Have you ever walked up a sand dune? In Colorado we have the largest sand dunes in the United States. What they don’t tell you about making your way up a sand dune is that even though it looks easy to climb-it’s not. There’s wind, the sand shifts and is uneven beneath your feet. Your view of the horizon plays tricks on you and it’s a lot harder to reach the top than it seems. That’s how it felt like as I worked towards hitting my last subscriber milestone of 3,000 people. It was harder than I anticipated for several reasons, but I want to encourage you and be honest about what it’s like to grow in a way that’s a bit counterculture. To grow with limited social media focus. I hit 3,000 subscribers an hour before my birthday. What I also need to mention is that this milestone was achieved 3 months after my original goal of May.
Listen to the Episode
Resource
Are you thinking about starting a Substack but aren’t sure what to do first? I’ve put together a 45 free workshop walking you through everything you need to know. I’ve created on the Substack platform for the past 3, going on 4 years and I’ve learned a lot of lessons (Some that I plan to share in this episode) Head to https://creatorsgettingpaid.com/getstarted to watch the workshop and begin your Substack journey.
Show Notes
A couple of weeks ago I was listening to a podcast episode where a creator was discussing the value of slow and steady list growth. While I would agree with them about the idea that slow, steady and focused growth of a list that consistently is building up to whatever desired end number you’re focused on-no one talks about how freaking hard it is to stay on task and keep an eye on the your ultimate goal. To make things even more complicated, I don’t really have a social media forward brand. Instead, I rely on connections, content, search and other organic ways to build this community. Here are some lessons learned…
- Lesson #1-The first 2,000 depending on how long it takes you to reach this number typically is the hardest mentally in terms of growth and testing things out.
- Lesson #2-Be careful of those unexpected moments that may derail your focus. Sadly, my Grandma passed away this year and I’m not ok. Add to that dealing with fascism and a wonderful program that I didn’t have a lot of mental energy for-I’ve really struggled to dig deep and double my momentum. You can’t drink from a well that is dry.
- Lesson #3-I love and hate Substack discoverability. Every person who is completely new to you has to be warmed up before they will ever take an action that you’re hoping they’ll take…especially if that involves spending money. I’m not the only creator who has noticed this.
- Lesson #4-There is a huge difference in the email open rate between my free and paying Subscribers. It’s really important to email the lists separately from time to time in order to get a feel for this.
- Lesson #5-Double-down on off platform growth this will balance out what’s happening with the on platform growth.
- Lesson #6-Work on a tagline or 10-20 second synopsis of what your project is. This is harder than it sounds. I’ve worked on this for almost 2 years. I’ve finally connected with a tagline that resonates with me and I feel makes sense to my audience. This advice is also relevant to Fiction based projects.
- Lesson #7-As your project ages your initial vision for your will grow and change. Be comfortable tweaking things and pivoting.
- Lesson #8-As the vision for your project changes so will anything related to products that you would like to sell.
- Opt-ins
- Workshops
- Collaborations
- Content
- Lesson #9-Collaboration is key to growth-I don’t think I would have grown as quickly as I have without the many collaborations that I’ve worked on. My most notable collaboration is my weekly livestream with Corey Gumbs founder of The Black Podcasters Association and Angela Hollowell founder of Please Hustle Responsibly and Melanin MVP.
- Lesson #10-Beware of the “False Summit” here in Colorado, in Manitou Springs we have the Manitou Incline. It is 2,768 grueling literal steps up the side of a mountain with a 2,000 foot elevation gain. It can brutal if you’re not prepared for it and people have died making their way up the incline. As recently as last April. Part of what makes the Incline so freaking hard is the moment when you think you’ve reached the top and realize it’s the false summit. I’ve climbed the Incline and it was so humbling. List building, especially organic list building can really feel like that.
10,000
My goal for the next 12 months is to work towards hitting 10,000 people on my list. There are a number of reasons why I am so focused on this number.
- I’ve loved the community growth aspect of this project and I’m excited to be in community with more incredible creators building cool projects/communities and spaces.
- Lists of this size become increasingly lucrative, especially when you work the math connected to conversion rates per 1000 subscriber. One thing I do want to mention is that hitting this number will also be an inflection point specific to whether or not I continue to stay on the Substack platform. I have a friend who has just hit 11,000 subscribers and they are in the process of moving their project somewhere else. Definitely listen to the episode where I break down why people need to stop comparing Beehiiv to Substack. Part of the critique that I shared was about the Substack monetization model and how it impacts projects once they hit 10,000 subscribers.
- Hitting this milestone will also be a validation of the organic growth systems that I’ve put in place to attract growth on the Substack platform and off the platform. I’m still currently at 80% organic growth and around 20% paid growth.
The Math
- 7,000 additional subscribers/community members
- 365 Days (1 year)
- 7,000 /12 months=583 subscribers a month
- 583/30=19 subscribers a day on average
Growth Accelerators
- Be a Guest and Share Value-By recording as many podcast interviews as humanely possible. I love being a guest on other people’s podcasts. If you’re looking for a guest who can discuss one or more of the following topics-please consider having me as a guest. My email is: th*****************@***il.com or you can contact me via the Chat feature on Substack.
- Collaborating with other creators on the Substack platform-I’m really excited to connect with creators who are new to me and have complimentary audiences to the work that I’m doing.
- Livestreaming-I co-host a signature show with two other amazing creators. My goal is to livestream 6-8 times a month. Many people don’t realize that livestream content is searchable on Substack and that people are discovering it months after you’ve recorded.
- Hosting a digital event-I’m in the beginning stages of planning. The goal is to host this event in January with pre-recorded content. I’m deciding between a bundle or a online Summit or both.
- Advertise in Other Newsletters-This could be a free or paid ad.
Why Am I Sharing This?
Because growing a list is hard. Feeling seen on a platform such as Substack can be hard. If you’re growing and nurturing a brand that is not social media forward, it an feel a little overwhelming trying to figure out how to grow something as important as your list.
At the beginning of this episode I talked about the false summit tricking people and bringing them down as they work towards their goal. I think it’s also important to talk about the light at the end of the tunnel. I FINALLY see the light at the end of the tunnel for Creators Getting Paid, the momentum is building but so is my resolve, expertise and focus.
If you’re not a part of the community yet, sign up today at https://creatorsgettingpaid.com/start. I look forward to being a part of your monetization and creator journey. I’ve also put together a list 75 ways you can make money with your digital brand as a gift from me to you.
