I so enjoyed this piece, thank you to all who came together to make it happen. I particularly liked the bit about "my brand is my honesty" - I really find that on Substack my best pieces, those that really resonate with others are the ones that really take off. I think we are all looking for that real, honest human connection and Substack feels a safe place to do that.
Wow, thanks, Louise! I've heard this from others before, too, that the pieces we contribute which hold our authenticity are the ones that get the most engagement and appreciation from our communities. It's been very true for me.
What a fabulous idea to have this interview here, thank you both. I am a recent and paid subscriber to Smallstack. Quite honestly, I was absolutely delighted to find it existed one day as I scrolled through Notes. I agree, Robin, that it is daunting as a small publication to read through all the posts and not be discouraged by being unable to duplicate the methods. I love small!! As an empath and highly sensitive person, sometimes all the bells, whistles, pitches, and visuals are too much for me to take in—I have to do it in small doses. (Thank you, Claire, for the gentle background and overall caring energy of Sparkle!)
As far as subscriber number reports, I often wonder about how many opens that publication receives. I have 236 subscribers (14 paid) and a consistent open rate of almost 50%. Is having 1000 subscribers with a 10% open rate any better? I love that my subscribers are readers. That's why I write—I want to share ideas. I have as much or more interaction with my subscribers off the platform as on...many of my readers do not want to post publicly, so they email me directly with their responses or questions. No metric for that! I am excited for the possibilities of what the Smallstack community will bring. Indeed, Smallstack is an example of the rare kind of big that I enjoy—Big Ideas!
Aw thanks for being here Shelley! This is wonderful to read. I have another publication Creatively Conscious which has grown from 0-3000 subs in 2.5 years and it’s felt a beautiful soulful and manageable journey. I never felt compelled for my work to have thousands of eyes more grow a space for people to lean into what being creatively conscious means and on the way to 1000 I learnt so so much about my readers, my relationship with my writing and all my imposter syndrome. Do I think I’m a “better” writer now - I think I do but honestly that’s not because more people are there it’s because I showed up and wrote what was on my heart and shared that with a community of people who resonated. Pleased you are here and you found SmallStack on your substack travels ✨✨🪡🙏
I agree that writing improves as you show up to the practice. How lovely that growth dynamic is... the more you showed up, the more readers you had and the more readers you had, the more you showed up—and improved!
Shelley, I'm so glad you're part of SmallStack. You are the heart of what makes us great--that so many of us care about the connections we build between ourselves and others. I also love to chat with my subscribers outside of the comments section. Getting a direct email from someone really fills me up, and it feels like a real gift every time it happens.
Fellow empath and highly sensitive person here too Shelley! It is A LOT to take in. I want to be so much more engaged than I have been able to but haven’t found a way - yet - to do so without feeling like I’m drowning. I too have been relishing in the responses I receive off the platform. Just yesterday someone told me in person how much they’ve been enjoying my work. Definitely no metric for that!
Thank you, Carolyn. It is So Good to feel seen and heard, whether it's feedback here on Notes/comments or from subscribers. It's especially wonderful to connect with others who understand.
What a wonderful idea Smallstack is!? It is so easy to get sucked into looking at who is following and engaging with our writing that it can be easy to forget why we write and to become discouraged. Reading about Smallstack feels like a warm hug. It tells me that, although I have but a handful of followers, my writing is valid and worth my time. Small is good. ❤️ Thank you. 🙏
A wonderful interview and a wonderful idea in Smallstack! I joined Substack about a month ago and have already felt quite overwhelmed by conversion rates, open rates, post stats etc. I joined because I wanted to find a community who would support and champion each other and I have struggled to know where to start to look for that. I’m really happy to know that Smallstack exists. 😊
Oh it’s so perfectly timed Victoria and remember you can chat in the sparkle chat anytime you like - you’re so welcome to sit with us and please know lots of folks feel exactly as you do. ✨✍️✨❤️
Thanks Claire and excellent reminder about the Sparkle chat. I will try to make a habit to participate in this more regularly! Once I’m done with my day job, I find it hard to keep up with a regular practice but I’m hoping it will all start to fall into place eventually.
Victoria, SmallStack would love to have you join us! We had a really outstanding SmallTalk discussion a few weeks back where we shared our joys and celebrated one another. Sounds like that's exactly where you belong!
Thank you Robin, I will definitely check this out! Will there be another round of applications in the future to join the library list? Looking forward to being a part of the Smallstack community. 😁
Yes, SmallStack will reopen Library applications sometime after Launch Week, once the 11 of us volunteers have had a chance to take a moment to breathe!
I am with you on the overwhelm Victoria! At first I fell in love with the feeling of deeper connection here, but then fell quickly into anxiety around all those metrics that have such a powerful pull away from what I initially wanted – just like you, community and support and championing each other. I am happy to know smallstack exists as well.
I find it so difficult - not to mention the fight against not basing the validation of my entire existence on whether or not people read/comment/engage, especially when people who seemed to start being part of your community dwindle away. 😅 It’s so comforting to know there are others who feel the same way too. Lovely to meet you here, Carolyn!
Yeah and you know I have people who were actively part of my community and commented every article who now don’t and who’s names I see in every other comment thread. It’s weird/ hard but it’s worth it for the genuine friendships I’ve built… it’s a lot for our nervous systems to process and a lot of it is us being hard wired to find connection. That’s why it’s actually not a numbers game at all it’s a getting to know ourselves within a personal/ professional sphere of live experiments - at least for a good while? ✨🙏
Yes, you’re absolutely right - and my nervous system doesn’t need much encouragement to completely dysregulate (is that a word?!) I’ve only been here a month so I need to give it time and keep chipping away and be confident I will find my tribe. ☺️ Thanks for everything you do for us here, Claire. You’ve certainly helped me to navigate my way so far.
We're excited too, Sonya! But to be fair, I think the real genius is in the willingness of our community to come together. SmallStack is just such a beautiful collection of people who believe in one another.
I absolutely loved this! Celebrating small is actually huge And such a breath of fresh air to see you shining such a loving light on the importance and value of smaller publications. As a small stacker, it is every single day that we must remind ourselves to keep going, to keep showing up, to keep remembering that reaching even just one person is noble and worthy work. And also, pancakes… thank you again! I am so excited to see where this leads.
Aww yes Carolyn. When I started on Substack I started from zero and I didn’t know I was a projector in human design - I just followed the energy and then now look today we have a tiny spark of a connection and we’re celebrating the work of small stack together - it’s all very lovely! 🥰
A long time ago I went into a restaurant on Route 66 in Missouri called the “Platter”. They specialized in breakfast, particularly pancakes. I looked at the menu and the primary choice was between the “short stack” and the “tall stack”. Not knowing what to expect, I chose the short stack. When I was served, I was amazed to see there were three pancakes the size of the plate itself (10 inches) stacked on top of one another. It was truly a case of “less is more” for me because after eating them I was satiated and knew I could never have eaten the “tall stack”. Reading about “Smallstack” brought that memory back, so thanks!
What do you think from the perspective of someone who wants to make a living from their writing?
With a conversion rate lower than 5%, to make a living from Substack you need thousands of free subscribers. But even if you sell your products you need high numbers in most niches.
I'd love to create a tight bond with just a few people and make a living from helping them. But "small" still means thousands of people.
The answer here is very nuanced. I do lean into the notion that we can create the very thing we wish existed and build a business model that works for us. The highest paid conversion I’ve seen is 14%
Russell and I are going to cover it in our masterclass available exclusively via our Kickstarter. We have very different business models and lots to say on the topic! It’s going to be a pre record so feel free to jump in on that tier if you’d like. I have a whole section about making money on Substack with lots of useful chat threads and a link to my spread sheet that helps work it out. Substack also have one but it doesn’t take into account stripe fees and mine does.
Hmm not that I can think of not full case studies! If you head to the summit and look for Suzy Walkers video that’s probably the nearest to a case study!
I'll be honest, Alberto, I can't make a living off substack at the moment. Claire can speak to that much better. I can, however, encourage you to think in different ways about that earning model (since it takes so much effort to earn a living that way). What if you shifted toward those deeper bonds you're interested in? Who would show up for you? How would you show up for them? I wonder if there isn't a hidden idea there that you should seek out.
And yes, "small" might mean thousands. Small is one of those things we each define uniquely. Small might also mean finding that one right connection that opens up a new door for you.
I don't know that we've seen any really new concepts show up just yet, but we're also only 3 months old. I think the "value in connection" idea could foster this type of thing. We've also started (SmallStack Team behind the scenes) working on different styles of promotion and engagement for ourselves and our community. The first step in earning anything is building your community on your platform, and that seems to fit a lot of the varied growth metrics our audience is interested in.
This was soooo interesting....This was an IDEA I didn't know I needed. Even though I joined Substack just to have a place to control my own "publishing" (I'm pitching a debut novel to literary agents and that is a long and dicey process at best)--and have told myself community size (or response) doesn't matter...there is that little bit of ...oh....sigh...when you post and nothing happens. (Acknowledging also, that I'm not owed a response) This seems like such a safe, no-stress, and KIND (my favorite word) place to show up. Thx for this!
Diana, a lot of us just need a comfy space where we can show up as ourselves. If we give ourself that gift, maybe it opens up the capacity to grow or change in unexpected ways. I've seen a lot of engagement on SmallStack between subscribers who found like-minded friends or collaborators, and that's the sort of thing a subscriber count simply cannot express.
Pitching a novel is a ton of work! It can be easy to get caught up in the details and then to find yourself feeling isolated and burnt out. I'm 100% certain you're not the only one in this boat (I have it on good authority as the guy who reads every single comment on SmallStack posts). I'd love for you to join us and find some restoration in community.
I so enjoyed this piece, thank you to all who came together to make it happen. I particularly liked the bit about "my brand is my honesty" - I really find that on Substack my best pieces, those that really resonate with others are the ones that really take off. I think we are all looking for that real, honest human connection and Substack feels a safe place to do that.
Wow, thanks, Louise! I've heard this from others before, too, that the pieces we contribute which hold our authenticity are the ones that get the most engagement and appreciation from our communities. It's been very true for me.
It really does Louise. Beth touched on this as did Laura at the sparkle summit ✨💫✨ I think Robin is a beautiful writer ✍️ as are you ❤️
Yes, connection is the correction we seem to need…
What a fabulous idea to have this interview here, thank you both. I am a recent and paid subscriber to Smallstack. Quite honestly, I was absolutely delighted to find it existed one day as I scrolled through Notes. I agree, Robin, that it is daunting as a small publication to read through all the posts and not be discouraged by being unable to duplicate the methods. I love small!! As an empath and highly sensitive person, sometimes all the bells, whistles, pitches, and visuals are too much for me to take in—I have to do it in small doses. (Thank you, Claire, for the gentle background and overall caring energy of Sparkle!)
As far as subscriber number reports, I often wonder about how many opens that publication receives. I have 236 subscribers (14 paid) and a consistent open rate of almost 50%. Is having 1000 subscribers with a 10% open rate any better? I love that my subscribers are readers. That's why I write—I want to share ideas. I have as much or more interaction with my subscribers off the platform as on...many of my readers do not want to post publicly, so they email me directly with their responses or questions. No metric for that! I am excited for the possibilities of what the Smallstack community will bring. Indeed, Smallstack is an example of the rare kind of big that I enjoy—Big Ideas!
Aw thanks for being here Shelley! This is wonderful to read. I have another publication Creatively Conscious which has grown from 0-3000 subs in 2.5 years and it’s felt a beautiful soulful and manageable journey. I never felt compelled for my work to have thousands of eyes more grow a space for people to lean into what being creatively conscious means and on the way to 1000 I learnt so so much about my readers, my relationship with my writing and all my imposter syndrome. Do I think I’m a “better” writer now - I think I do but honestly that’s not because more people are there it’s because I showed up and wrote what was on my heart and shared that with a community of people who resonated. Pleased you are here and you found SmallStack on your substack travels ✨✨🪡🙏
I agree that writing improves as you show up to the practice. How lovely that growth dynamic is... the more you showed up, the more readers you had and the more readers you had, the more you showed up—and improved!
✨🙏🪩🤩
Shelley, I'm so glad you're part of SmallStack. You are the heart of what makes us great--that so many of us care about the connections we build between ourselves and others. I also love to chat with my subscribers outside of the comments section. Getting a direct email from someone really fills me up, and it feels like a real gift every time it happens.
Fellow empath and highly sensitive person here too Shelley! It is A LOT to take in. I want to be so much more engaged than I have been able to but haven’t found a way - yet - to do so without feeling like I’m drowning. I too have been relishing in the responses I receive off the platform. Just yesterday someone told me in person how much they’ve been enjoying my work. Definitely no metric for that!
Thank you, Carolyn. It is So Good to feel seen and heard, whether it's feedback here on Notes/comments or from subscribers. It's especially wonderful to connect with others who understand.
✨🪡✨
What a wonderful idea Smallstack is!? It is so easy to get sucked into looking at who is following and engaging with our writing that it can be easy to forget why we write and to become discouraged. Reading about Smallstack feels like a warm hug. It tells me that, although I have but a handful of followers, my writing is valid and worth my time. Small is good. ❤️ Thank you. 🙏
So valid and yes as we grow our audience can grow - I like to imagine all 11,000 of my subs meeting me at the beach for a week long slow party! 🎉
What a wonderful visual Claire! So excited to be partying on the beach with you. 😄
SmallStack IS a warm hug, Shelley!
A wonderful interview and a wonderful idea in Smallstack! I joined Substack about a month ago and have already felt quite overwhelmed by conversion rates, open rates, post stats etc. I joined because I wanted to find a community who would support and champion each other and I have struggled to know where to start to look for that. I’m really happy to know that Smallstack exists. 😊
Oh it’s so perfectly timed Victoria and remember you can chat in the sparkle chat anytime you like - you’re so welcome to sit with us and please know lots of folks feel exactly as you do. ✨✍️✨❤️
Thanks Claire and excellent reminder about the Sparkle chat. I will try to make a habit to participate in this more regularly! Once I’m done with my day job, I find it hard to keep up with a regular practice but I’m hoping it will all start to fall into place eventually.
Oh it will. I like to write early mornings before everyone’s awake. ✨
Victoria, SmallStack would love to have you join us! We had a really outstanding SmallTalk discussion a few weeks back where we shared our joys and celebrated one another. Sounds like that's exactly where you belong!
https://smallstack.substack.com/p/smalltalk-3-celebrating-the-small?r=1zubfe
Thank you Robin, I will definitely check this out! Will there be another round of applications in the future to join the library list? Looking forward to being a part of the Smallstack community. 😁
Yes, SmallStack will reopen Library applications sometime after Launch Week, once the 11 of us volunteers have had a chance to take a moment to breathe!
Thanks Erin. Sounds like a well deserved rest is in order! Good luck for launch week and I hope you get some pockets of relaxation in there too.
I am with you on the overwhelm Victoria! At first I fell in love with the feeling of deeper connection here, but then fell quickly into anxiety around all those metrics that have such a powerful pull away from what I initially wanted – just like you, community and support and championing each other. I am happy to know smallstack exists as well.
I find it so difficult - not to mention the fight against not basing the validation of my entire existence on whether or not people read/comment/engage, especially when people who seemed to start being part of your community dwindle away. 😅 It’s so comforting to know there are others who feel the same way too. Lovely to meet you here, Carolyn!
Yeah and you know I have people who were actively part of my community and commented every article who now don’t and who’s names I see in every other comment thread. It’s weird/ hard but it’s worth it for the genuine friendships I’ve built… it’s a lot for our nervous systems to process and a lot of it is us being hard wired to find connection. That’s why it’s actually not a numbers game at all it’s a getting to know ourselves within a personal/ professional sphere of live experiments - at least for a good while? ✨🙏
Yes, you’re absolutely right - and my nervous system doesn’t need much encouragement to completely dysregulate (is that a word?!) I’ve only been here a month so I need to give it time and keep chipping away and be confident I will find my tribe. ☺️ Thanks for everything you do for us here, Claire. You’ve certainly helped me to navigate my way so far.
🥰 you’re welcome! Mika and Kristi both have really down to earth supportive communities ✨
Yes, from my perspective, “greatness exists in/at all sizes…”
It’s SO true! People were sharing my work at well under 500 readers and it’s down to them I’m not at over 11k. This interview was so beautiful! ✨🎉
Yes, beauty seems to be the face of truth…
That's an awesome perspective, David!
Smallstack is such a genius idea that Robin has created and I’m so excited for the full launch in September!
We're excited too, Sonya! But to be fair, I think the real genius is in the willingness of our community to come together. SmallStack is just such a beautiful collection of people who believe in one another.
Me too! I love watching from the side lines - a true example of the community fostered by being here and staying connected to beautiful people. ✨🪡✨
I absolutely loved this! Celebrating small is actually huge And such a breath of fresh air to see you shining such a loving light on the importance and value of smaller publications. As a small stacker, it is every single day that we must remind ourselves to keep going, to keep showing up, to keep remembering that reaching even just one person is noble and worthy work. And also, pancakes… thank you again! I am so excited to see where this leads.
Aww yes Carolyn. When I started on Substack I started from zero and I didn’t know I was a projector in human design - I just followed the energy and then now look today we have a tiny spark of a connection and we’re celebrating the work of small stack together - it’s all very lovely! 🥰
A long time ago I went into a restaurant on Route 66 in Missouri called the “Platter”. They specialized in breakfast, particularly pancakes. I looked at the menu and the primary choice was between the “short stack” and the “tall stack”. Not knowing what to expect, I chose the short stack. When I was served, I was amazed to see there were three pancakes the size of the plate itself (10 inches) stacked on top of one another. It was truly a case of “less is more” for me because after eating them I was satiated and knew I could never have eaten the “tall stack”. Reading about “Smallstack” brought that memory back, so thanks!
Aww I love this so much 🥞
Love this! Celebrating small…
Me too! ✨🥰✨ I’m so passionate about us writing for the people we want to write for and growing from there.
Awesome ideas, big heart, and a locomotive's worth of inspiration for us small stacks (and the logo rocks!)
Thanks, Randal!
Thanks so much for introducing us to SmallStack! Such a great perspective on building and nurturing community here on Substack.
Thanks, David! It feels great to build that kind of community.
Thanks. I didn’t actually know what Small Stack was about!
We are also about pancakes. Lots of pancakes.
Omg. No one told me about the pancakes 😱
I love pancakes so much! ✨✨💫 delighted there’s an emoji too 🥞
What do you think from the perspective of someone who wants to make a living from their writing?
With a conversion rate lower than 5%, to make a living from Substack you need thousands of free subscribers. But even if you sell your products you need high numbers in most niches.
I'd love to create a tight bond with just a few people and make a living from helping them. But "small" still means thousands of people.
Hey Alberto! Welcome!
The answer here is very nuanced. I do lean into the notion that we can create the very thing we wish existed and build a business model that works for us. The highest paid conversion I’ve seen is 14%
Russell and I are going to cover it in our masterclass available exclusively via our Kickstarter. We have very different business models and lots to say on the topic! It’s going to be a pre record so feel free to jump in on that tier if you’d like. I have a whole section about making money on Substack with lots of useful chat threads and a link to my spread sheet that helps work it out. Substack also have one but it doesn’t take into account stripe fees and mine does.
https://sparkleon.substack.com/s/substack-10k
And the Kickstarter and masterclass link is the same link to buy our book linked up top. ✨🙏
Thank you.
Do you also have case studies?
Hmm not that I can think of not full case studies! If you head to the summit and look for Suzy Walkers video that’s probably the nearest to a case study!
Thanks!
I'll be honest, Alberto, I can't make a living off substack at the moment. Claire can speak to that much better. I can, however, encourage you to think in different ways about that earning model (since it takes so much effort to earn a living that way). What if you shifted toward those deeper bonds you're interested in? Who would show up for you? How would you show up for them? I wonder if there isn't a hidden idea there that you should seek out.
And yes, "small" might mean thousands. Small is one of those things we each define uniquely. Small might also mean finding that one right connection that opens up a new door for you.
Thanks. I wasn't thinking about myself but my audience.
Did you see some unexpected monetization idea among the publications applying for small stack?
Ah, thanks for pointing that out.
I don't know that we've seen any really new concepts show up just yet, but we're also only 3 months old. I think the "value in connection" idea could foster this type of thing. We've also started (SmallStack Team behind the scenes) working on different styles of promotion and engagement for ourselves and our community. The first step in earning anything is building your community on your platform, and that seems to fit a lot of the varied growth metrics our audience is interested in.
I agree. Community, or at least engaged audience, is the first step.
Fortunately, Substack is perfect for collaboration. Both in terms of the features and the creators' intentions.
This was soooo interesting....This was an IDEA I didn't know I needed. Even though I joined Substack just to have a place to control my own "publishing" (I'm pitching a debut novel to literary agents and that is a long and dicey process at best)--and have told myself community size (or response) doesn't matter...there is that little bit of ...oh....sigh...when you post and nothing happens. (Acknowledging also, that I'm not owed a response) This seems like such a safe, no-stress, and KIND (my favorite word) place to show up. Thx for this!
Diana, a lot of us just need a comfy space where we can show up as ourselves. If we give ourself that gift, maybe it opens up the capacity to grow or change in unexpected ways. I've seen a lot of engagement on SmallStack between subscribers who found like-minded friends or collaborators, and that's the sort of thing a subscriber count simply cannot express.
Pitching a novel is a ton of work! It can be easy to get caught up in the details and then to find yourself feeling isolated and burnt out. I'm 100% certain you're not the only one in this boat (I have it on good authority as the guy who reads every single comment on SmallStack posts). I'd love for you to join us and find some restoration in community.
Thank you for your lovely, welcoming response. 💜