My question is I heard long form only goes towards your subscribers not to the main page, so if that is true would you only need to focus on the notes or “short form” first until you gain a following?
On Substack at least, long-form does get shown on the main page AND it gets sent to your email list.
I think so many people obsess over the whole “2-3 notes per day” frequency, and then every Substack page turns into a slop/sales page.
I would put your effort into long-form (use the prompts and checklists!) and post 1 short-form post per day if you really want to, but following the same emulation principles as with the long form :)
I read half of it and the concepts are very beneficial but it's a bit repetitive and long . Hope to see more concise and non repetitive ideas thanks anyway
This could not have come at a better fucking time. Thank you so much! I was looking for one thing to focus on and permission from myself to drop or reduce effort in the rest. I’ve (re)learned that long form is it
The emulation versus copying distinction is the section that should be taught in every writing course and isn't. Studying why a piece of content worked structurally and applying that structure to your own ideas is exactly how every great writer in history learned the craft. Hunter S. Thompson retyped The Great Gatsby word for word to feel the rhythm of good prose in his hands. He didn't publish it as his own. He used the exercise to internalise what great sentences felt like, and then wrote sentences that sounded nothing like Fitzgerald.
The "terrible versus not-so-terrible" bar is the other piece most writing advice gets wrong by aiming too high. Telling a beginner to write "great content" is useless because they can't evaluate the distance between where they are and where great is. Telling them to clear the bar between terrible and not-terrible is actionable because they can feel the difference. The skill develops from there through repetition, not through aspiration.
I never know what to think when people create a solution to a very specific problem (and on an app where most people would have that problem) but insist that they are offering you a nearly failsafe solution absolutely free out of their kindness and empathy because they had the same issue…..
And then before it even really begins, you only have one day left to pay up for more mass-tailored self-help solutions, and if you don’t do it now you’ll never have a chance to save a few dollars because because the next promo isn’t until the seasons change, and at that point half off will be 40% so it’s technically not a lie
This is truly golden Craig, this will get me to start writing long form posts real soon. Been wanting to do it for 6 months now, but yet to pull the trigger, this piece might be the tactical masterclass that I need to go for it.
My question is I heard long form only goes towards your subscribers not to the main page, so if that is true would you only need to focus on the notes or “short form” first until you gain a following?
Or try and maximize both ?
On Substack at least, long-form does get shown on the main page AND it gets sent to your email list.
I think so many people obsess over the whole “2-3 notes per day” frequency, and then every Substack page turns into a slop/sales page.
I would put your effort into long-form (use the prompts and checklists!) and post 1 short-form post per day if you really want to, but following the same emulation principles as with the long form :)
Great article!
Love the prompts you shared!
Enjoy! I’ve been using them myself and seeing great success with them
That’s great!
I read half of it and the concepts are very beneficial but it's a bit repetitive and long . Hope to see more concise and non repetitive ideas thanks anyway
Thanks for this , I'd definitely come back to this again and apply the rules.
Gold 🙌🔥
This could not have come at a better fucking time. Thank you so much! I was looking for one thing to focus on and permission from myself to drop or reduce effort in the rest. I’ve (re)learned that long form is it
Glad you liked it Flynn!! :)
Dude you are the legend. Really helpful essay man.
Legend!!!
Before thinking about how to grow on a platform, build a product, or sell a service, you first need to understand "why" people are doing something.
As Chris Tottman wrote in his post here, “Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs remains surprisingly relevant in modern SaaS sales and positioning.”
People do not buy a milkshake simply because they want a milkshake. Some people buy one in the morning because it makes a long, boring commute easier.
The reason why people buy, read, click, follow, or subscribe is incredibly important.
I start most of my stuff with “Welcome seekers. I’m Dunn Kroog. Today we’re going to monetize your pain.”
The emulation versus copying distinction is the section that should be taught in every writing course and isn't. Studying why a piece of content worked structurally and applying that structure to your own ideas is exactly how every great writer in history learned the craft. Hunter S. Thompson retyped The Great Gatsby word for word to feel the rhythm of good prose in his hands. He didn't publish it as his own. He used the exercise to internalise what great sentences felt like, and then wrote sentences that sounded nothing like Fitzgerald.
The "terrible versus not-so-terrible" bar is the other piece most writing advice gets wrong by aiming too high. Telling a beginner to write "great content" is useless because they can't evaluate the distance between where they are and where great is. Telling them to clear the bar between terrible and not-terrible is actionable because they can feel the difference. The skill develops from there through repetition, not through aspiration.
I never know what to think when people create a solution to a very specific problem (and on an app where most people would have that problem) but insist that they are offering you a nearly failsafe solution absolutely free out of their kindness and empathy because they had the same issue…..
And then before it even really begins, you only have one day left to pay up for more mass-tailored self-help solutions, and if you don’t do it now you’ll never have a chance to save a few dollars because because the next promo isn’t until the seasons change, and at that point half off will be 40% so it’s technically not a lie
Lmfao
The second person I read his long essay and I want bored out of my mind
I actually finished it
And btw i was looking for a sign to stand out and here was it a sign big in a long form.
Thank you
This is truly golden Craig, this will get me to start writing long form posts real soon. Been wanting to do it for 6 months now, but yet to pull the trigger, this piece might be the tactical masterclass that I need to go for it.