My newsletter and I are having our one year paper anniversary, which feels appropriate despite my newsletter never once having been on paper. This edition, I’m going to reflect on what year has looked like at The Newsletter Formerly Known As The Anti-Niche. With thoughts and numbers.
Growing my Platform:
Is not a thing I set out to do! And I’m still not doing it! I’m gonna self high-five myself on this one, because if you’re around Substack at all, you know the push to get as many subscribers as possible and monetize monetize monetize is everywhere. There are whole newsletters devoted specifically to how to grow your audience and make money, and I totally get that people are into that! Love that for them. While my subscriber base has grown since I started (x2!) and it’s exciting to see new folks here, my intention for this newsletter was to create content that interests me and hone my skills when it comes to re-writing, editing, and putting my writing in front of other humans. It’s been excellent for that and I’ll continue to pursue that goal. I’m grateful that people are out there reading these lil’ words I put down. And not to brag, but more people are reading this than read my livejournal and blogspot combined!
General Evolution:
I have a distaste for boxing myself in when it comes to anything, which is why the contrarian “Anti-Niche” was born. “I can have it all! I’m a whole human!” Was my thought. But it turns out having it all is tiring and writing about a lot of different things every issue was not only challenging, but surprisingly boring. When I wrote my first post about something specific, it was more fun and people engaged with it more. When I did it again, it was clear it wasn’t a fluke. It’s not hard to come up with topics, but it is still hard for me to focus in on the single, short take in around 1000 words, which is where my learning is happening lately.
I know this is more blog than newsletter, and that’s fine by me. There aren’t always updates about my life or my barely-there career, but there are other things brewing. I’d love to start an (actual) newsletter specifically about failures. Who’s in?
Subscribers:
I have some! I don’t remember the first person I don’t know who subscribed to this newsletter, but I do remember throwing up a little when I got the notification. It’s exciting/mortifying to be perceived in most circumstances, but by strangers on the internet?! What a wild ride. Thanks for being here!
Biggest Takeaway:
I knew I had to start the Substack before I knew what it was going be or I’d never start it. As someone who loves to plan ahead and play out scenarios before they happen, this was nerve wracking, but listening to this intuition was important and I’m glad I did. I still don’t know exactly what this newsletter is or will be forever— I suspect it will continue evolving. In lieu of growing my subscriber base by posting three times a week and charging for posts, I plan to continue slow, authentic connection-making that suits my current capacity. For now. Maybe next year I’ll get after that hustle & grind maximizing productivity culture (LOL ABSOLUTELY NOT. MORE NAPS).
Some Numbers…
Are meant to be secrets, but I’ll share a few!
Number of posts: as of today, 23! That’s so close to the 2 per month I’d set out to make and so many more than 0 that I’m labeling it a roaring success.
Thirty-day open rate: 70.15%. Having worked with subscriber bases on behalf of large organizations, specifically in newsletters, I count this number formally as “pretty good.”
Number of pledges: 1. This number refers to how many people have taken a blood oath to give me money if I decide to turn on paid subscriptions. Some people say 1 is the loneliest number, but when I saw this notification I gave myself a hearty, “Fuck yeah.” I still have no intention of turning on paid subscriptions, but knowing that a single person went out of their way to say, “Hey, I’d give you money for this if you decided you want it.”1 is pretty cool.
Where people find me: Each time I publish I make it a point to post on instagram with a link to the piece at least twice during the week of publication. About 12% of my views come from instagram. The vast majority are from email viewers, and a few are from the Substack app. I’ve also linked to my website and my Medium page, but a tiny amount of readers find me that way.
Most Viewed Post: On Saying No, which is a banger. This was a specific experience that encapsulated a concept I’d been rolling around in my head for some time already. Spooky historic sites, turning down a (weird) “opportunity”, Gen Z cameos… this is one of my favorites, too. Also, turns out a lot of us have a hard time saying no.
Weirdest Stat: Someone found my Substack via a Bing search. I had no idea folks were still binging about out there. Cheers to the person who cracked open Bing and maybe typed, “Cult day Substack angsty”. I hope you found what you were looking for!
The Future:
You can expect more of our recent fare from me! Topics on deck: Jealousy gets a bad rap. Transposing my creative process: From Theater to Writing. What the midwest is (and is not).
I’m also interested in cross-publication collaboration. If that sounds fun— let me know!
And maybe more photos I’ve made? I miss posting these:
Other Updates:
I recently received my trauma-conscious yoga teaching certificate and it was excellent. I did not completely lose it even one time because I carefully assessed and communicated my needs! She can be taught!
Leif Enger is having a book release where I live tonight! I’m excited to attend and meet other book lovers in town.
I applied for two jobs last week and wow, 0/10 experience, I do not recommend. The job market is rough out there, comrades. Let us keep our chins up and our resources open to one another.
I’m making a lil’ bit of theater in April and if you know me, you know that’s a lil’ bit my nightmare, but I’m just out here tryin’ to make those authentic connections with other humans.
It’s worth noting that I know the person who pledged this. They are not a family member, but it’s not a benevolent, mysterious, patron on the internet who MUST give me money—which I’m absolutely open to if any are reading this.
One year is major!!! Congrats my friend. You inspire me. 🫶🏻
Happy Substack Birthday!! Love seeing these stats and love reading your work, as always!