How About This - month 5 recap
A few thoughts about month 5 of the newsletter and some glimpses into the future
Month 5 of How About This has just finished. It’s been a bit of a different month compared to the previous four - a good month but a different kind of good. This month’s update (and probably the updates going forward) will follow a different format than before.
I’ve continued the minimum 4 days/week publication schedule, with a few extra posts thrown in. In the interest of continuity, here’s the ongoing traffic report for the newsletter:
Traffic (visits)
Month 1 – May 2022: 431 visits (first post was May 3, 2022)
Month 2 – June 2022: 1,900 visits - 440%+ increase
Month 3 – July 2022: 15,681 visits - 798% increase
Month 4 – Aug 2022: 15,698 visits - less than 1% increase
Month 5 - Sept. 2022: 12,016 visit - 23.4% decrease
The decrease, naturally, is a bit disappointing. I have not promoted How About This in as many different places as much as I have in previous months and I feel that would at least partially explain the drop. Perhaps a few too many interviews, not enough solid, meaty original content? Hard to say. Or maybe it’s just a natural plateauing.
The funny thing is, I’m not as disappointed by the drop as I think I might have been a couple of months ago. There are different things that I value more now. For one thing, I’m very happy about the number of thoughtful and interesting comments on each post. I’m happy to see new, interesting readers here and I’m very pleased to see a number of regular commentators who seem inclined to stick around. I’m happy to be a contributing member to the overall Substack publishing community.
A thought occurred to me yesterday, taking me back to one of my original reasons for starting How About This: a long term focus. I look at this newsletter and related activities as a 20+ year initiative and hopefully it will remain on this platform for all of that time. And at some point, probably sooner than later, I’m going to take some steps towards monetization (Don’t Panic!)
VERY IMPORTANT: If I do add paid subscriptions as an option, my goal will be to maintain the same level of free content that I am providing today. I am fully convinced that providing high quality free content is the best way to grow and sustain a publication like this.
Subscribers (e-mail subscribers only):
Month 1 – May 2022: 15 subscribers
Month 2 – June 2022: 59 subscribers - 393% increase
Month 3 – July 2022: 210 subscribers – 356% increase
Month 4 - Aug 2022: 368 subscribers - 75.2% increase
Month 5 - Sep 2022: 444 subscribers - 20.7% increase
I’m quite satisfied with subscriber growth even though the rate has slowed. I beat my original 2022 subscriber goal of 300 back in August and I’m heading towards a revised target of 500 subscribers by the end of 2022, which is achievable.
I’ve also been Recommended by 27 other Substack publications, which is satisfying. Thirteen of them have written very kind blurbs, which I truly appreciate. I’d love to get 50 Recommendations by the end of 2022 but Recommendations must be earned (note to self).
Some of the most rewarding feedback I’ve received is the positive comments from some dear long time friends - thank you, it’s beyond my words to express how much that means.
THE WRITING AND CREATING - THE RAISON D’ETRE
Since I’ve started the writing and publishing journey (or perhaps restarted is the better word - I used to blog between 2008 - 2011 with a few fits and spurts afterward, plus I published a couple of magazine articles in that time), I’ve been influenced a lot by the folks at the Soaring Twenties Social Club. While we come from a number of different countries and backgrounds, we do share a common love for the authentic written word. It reminds me that I don’t (and shouldn’t) focus on creating articles, essays, interviews and posts that are optimized for search engines, social media likes and bite-sized listicles. Those things have their time and place (and I can’t say they’ll never be published here). But they won’t fuel a 20+ year journey either.
Bearing that in mind, I’m going to be continuing some of my own original writing within the Atlantic Canada Mondays segments - they won’t always be interviews with other people from this region. My experience in Atlantic Canada is a bit different from those of you who have a closer relationship with the ocean (I do love a good expanse of water though). This to say, there’s more to Atlantic Canada than the Atlantic Ocean and sometimes I fear that we forget there’s a lot of land here, too.
I also would like to have a wider set of voices appearing in Atlantic Canada Mondays. While I’m happy to have given a number of wonderful, talented female writers, creators and professionals a chance to communicate (more female than male interviewees, actually!), suffice it to say that there’s a lot more I can do to provide a more diverse set of interviewees and I will be working on that. There are plenty of additional colours and textures to show.
But back to the writing and creating: I love the process, the whole process. Some parts less than others, admittedly, but the main reason for publishing this newsletter is that I love communicating in writing. It can be hard work but I love the process, from spark to outline (or scrawls) to draft to revision and polishing and then to publication. Some people build things, some people paint - I write. And I want to get better at writing longer pieces.
FINAL THOUGHT - a glimpse ahead at month 6
I’m going to have a giveaway at the end of month 6! I’m going to give away something to one lucky reader by October 31! I won’t reveal exactly what it is just yet, or how it will be given away, but if you’ve been reading long enough you’ll know what some of my favorite things are and that will factor into the giveaway.
Once again, thanks so much for joining me on this journey. I don’t know if we’ll get to the Moon or to Mars, but we’ll continue forward, eyes on the stars. And, as always, it’s better to be a H.A.T.T.E.R. than a hater.
Again, thank you.
So exciting to follow your growth! Substack is better because you chose to share your writing.
I've loved watching your progress, Mark. We started our Substack journey about the same time, and that makes it even better to watch how yours is developing. I've changed my trajectory once so far, when I decided to focus full time on fiction, and it was the best decision I made. Don't be afraid over the next 1, 5, 10 or 20 years to take risks and make changes. You're getting into a groove that's comfortable, and sometimes that can be messy, but that's a part of the process. Keep up the great work, and I look forward to more!