PULL UP A SEAT IN MY EDITORIAL OFFICE … It’s ask me anything time! 🎉 Have a question about managing your content? Facing friction in some aspect of your workflow? Unsure about an upcoming headline? Drop your question here! And then … look around! If you can answer someone else’s question, jump in. Showing up online can feel lonely—but it doesn’t have to. In fact, you’re not alone because you’re in this club!! So ask and answer away. I’ll see you in there! ⚡️
Answering this one for @Susan Kuenzi: My question is about how you host interview video content with people in two locations talking on Substack. Is Substack’s video capability sufficient or do you import and stream from other host? Also if I wanted to create a course on Substack for paid subscribers how would I do this in terms of the hosting of content? Do these questions make sense? It’s about content but more the mechanics of it.
Hi, Susan! Yes, the mechanics of content is an important part of the topic! Substack allows you to host the video but you'd want to record it elsewhere. I love Riverside for this. Once I record/edit, then I export the video and upload it to Substack. Depending on how involved your course is, you could simply create a tag specific to the course and then create a new post for each module/lesson. On that post, you can include video/audio/links to workbooks, etc. I'd also create an "intro" type post to the course where you could link out to each of the lessons for ease of use for your students. And then, of course, you could organize all of them under that tag on your homepage! ⚡️
I am torn. Writing is a much slower process than it was a few years ago. I had been posting a fresh short story weekly to my blog. Medical issues have sapped much of my energy. I want to show up on a regular basis. Yet I find myself scratching for ideas, feeling I am drying up. I want to be kind to myself. As I’m saying this, I am reminded again of Hemingway: write hard and clear about what hurts. This hurts. Perhaps this is what needs to refresh my writing… thanks for the chance to talk!
I hear you, Bob! Coming up with the ideas that you care about AND your readers care about is often the hardest part. Do you have a process for making this a regular part of your workflow? You could even start with something simple like ... look up a book on Amazon in a similar niche to you. Select the 3-star reviews and read through them for what people are asking, complaining about, saying is missing, what they liked, etc. Look for little sparks of topics that interest you and that you could add your own commentary to. ⚡️ And definitely plan on attending our Quarterly Content Planning Party coming Sept. 7. I'll walk you through my process for identifying your topics for the next 90 days. 🤩
My question is about how to know if a longer essay would have benefited from being split into multiple parts? My most recent essay was quite long and it hasn’t had the kind of engagement I was hoping for (yet!). Of course it could be due to a number of factors but in hindsight now I wonder if its length (9mins read) put people off and if it would have been better off split as part 1 and then part 2.
I’d love to hear your views on splitting longer essays. Thank you ☺️
Hi, Océane! Same to you, and great question. Of course, there's no hard and fast rule on length. BUT we do know most people stop reading online after 118 words (!). The Nieman Lab says people will spend more time on long-form articles but at most four minutes (800-1,000 words). Soooo it's up to us to do the work of distilling and to make sure that transformation/takeaway/what's in it for me as the reader is super clear right from the start. If your headline hooks me, I start reading. If your opening hooks me, I keep reading. Etc. I often told my journalism students to take the final word count of a draft and cut a third as a starting point. It forces you to think about what's necessary. And if you have two main takeaways, then yes splitting into parts may be the way to go. ⚡️
Hey - this feels timely as there is actually a headline query I've been pondering over. The headlines of my essays style posts all start with musings/meanderings/methods, which links to the sort of tagline of my publication. They feature on rotation, to keep variety with the posts I'm sharing.
But I've been wondering whether this is headline 'structure' is too limiting, and whether I should drop the approach in favour of something more loose/creative (but possible still keep the "key word" in the subheading?).
I've been doing it this way for almost 18 months though, so also worried about changing at this point!
Grateful for any thoughts from Christin or others - do these 3 words feel to limiting as headline starters and/or am I overthinking it and it's totally fine?
I guess I'm wondering if I am missing out on potentially a broader reach by not being able to play with something more fun in the headline ...
Hi, Lauren! Thanks for being here. 🫶 A few immediate thoughts come to mind: 1) Most people will not even notice that you start your posts with those three words. 2) You can change things any time! 3) Headlines are critically important for drawing people in. The best ones tell me, as a reader, what's in it *for me.* So you could articulate that takeaway in the headline (4 must-stops on a weekend in Albania, etc.). And then you can always tag the piece by the categories to keep that organization/filtering option, or something like "read more of my meandering essays here." ALL to say ... if you like that structure, great. But it sounds like you're feeling a little friction around it so why not try changing it up! ⚡️
Christin, thanks so much for this thoughtful response! I think this is really what I needed to get out of my head with it! Will definitely be brainstorming about changing up my headlines in essays to come ... thank you! 💫
Answering this one for @Susan Kuenzi: My question is about how you host interview video content with people in two locations talking on Substack. Is Substack’s video capability sufficient or do you import and stream from other host? Also if I wanted to create a course on Substack for paid subscribers how would I do this in terms of the hosting of content? Do these questions make sense? It’s about content but more the mechanics of it.
Hi, Susan! Yes, the mechanics of content is an important part of the topic! Substack allows you to host the video but you'd want to record it elsewhere. I love Riverside for this. Once I record/edit, then I export the video and upload it to Substack. Depending on how involved your course is, you could simply create a tag specific to the course and then create a new post for each module/lesson. On that post, you can include video/audio/links to workbooks, etc. I'd also create an "intro" type post to the course where you could link out to each of the lessons for ease of use for your students. And then, of course, you could organize all of them under that tag on your homepage! ⚡️
I am torn. Writing is a much slower process than it was a few years ago. I had been posting a fresh short story weekly to my blog. Medical issues have sapped much of my energy. I want to show up on a regular basis. Yet I find myself scratching for ideas, feeling I am drying up. I want to be kind to myself. As I’m saying this, I am reminded again of Hemingway: write hard and clear about what hurts. This hurts. Perhaps this is what needs to refresh my writing… thanks for the chance to talk!
I hear you, Bob! Coming up with the ideas that you care about AND your readers care about is often the hardest part. Do you have a process for making this a regular part of your workflow? You could even start with something simple like ... look up a book on Amazon in a similar niche to you. Select the 3-star reviews and read through them for what people are asking, complaining about, saying is missing, what they liked, etc. Look for little sparks of topics that interest you and that you could add your own commentary to. ⚡️ And definitely plan on attending our Quarterly Content Planning Party coming Sept. 7. I'll walk you through my process for identifying your topics for the next 90 days. 🤩
Thanks, Christin! No, no process. Your idea is helpful! I will try it. And I look forward to 9/7.
Hi Christin, hope you’re having a lovely summer.
My question is about how to know if a longer essay would have benefited from being split into multiple parts? My most recent essay was quite long and it hasn’t had the kind of engagement I was hoping for (yet!). Of course it could be due to a number of factors but in hindsight now I wonder if its length (9mins read) put people off and if it would have been better off split as part 1 and then part 2.
I’d love to hear your views on splitting longer essays. Thank you ☺️
Hi, Océane! Same to you, and great question. Of course, there's no hard and fast rule on length. BUT we do know most people stop reading online after 118 words (!). The Nieman Lab says people will spend more time on long-form articles but at most four minutes (800-1,000 words). Soooo it's up to us to do the work of distilling and to make sure that transformation/takeaway/what's in it for me as the reader is super clear right from the start. If your headline hooks me, I start reading. If your opening hooks me, I keep reading. Etc. I often told my journalism students to take the final word count of a draft and cut a third as a starting point. It forces you to think about what's necessary. And if you have two main takeaways, then yes splitting into parts may be the way to go. ⚡️
Thank you Christin! You’ve definitely given me food for thought here. Very interesting and something to keep in mind when I do write longer essays.
Hey - this feels timely as there is actually a headline query I've been pondering over. The headlines of my essays style posts all start with musings/meanderings/methods, which links to the sort of tagline of my publication. They feature on rotation, to keep variety with the posts I'm sharing.
But I've been wondering whether this is headline 'structure' is too limiting, and whether I should drop the approach in favour of something more loose/creative (but possible still keep the "key word" in the subheading?).
I've been doing it this way for almost 18 months though, so also worried about changing at this point!
Grateful for any thoughts from Christin or others - do these 3 words feel to limiting as headline starters and/or am I overthinking it and it's totally fine?
I guess I'm wondering if I am missing out on potentially a broader reach by not being able to play with something more fun in the headline ...
Thanks in advance!
Hi, Lauren! Thanks for being here. 🫶 A few immediate thoughts come to mind: 1) Most people will not even notice that you start your posts with those three words. 2) You can change things any time! 3) Headlines are critically important for drawing people in. The best ones tell me, as a reader, what's in it *for me.* So you could articulate that takeaway in the headline (4 must-stops on a weekend in Albania, etc.). And then you can always tag the piece by the categories to keep that organization/filtering option, or something like "read more of my meandering essays here." ALL to say ... if you like that structure, great. But it sounds like you're feeling a little friction around it so why not try changing it up! ⚡️
Christin, thanks so much for this thoughtful response! I think this is really what I needed to get out of my head with it! Will definitely be brainstorming about changing up my headlines in essays to come ... thank you! 💫
Yay! So glad to hear it! 🫶