I saw a Notes thread on Substack recently from someone who had shared an article, commenting that it was the saddest thing she had read on Substack that day.
It had a lot of comments, so I clicked to read out of clarity and then curiosity. Clarity, because at first I didn’t get what was so sad about the article. Then curiosity, because as soon as I figured it out, I wanted to see what others had said.
Maybe you already guessed that this thread was one long bitch-fest.
The comments were all writers bemoaning that Substack has been infiltrated by what they called "Linked-In self promotion content," complaining that all they want to do is write and not try to figure out how to hack the system for growth.
I have thoughts.
In this episode:
- why selling & self-promotion doesn’t have to be icky
- how to make selling & self-promotion not icky
- why anyone with writing they think can help (or teach, or entertain, or comfort) others should actually want to share it
- why self-promotion isn’t selling out (unless you don’t want to be successful as a writer)
Links mentioned in this episode:
Under the Gum Tree: underthegumtree.com
More to the Story coaching & editing for women: moretothestory.co
Question for you:
How do you feel about self-promotion? How do you overcome any resistance to promoting or sharing your work, and do you find that it’s usually worth it (or not)? What kind of support do you feel like you need when it comes to self-promotion?
Leave a comment to let me know your thoughts, or just say hello. Questions welcome, too, I will answer in a future episode.
Thanks so much for listening and for being here! xo
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