. That's exactly why community matters. We never know which words will encourage someone until we have the courage to share them.
Ah yes and the role of courage
😊
Thanks for this thoughtful post. Writing can be a lonely road but I am glad you stayed. I am planning to stay too, no matter what.
Thank you. I'm glad you stayed too. Here's to staying, writing, and growing.
It feels like a reminder to keep going even when nobody reacts.
Yes 🙏🤗✌️✍️
I couldn't agree more, John.
🙏🤗✌️✍️
Great words of wisdom and encouragement. Thank you 🧡
thank you and welcome!
Thank you for sharing this I appreciate it
🙏🤗✌️
Hey John
Thanks a tonnes for sharing this article
Very much needed I must say,
I have got this thought of quitting umpteen times as the quiet and calm response discourages to pretty good extent.
But every time I come out this confusion to write a post and publish too without any noise or explosion to happen.
It is difficult indeed to accept and follow too .
But that’s the reality which each and every writer here slowly learns too.
Your article is useful John
☮️💜☮️💜☮️
Thank you. Every writer faces doubt. The important thing is to keep writing and trust the process. ☮️💜
John, I was just talking to two different friends last week about this very issue. One did, in fact, delete her Substack (she still has a blog on Ghost). The other told me she's just stepped away. I told them I've always resisted the idea of branding myself, because humans are, by nature, complex, textured, and nuanced.
What I'm also learning is that some writers, perhaps like yourself and definitely like me, do not grow rapidly, because we offer something besides a "how-to" or a "best practices" type of presence. That's just it - we offer presence.
And that means slow growth, which is okay.
Honestly, it's refreshing to know there are other writers out there in this situation, besides myself. Just know you are not alone in this, John.
Thank you. That resonates with me. I’d rather build genuine connections slowly than chase numbers. Knowing others feel the same is encouraging.
Same, John. It’s just counterintuitive to the way Substack works, unfortunately.
The best part is that we get it—and that’s what truly matters!
Agree, John!
As someone still finding her feet here, I’m learning that connection grows far more slowly than numbers, and perhaps that’s exactly what makes it real. Thank you X
Absolutely. Genuine connection takes time, but it’s what lasts.
You make many excellent points; writing and posting never looses it's intrensic value.
My issue with Substack, and I see this in my subscribers from 2025, who, like me, have stopped posting. The Substack format has changed in ways I find to be almost anti-short story writer and poet.
The Substack format of the first 6 months of 2025, with a headline banner with photos and story titles, was excellent, and encouraged strangers to read our work. That format was effective for being noticed and read.
That format changed drastically in the autumn of 2025, and now Substack feels more like Facebook than the old and beloved Substack of the now 'old days,' where writers and poets had a place to communicate and be read, . . . much more so than today.
I understand your perspective. The platform has definitely evolved, and many writers miss the earlier emphasis on long-form content. That said, I still believe readers are looking for authentic stories and poetry. The challenge today is finding new ways to help them discover our work amid all the noise.
I appreciate that you read my post. I'm sure I'll start posting thoughts and short stories again in the future—all good vibes to You, M.
Good morning John and Thank you
for being real , and vulnerable.
God bless 🙏
Thank you and good morning Amy 🙏🤗✌️
So glad you stayed and chose to do things your way. Your authentic voice is a breath of fresh air and your support for the wider writing community doesn’t go unnoticed.
Thank you. That means a lot. Being authentic and supporting others is what it’s all about. ❤️
So much wisdom in this post. “It gives you delayed truth” and staying true to ourselves is what resonates with me.
Thank you 🙏🤗✌️
The post was lovely, then you included the top 10 list, too? Thank you. Above and beyond❣️
Thank you I really appreciate it 🙏🤗✌️