Superb dude. Just asking those questions - uncomfortable as it is (and should be) can reframe your entire approach to writing on Substack (or any platform tbh).
Thanks Mack, another essential piece of reading. The audience question is so important. I know who my core audience is for Slow AI (people who are AI curious or AI experimenters) and every post I create I try to make sure that I am targeting it at them to elicit a specific change (be more human-centred in use of AI). The issue of content drift is also so important and I am very grateful to have you to keep me on track and stop me trying to force my substack into something unsustainable and unauthentic. 🙏
Sam I like how you created a focus for AI (going slow), and doing that leads you naturally to your audience. Most people don't do this, and it contributes to their inability to define their desired audience.
I'd love more people to think about what we want the reader to do differently because a post exists. I'm with you on defining the audience too (although this is my biggest pain usually, despite all my hard work to nail it haha). I always advise people to be specific enough to be relevant but broad enough to still have room to pivot and think out of the box. So, love your framework!
Thank you, sis! I think a lot of people dread/put off cleanly defining their desired audience. I get that it's often not fun and feels like work, but it makes the rest of the work soooo much easier. This stuff is hard enough as it is, let's make it easier on ourselves!
I’m so guilty here Mack! You’re making me reflect a lot - there’s definitely not been a direction just intuitive insights as they come roughly in the same category 🫣
Reflection is good :) Here's what I do, and I think it would help you as well: I pray and ask God to show me how He wants me to use the talents He has blessed me with and show me how I can help others. Doing that helps me see where my focus should be.
Amazing piece, Mack. This has been on my mind a lot lately. I'm stepping back and thinking deeper about what I produce and who it is for. It's a tough exercise but necessary.
Thank you, Patrick. It IS tough, and that's why a lot of us keep putting it off. I know I did for too long. But the benefits it makes to your workflow and results makes it well worth the time.
Yeah, it’s like trying to bake a cake without knowing what flavour you want; you just end up with a mess. But when you get specific about your audience, everything becomes clearer, from the topics you choose to the way you engage with your readers. - Great advice, Mack.
I ended up doing something like this this past weekend out of frustration in building notes content for Code Like A Girl. I felt like I couldn't get the tone right while working with AI to help me generate notes from our posts. we are in a unique situation where the posts are all written by different people but the notes is where the continuity for the publication comes from. So while promoting their notes and ideas i want to have a continuity for the reader. Why they trust us. I ended up building a brand guideline for CLAG notes, and what it really does is reflect back what I think our readers want to hear. But I think it would be useful to build a personal for the reader as well. Will you be guiding us on how to do this with a paid post?
That’s interesting, Dinah, and it makes sense how you are bringing in different voices, so having some level of consistency in tone is important.
I will keep that topic idea in mind. I have purposely avoided writing much about Notes and strategy so far. I am thinking that I will move more into covering Notes starting in April, it will be a natural segue from community building in March to talking more about Notes in April. I will keep your suggestion in mind, thank you Dinah!
Sounds good, but I will use any tips you have from writing posts and building ideas through posts to notes. So I would be interested in how to properly build a user profile for Code Like a Girl.
As for Being Fearless Being Me. That will keep being my personal ramblings :-).
The distinction between activity and direction is the unlock here. Most writers aren’t failing because they’re inconsistent. They’re failing because nothing they publish accumulates. Without a destination, effort just resets every time.
Superb dude. Just asking those questions - uncomfortable as it is (and should be) can reframe your entire approach to writing on Substack (or any platform tbh).
Answering those questions makes everything else soooo much easier. It also saves you a ton of time. Thanks Parves!
Me reading 'Who is your audience?', sweating
Me reading 'What change do you want to create?', sweating intensifies
Me reading 'Your content needs direction', closes laptop, opens laptop, closes laptop
My entire content strategy is vibe based publishing hahahaha
What's up, bro!!!!
Hahaha ‘vibe based publishing’ is perfect! Thanks sis!
My niece has a favorite word. VIBES
Thanks Mack, another essential piece of reading. The audience question is so important. I know who my core audience is for Slow AI (people who are AI curious or AI experimenters) and every post I create I try to make sure that I am targeting it at them to elicit a specific change (be more human-centred in use of AI). The issue of content drift is also so important and I am very grateful to have you to keep me on track and stop me trying to force my substack into something unsustainable and unauthentic. 🙏
Sam I like how you created a focus for AI (going slow), and doing that leads you naturally to your audience. Most people don't do this, and it contributes to their inability to define their desired audience.
Great job, your growth continues to inspire!
Those questions are gold. As I was reading, I starting thinking about how I would answer them. The value is great, Mack.
Thank you, Vic. Let me know if you need some help.
Love your focus on direction this month!
I'd love more people to think about what we want the reader to do differently because a post exists. I'm with you on defining the audience too (although this is my biggest pain usually, despite all my hard work to nail it haha). I always advise people to be specific enough to be relevant but broad enough to still have room to pivot and think out of the box. So, love your framework!
Thank you, sis! I think a lot of people dread/put off cleanly defining their desired audience. I get that it's often not fun and feels like work, but it makes the rest of the work soooo much easier. This stuff is hard enough as it is, let's make it easier on ourselves!
I’m so guilty here Mack! You’re making me reflect a lot - there’s definitely not been a direction just intuitive insights as they come roughly in the same category 🫣
Reflection is good :) Here's what I do, and I think it would help you as well: I pray and ask God to show me how He wants me to use the talents He has blessed me with and show me how I can help others. Doing that helps me see where my focus should be.
Such a good idea Mack. Will do that 🙏
Amazing piece, Mack. This has been on my mind a lot lately. I'm stepping back and thinking deeper about what I produce and who it is for. It's a tough exercise but necessary.
Thank you, Patrick. It IS tough, and that's why a lot of us keep putting it off. I know I did for too long. But the benefits it makes to your workflow and results makes it well worth the time.
Yeah, it’s like trying to bake a cake without knowing what flavour you want; you just end up with a mess. But when you get specific about your audience, everything becomes clearer, from the topics you choose to the way you engage with your readers. - Great advice, Mack.
I ended up doing something like this this past weekend out of frustration in building notes content for Code Like A Girl. I felt like I couldn't get the tone right while working with AI to help me generate notes from our posts. we are in a unique situation where the posts are all written by different people but the notes is where the continuity for the publication comes from. So while promoting their notes and ideas i want to have a continuity for the reader. Why they trust us. I ended up building a brand guideline for CLAG notes, and what it really does is reflect back what I think our readers want to hear. But I think it would be useful to build a personal for the reader as well. Will you be guiding us on how to do this with a paid post?
That’s interesting, Dinah, and it makes sense how you are bringing in different voices, so having some level of consistency in tone is important.
I will keep that topic idea in mind. I have purposely avoided writing much about Notes and strategy so far. I am thinking that I will move more into covering Notes starting in April, it will be a natural segue from community building in March to talking more about Notes in April. I will keep your suggestion in mind, thank you Dinah!
Sounds good, but I will use any tips you have from writing posts and building ideas through posts to notes. So I would be interested in how to properly build a user profile for Code Like a Girl.
As for Being Fearless Being Me. That will keep being my personal ramblings :-).
The distinction between activity and direction is the unlock here. Most writers aren’t failing because they’re inconsistent. They’re failing because nothing they publish accumulates. Without a destination, effort just resets every time.
Kay this line is key: "Without a destination, effort just resets every time". That encapsulates the value of directional content perfectly. Thank you!
Glad it resonated.
Activity vs. direction — that’s the unlock.
This reframes stagnation without shaming the work.
Thank you, Regina, that's beautifully put!
Thank you, Mack — I really appreciate that. It’s helpful when insight creates movement without turning effort into failure.
I’m here to bring an emotional hiccup for now.