I apologize for being naive, but I do not understand the true value of exposure, especially as substackers pollute the airways with more news impacting the lifespan of a reader. Going viral is short-term. In music it built the fanbase of a rock group which led to more sales long after their music was heard. In closing, what do people do with all their increased exposure?
Viral posts lead to what? Increased exposure, so what? Viral songs lead to increased sales (immediate) and increased value lonof an artist's catalogue longterm. My point is I do not think correlating a great blog is comparable to a hit song.
Viral posts lead to increased exposure, and exposure is necessary for increased sales (or other metric the author places value on). Same thing with viral songs, they lead to exposure via additional airplay, which leads to increased chance of purchase.
If you are trying to argue there is more value in exposure to your target audience with viral content, I agree completely. That’s why I mentioned focusing on a ‘greatest hits’ collection of specific content that you hone over time. An ancillary benefit is it helps position your authority around those topics. Which means if your content does ‘go viral’ it will lead to more exposure with your desired audience.
Oh Mack, there’s so much good stuff here! Yes, Titles and images are crucial, especially for newer writers who often overlook them. Your title is what grabs the reader’s attention and gets them to click on your post. If you have a blah headline paired with a blah picture, your article is basically toast before anyone even opens it.
I actually have a John Denver CD 💿, and I didn’t realize he was that big! 😂
Your core audience is important, but reaching beyond that circle can bring in fresh ideas, open up new opportunities, and get your work in front of a broader crowd. Finding that sweet spot means keeping your loyal readers engaged while pulling in those who might not have discovered you yet. The aim isn’t growing numbers, it’s expanding your reach and making a bigger impact.
Agreed, Bette. Personally, I prefer to focus on core audience and let discovery flow through their efforts more than mine. But to your point, going outside your inner circle does expose you to new voices and ideas. So it has value as well. We all have to determine which balance makes sense for us and our goals.
I agree, Bette. In social media feeds, the headline/title and picture is what determines if someone will click the link. Headline-writing is definitely an art. Thanks for commenting!
I loved how you compared content creation to the process of producing and promoting music. It's a cool analogy! Good content doesn’t always find its audience on its own, especially when there’s so much noise out there. But what really struck me is like rock stars; bloggers need to treat each post as a potential hit, with a well-thought-out strategy for creation, editing, and promotion. Love the visual checklist.
15 hours, eh? damn bro - I take close to 8 hours for my heavier Medium articles now. And next week's Substack? well that took an entire year to write, lol
As you read this article, I want you to pay close attention to how rock stars package and resell their Greatest Hits. Every one of you should have an album of Greatest Hits. 10 or fewer topics that you love, that you repeatedly write about. Forget the advice that you shouldn’t write about the same topics over and over again. Instead, find the few topics that you are insanely passionate about, and write about them over and over again. In doing so, you will be tightening and refining your ideas, making them even more valuable to your audience.
HI Mack, this was super useful. I'm glad Neela shared this.
Mitch.
Thank you, Mitch! @Neela 🌶️ is the best!
only sometimes bro lol
No argument from me there lol. She’s one of my favorite creators both here and on Medium. Mitch.
You are one of my favs too plus you ARE trini :)
I apologize for being naive, but I do not understand the true value of exposure, especially as substackers pollute the airways with more news impacting the lifespan of a reader. Going viral is short-term. In music it built the fanbase of a rock group which led to more sales long after their music was heard. In closing, what do people do with all their increased exposure?
Viral posts lead to what? Increased exposure, so what? Viral songs lead to increased sales (immediate) and increased value lonof an artist's catalogue longterm. My point is I do not think correlating a great blog is comparable to a hit song.
Viral posts lead to increased exposure, and exposure is necessary for increased sales (or other metric the author places value on). Same thing with viral songs, they lead to exposure via additional airplay, which leads to increased chance of purchase.
If you are trying to argue there is more value in exposure to your target audience with viral content, I agree completely. That’s why I mentioned focusing on a ‘greatest hits’ collection of specific content that you hone over time. An ancillary benefit is it helps position your authority around those topics. Which means if your content does ‘go viral’ it will lead to more exposure with your desired audience.
Which absolutely has value, wouldn’t you agree?
Oh Mack, there’s so much good stuff here! Yes, Titles and images are crucial, especially for newer writers who often overlook them. Your title is what grabs the reader’s attention and gets them to click on your post. If you have a blah headline paired with a blah picture, your article is basically toast before anyone even opens it.
I actually have a John Denver CD 💿, and I didn’t realize he was that big! 😂
Bette: Loyal readers (a.k.a. target audience) read your posts no matter what. Do readers outside this Tribe matter or just a metric?
Your core audience is important, but reaching beyond that circle can bring in fresh ideas, open up new opportunities, and get your work in front of a broader crowd. Finding that sweet spot means keeping your loyal readers engaged while pulling in those who might not have discovered you yet. The aim isn’t growing numbers, it’s expanding your reach and making a bigger impact.
Agreed, Bette. Personally, I prefer to focus on core audience and let discovery flow through their efforts more than mine. But to your point, going outside your inner circle does expose you to new voices and ideas. So it has value as well. We all have to determine which balance makes sense for us and our goals.
I agree, Bette. In social media feeds, the headline/title and picture is what determines if someone will click the link. Headline-writing is definitely an art. Thanks for commenting!
I loved how you compared content creation to the process of producing and promoting music. It's a cool analogy! Good content doesn’t always find its audience on its own, especially when there’s so much noise out there. But what really struck me is like rock stars; bloggers need to treat each post as a potential hit, with a well-thought-out strategy for creation, editing, and promotion. Love the visual checklist.
15 hours, eh? damn bro - I take close to 8 hours for my heavier Medium articles now. And next week's Substack? well that took an entire year to write, lol
Well not an entire year but observations :)
Thank you sis. Most of that 15 hours was on the visual checklist. I am NOT a graphic designer!
And I suspect you like things to be perfect lol
I understand this struggle very well.
As you read this article, I want you to pay close attention to how rock stars package and resell their Greatest Hits. Every one of you should have an album of Greatest Hits. 10 or fewer topics that you love, that you repeatedly write about. Forget the advice that you shouldn’t write about the same topics over and over again. Instead, find the few topics that you are insanely passionate about, and write about them over and over again. In doing so, you will be tightening and refining your ideas, making them even more valuable to your audience.