This is great stuff, Derek! I really liked this part: "Drop the pressure to be profound. Be helpful instead." It is like customer value strategy but for writers :o)
Derek this is one of the better posts I've read on Substack because it gets at the heart of what has annoyed me about the platform. "Nobody cares how hard you tried. Or how much heart you poured into it."
You touch on the central point that it's about the reader, not the writer. A great many people on this platform appear to be hung up on this point. They seem to want it to be about them. You did a great job of bringing it back to that object lesson.
As I was reading it I thought, "Yeah. He gets it." Then I got to the sales pitch.
While I fully understand you have your Substack business model, I was hoping you were going to leave it at the sage advice about the reader. Personally, I felt that would have been more impactful because by offering them templates you were kind of bringing it back to you and not the writers you're trying to help, which one could argue undermines your central point.
I don't fault you for it as it's your business model and that fine. But from a communication stand point you perfectly pointed out the pitfall so many writers here fall into. I think leaving it on that point would plant a much deeper and more effective worm in the reader's mind than swinging back to the, "But here's how I did it and you can too."
Perhaps you may think I'm being annoying, but I think a big part of any writer's growth is critique that improves the impact of their writing.
I also know many people never comment on newsletters and notes, if anything just leaving the little heart lit up red. I think it's good to understand why a piece works or doesn't work with your readers, so that's the motivation behind my comment.
Oh, in general, I think you write very well and have an easily accessible style that makes for an enjoyable read.
Thanks Randy - always keen to learn. I won't debate the point you're making. But appreciate the spirit in which you gave it. (if only all conversations online were done in the same way!)
This is great stuff, Derek! I really liked this part: "Drop the pressure to be profound. Be helpful instead." It is like customer value strategy but for writers :o)
Exactly Jens
Great post, thank you
Always give value first! People only care what you can do for them. Great reminder
100% serve others first
One growths helping other’s grow. On 🎯
Exactly
Derek this is one of the better posts I've read on Substack because it gets at the heart of what has annoyed me about the platform. "Nobody cares how hard you tried. Or how much heart you poured into it."
You touch on the central point that it's about the reader, not the writer. A great many people on this platform appear to be hung up on this point. They seem to want it to be about them. You did a great job of bringing it back to that object lesson.
As I was reading it I thought, "Yeah. He gets it." Then I got to the sales pitch.
While I fully understand you have your Substack business model, I was hoping you were going to leave it at the sage advice about the reader. Personally, I felt that would have been more impactful because by offering them templates you were kind of bringing it back to you and not the writers you're trying to help, which one could argue undermines your central point.
I don't fault you for it as it's your business model and that fine. But from a communication stand point you perfectly pointed out the pitfall so many writers here fall into. I think leaving it on that point would plant a much deeper and more effective worm in the reader's mind than swinging back to the, "But here's how I did it and you can too."
Perhaps you may think I'm being annoying, but I think a big part of any writer's growth is critique that improves the impact of their writing.
I also know many people never comment on newsletters and notes, if anything just leaving the little heart lit up red. I think it's good to understand why a piece works or doesn't work with your readers, so that's the motivation behind my comment.
Oh, in general, I think you write very well and have an easily accessible style that makes for an enjoyable read.
Thanks Randy - always keen to learn. I won't debate the point you're making. But appreciate the spirit in which you gave it. (if only all conversations online were done in the same way!)