Grabbed a coffee and read this post twice. Great stuff. You’re a good couple of years ahead of me so it’s great to see how you reached your milestones.
The churn is a great concept and one that I will hold close in those difficult moments. To be honest, I’ve turned off the in unsubscribe email notification! Too bad for me.
The other thing I’ve been grappling with is the dreaded plateau. I can imagine we’ve all been there where we get only a trickle of subscribers over a few weeks and think we’ve done something wrong?
Thank you, Martin! I’ve had plenty of plateau moments. The feel permanent, but they’re not. Easy to say that than to believe that. But what helps, for me, is to focus on the readers who are already showing up.
I’m a little late to the party, but I’m thankful I subscribed to your newsletter. I appreciate how you put everything into perspective and shared some truths about going viral. I especially love the Geoffrey Golden “feel the churn” bit. I struggled for a while when losing subscribers (almost went into existential crisis a time or two), but it has gotten easier since I’ve changed my mindset: no hard feelings, they’re not my audience. Moving forward, from here on out, I’m 100 percent going to think of “the churn” and what you said in your post. (I have to give Geoffrey a shout out here. He is an awesome guy, and one of the first subscribers I ever had at my Substack. He is a source of positivity and encouragement, and has been from day one!)
Keep up the great work, Michael! I can’t wait to see what you come up with moving forward.
Thank you, Justin! And there's no such thing as late to the party because you're here and that's what counts! Just throwing out there, but have you written about how you changed your mindset about churn? I know that's not what your newsletter is about, but sometimes it's good to write about mental shifts like that because doing so is clarifying for you and helpful for other writers in your community. Also, it's an opportunity to put another piece into the universe that extols the virtues of Geoffrey Golden, and that's really the key to happiness, prosperity, and longevity :) But seriously, if you do write that piece, let me know, I'd love to read it!
Hahaha! More Geoffrey = better world, no question. 😄
I do sometimes write about shifts in my thinking, approach to writing, and overall perspective. A time or two I’ve compared my writing journey to the Hudson River and how it’s ever-changing (though, at this point, I know the general direction I’m moving in - similar to the north-to-south flow of the river).
Thanks so much for the great idea. I’ve been thinking of writing a monthly blog-type post about my process, so this might be the perfect idea to get it rolling. Or...should I say churning? 🤣
I’ll definitely let you know. Take care and thanks again!
Good stuff, Michael! I myself recently learned to embrace "the churn." I've been calling it "culling the herd" -- because that's how I am -- and it is liberating. Write the best stuff you can come up with and the right audience will eventually find you. This post is proof.
It's a thrill to collaborate with you and Dennard. The creative energy is rocket fuel for the spirit. My only question is: when's the next one? 😁
It’s funny I think churn probably has its origins in churning butter somehow, although I couldn’t begin to explain why. Point is, whether you’re culling or churning, it’s all bovine-related.
As for the next collab, let’s figure out something for spring. Tax day. Stoner Christmas (4/2O). Or, maybe, and this is a ways off, our little agency will be asked to give graduation speeches.
Michael! Congrats on 2k! I love how honest and generous you are with your newsletter learnings. Reading your milestone posts (although I'm a few miles back) makes me feel less alone in the newsletter game. Fingers crossed one day I'll also love the churn.
Thanks for sharing all of these wonderful insights! And congrats on your deserved success. I wonder: did you think your porn convention story would be the one to push you over 2k subscribers? Also: your handwriting is totally fine! Very readable. :)
Thank you, Jillian! I love this question! Honestly, I thought that story would have the opposite effect. I thought I'd lose people because of the subject matter. Between deciding to do the piece in late December, reporting it in early January, writing it, then publishing it, I lived with a kind of mortal terror. Actually, that's way too strong. But I had this uncomfortable feeling in my gut that it could go bad somehow. For what it's worth, though, I've had that feeling lots of times in my career. Way back when, I used to run from it, meaning I wouldn't write the things that scared me. As I grew older, wiser, more confident, and frankly, became a stronger writer, I started to recognize that fear, honor it, and move forward. I've love to say that I seek it out, but I'm not there yet. But generally speaking, when I feel nervous about a piece, it's a good sign that I'm putting everything I have into it and taking a risk. Those risks don't always pay off, but they pay off WAY more than playing it safe.
Congrats on hitting your 2k goal! I'm going to add you to my rec list because I'm sure my whopping 25 subscribers would enjoy your writing... the internet is where introverts hit the wall. Join groups? Make friends? I'm about to pass out. Anyway, many congrats to you!
Thank Andrea! And you’re right it’s tough out there for an introvert. But you know what? I looked at your newsletter and noticed what you’re doing with CAP. It’s very clever & it’s a great way to get to know people and grow community.
I’m right on your heels but have been just short of 2,000 subs for over a month now. Thanks (to you and Geoffrey) for the reminder to embrace the churn. I was lucky enough to experience a nice bump in subscriptions pretty early on. It was encouraging but you’re right that it changes the feel of things when you’re suddenly writing for a bunch more people. It’s like they sign up and they’re sitting there with their cursor over the unsubscribe button thinking, “Let’s see whatcha got, buddy.”
Agree with everything you said here, Lyle. Except the luck part. Sure, luck plays a role. But you earn your subscribers every Saturday with really brave writing.
Congratulations! Such good news and well deserved! This was such a fascinating post right from the confidence to the going viral (16,644 visits!!) to the first-day-of-school energy/anxiety to loving the churn (the secret to success and sanity) to the Ship of Theseus. I loved every word! And thanks for the shoutout! Awfully glad we're on the same team!
For the love of God and all his elves, send this information to every company I worked for since high school. The Quixotic tilt to be chosen by forced they didn’t understand would be tragic if I wasn’t laughing. In the meeting. While pointing at them.
I have been in similar meetings. Once and only once did I give the “you don’t” answer to a client. That account vanished soon after. So for clients the answer is always, “yes, of course, it works every time, but it is magic and I am the only wizard within your budget.”
Another subscription trickles on your list. Great post, thanks for sharing. It’s eye opening to learn how much work it takes to reach such a milestone. I also can relate to the anxiety, while I’m just at the beginning, once the author of a book I wrote about subscribed and I panicked. Then the author of my favorite newsletter subscribed and I panicked. It’s quite irrational but I read that high excitement feels similar to anxiety in the body. Looking forward to the 3,000 milestone post.
Thank you, Claudia! Glad to have you here. And I'm glad hearing about my anxiety resonated with you. Managing my anxiety is always a challenge, but it helps to hear that I'm not alone in that struggle.
You don't think the ghost of Stanley Kubrick will come after us for riffing on his sub-title for Dr. Strangelove? I imagine Kubrick's ghost is pretty intense.
First of all, congratulations. Second of all, you seem like you deserve it. I mean, i laugh out loud at least once for each of your pieces, and sometimes, like in this post, Iaugh a whole lot. I love how real you get here, and sharing that churn wisdom. Im curious... If you were only to give ONE growth tip to new writers on Substack, what would it be? Could be abstract, could be a tangible, actionable tip (hopefully actionable but some of the best tips aren’t necessarily so) :) thank you for writing. 🙏
Hi Sarah, one tip from the piece that I swear by is: write your ass off, tell everyone you know that you're writing your ass off, and seek out other writers in your category who are writing their asses off. OK, that's like three tips. But one tip that I didn't include is something I see a lot on Substack: write your About Page! I know it sounds simple, but lots of writers don't bother to do that and it's a real missed opportunity. It doesn't have to be perfect because you can always update it, but putting that space to use is a great way to invite readers in to read your work.
I appreciate these words of wisdom. Hopefully we will all keep writing our asses off until we can no longer sit down due to having no asses. Thanks Michael! 🙃
thank goodness for the CPEU! you are all wonderful. michael, keep doing this vital work. we've never needed your voice as much as we do now. :) congrats and cheers!
Grabbed a coffee and read this post twice. Great stuff. You’re a good couple of years ahead of me so it’s great to see how you reached your milestones.
The churn is a great concept and one that I will hold close in those difficult moments. To be honest, I’ve turned off the in unsubscribe email notification! Too bad for me.
The other thing I’ve been grappling with is the dreaded plateau. I can imagine we’ve all been there where we get only a trickle of subscribers over a few weeks and think we’ve done something wrong?
Tough but pushing through is all we can do.
Thank you, Martin! I’ve had plenty of plateau moments. The feel permanent, but they’re not. Easy to say that than to believe that. But what helps, for me, is to focus on the readers who are already showing up.
That’s really good advice. I’m so thankful for those who have subscribed. Focus on creating value and not worry about the numbers.
Exactly!
Push gently and persistently. ❤️
🫰🫰❤️❤️
Fantastic read, Michael, thank you!
I’m a little late to the party, but I’m thankful I subscribed to your newsletter. I appreciate how you put everything into perspective and shared some truths about going viral. I especially love the Geoffrey Golden “feel the churn” bit. I struggled for a while when losing subscribers (almost went into existential crisis a time or two), but it has gotten easier since I’ve changed my mindset: no hard feelings, they’re not my audience. Moving forward, from here on out, I’m 100 percent going to think of “the churn” and what you said in your post. (I have to give Geoffrey a shout out here. He is an awesome guy, and one of the first subscribers I ever had at my Substack. He is a source of positivity and encouragement, and has been from day one!)
Keep up the great work, Michael! I can’t wait to see what you come up with moving forward.
Thank you, Justin! And there's no such thing as late to the party because you're here and that's what counts! Just throwing out there, but have you written about how you changed your mindset about churn? I know that's not what your newsletter is about, but sometimes it's good to write about mental shifts like that because doing so is clarifying for you and helpful for other writers in your community. Also, it's an opportunity to put another piece into the universe that extols the virtues of Geoffrey Golden, and that's really the key to happiness, prosperity, and longevity :) But seriously, if you do write that piece, let me know, I'd love to read it!
Hahaha! More Geoffrey = better world, no question. 😄
I do sometimes write about shifts in my thinking, approach to writing, and overall perspective. A time or two I’ve compared my writing journey to the Hudson River and how it’s ever-changing (though, at this point, I know the general direction I’m moving in - similar to the north-to-south flow of the river).
Thanks so much for the great idea. I’ve been thinking of writing a monthly blog-type post about my process, so this might be the perfect idea to get it rolling. Or...should I say churning? 🤣
I’ll definitely let you know. Take care and thanks again!
You're welcome!
According to Substack’s data scientists, the best way to ensure a newsletter’s growth is to praise Geoffrey Golden.
Why isn’t it working?! I was expecting instant results! 🤣
It works, you just have to do it daily.
Same here, but I'm happy to be here and excited to do what I can. ❤️
Are you in the Hudson Valley? I drive up there and get inspiration, such a beautiful place ❤️
That’s awesome! There’s a little bit of everything here.
Yes, I am - roughly thirty minutes north of Poughkeepsie. I completely agree. The region has stolen my heart! 😀
The Churn, baby!! ❤️❤️
Good stuff, Michael! I myself recently learned to embrace "the churn." I've been calling it "culling the herd" -- because that's how I am -- and it is liberating. Write the best stuff you can come up with and the right audience will eventually find you. This post is proof.
It's a thrill to collaborate with you and Dennard. The creative energy is rocket fuel for the spirit. My only question is: when's the next one? 😁
It’s funny I think churn probably has its origins in churning butter somehow, although I couldn’t begin to explain why. Point is, whether you’re culling or churning, it’s all bovine-related.
As for the next collab, let’s figure out something for spring. Tax day. Stoner Christmas (4/2O). Or, maybe, and this is a ways off, our little agency will be asked to give graduation speeches.
Graduation speeches makes me very happy.
With any luck, one of our speeches is mistaken for that speech the internet thought Kurt Vonnegut gave. Remember that one? https://www.latimes.com/books/jacketcopy/la-et-jc-kurt-vonneguts-advice-to-graduates-20140428-story.html
I didn't know this, but hilarious! This should definitely be our aspiration.
Amazing thing is it didn’t take an AI to fake Vonnegut.
Keep on churning ❤️
❤️❤️❤️🔥🔥
Michael! Congrats on 2k! I love how honest and generous you are with your newsletter learnings. Reading your milestone posts (although I'm a few miles back) makes me feel less alone in the newsletter game. Fingers crossed one day I'll also love the churn.
Thank you, Ariana! I'm glad this was helpful!
🙌🙌🙌
Thanks for sharing all of these wonderful insights! And congrats on your deserved success. I wonder: did you think your porn convention story would be the one to push you over 2k subscribers? Also: your handwriting is totally fine! Very readable. :)
Thank you, Jillian! I love this question! Honestly, I thought that story would have the opposite effect. I thought I'd lose people because of the subject matter. Between deciding to do the piece in late December, reporting it in early January, writing it, then publishing it, I lived with a kind of mortal terror. Actually, that's way too strong. But I had this uncomfortable feeling in my gut that it could go bad somehow. For what it's worth, though, I've had that feeling lots of times in my career. Way back when, I used to run from it, meaning I wouldn't write the things that scared me. As I grew older, wiser, more confident, and frankly, became a stronger writer, I started to recognize that fear, honor it, and move forward. I've love to say that I seek it out, but I'm not there yet. But generally speaking, when I feel nervous about a piece, it's a good sign that I'm putting everything I have into it and taking a risk. Those risks don't always pay off, but they pay off WAY more than playing it safe.
Thanks for sharing all of this! It’s so fascinating. Clearly this one paid off :)
I thought that one must have done it as well. :-)
🤘🤘
Congrats on hitting your 2k goal! I'm going to add you to my rec list because I'm sure my whopping 25 subscribers would enjoy your writing... the internet is where introverts hit the wall. Join groups? Make friends? I'm about to pass out. Anyway, many congrats to you!
Thank Andrea! And you’re right it’s tough out there for an introvert. But you know what? I looked at your newsletter and noticed what you’re doing with CAP. It’s very clever & it’s a great way to get to know people and grow community.
Aw, thanks for taking a look! Anytime you want to send your coffee photo, I'm standing by!!
Will do! I've got a few coffee mugs I think you'll enjoy analyzing.
I’m right on your heels but have been just short of 2,000 subs for over a month now. Thanks (to you and Geoffrey) for the reminder to embrace the churn. I was lucky enough to experience a nice bump in subscriptions pretty early on. It was encouraging but you’re right that it changes the feel of things when you’re suddenly writing for a bunch more people. It’s like they sign up and they’re sitting there with their cursor over the unsubscribe button thinking, “Let’s see whatcha got, buddy.”
Agree with everything you said here, Lyle. Except the luck part. Sure, luck plays a role. But you earn your subscribers every Saturday with really brave writing.
Thanks, Michael! Now I just need to find a few more brave readers lol
They're out there and they're looking for you (they just don't know it yet).
🤘🤘
Congratulations! Such good news and well deserved! This was such a fascinating post right from the confidence to the going viral (16,644 visits!!) to the first-day-of-school energy/anxiety to loving the churn (the secret to success and sanity) to the Ship of Theseus. I loved every word! And thanks for the shoutout! Awfully glad we're on the same team!
Thank you, Jane! I’m so grateful for you, Alex, and Anne.
Same!!
“Answer: You don’t.”
For the love of God and all his elves, send this information to every company I worked for since high school. The Quixotic tilt to be chosen by forced they didn’t understand would be tragic if I wasn’t laughing. In the meeting. While pointing at them.
I was a great employee.
Good stuff!
I have been in similar meetings. Once and only once did I give the “you don’t” answer to a client. That account vanished soon after. So for clients the answer is always, “yes, of course, it works every time, but it is magic and I am the only wizard within your budget.”
🤣🤣
Another subscription trickles on your list. Great post, thanks for sharing. It’s eye opening to learn how much work it takes to reach such a milestone. I also can relate to the anxiety, while I’m just at the beginning, once the author of a book I wrote about subscribed and I panicked. Then the author of my favorite newsletter subscribed and I panicked. It’s quite irrational but I read that high excitement feels similar to anxiety in the body. Looking forward to the 3,000 milestone post.
Thank you, Claudia! Glad to have you here. And I'm glad hearing about my anxiety resonated with you. Managing my anxiety is always a challenge, but it helps to hear that I'm not alone in that struggle.
Awesome!!! ❤️❤️. Impressive, Claudia!
“The people who unsubscribe aren’t your audience, and because they aren’t your audience, you’re better off without them.” Love this!
And my question: when are you going to visit nyc again? Enough with this Florida Vegas cruise ship nonsense!!!
Good question! Funny enough, it's the same one my sister keeps asking. It's going to happen this year, promise.
Hurrah!
🫰🫰🫰❤️🔥
Congrats on 2k, pal. :)
PS: You're an intimidatingly good writer.
I agree 👍 inspiring too ❤️
Thank you! That means a lot coming from you, sir!
Oh, I'm shit, of course... ;)
That’s bullshit & you know it😂
This is really good job! You inspire me to keep going, thanks!
Thank you, Ted! I'm glad this was inspiring! Keep going & good luck!
How I learned to stop worrying and love the churn - should be a book or a movie idk, but its got legs in the ECPEU(tm).
I love reading this Michael and am just so fuckin happy for you and the growth!! on2 the next 2000
You don't think the ghost of Stanley Kubrick will come after us for riffing on his sub-title for Dr. Strangelove? I imagine Kubrick's ghost is pretty intense.
But seriously, thank you, Alex!
🫰🫰🫰❤️
First of all, congratulations. Second of all, you seem like you deserve it. I mean, i laugh out loud at least once for each of your pieces, and sometimes, like in this post, Iaugh a whole lot. I love how real you get here, and sharing that churn wisdom. Im curious... If you were only to give ONE growth tip to new writers on Substack, what would it be? Could be abstract, could be a tangible, actionable tip (hopefully actionable but some of the best tips aren’t necessarily so) :) thank you for writing. 🙏
Hi Sarah, one tip from the piece that I swear by is: write your ass off, tell everyone you know that you're writing your ass off, and seek out other writers in your category who are writing their asses off. OK, that's like three tips. But one tip that I didn't include is something I see a lot on Substack: write your About Page! I know it sounds simple, but lots of writers don't bother to do that and it's a real missed opportunity. It doesn't have to be perfect because you can always update it, but putting that space to use is a great way to invite readers in to read your work.
I appreciate these words of wisdom. Hopefully we will all keep writing our asses off until we can no longer sit down due to having no asses. Thanks Michael! 🙃
That's why I bought a standing desk :)
❤️❤️
thank goodness for the CPEU! you are all wonderful. michael, keep doing this vital work. we've never needed your voice as much as we do now. :) congrats and cheers!
Thank you! I really appreciate that!
🙌🙌