The Problem With Both Medium And Substack Isn't The Platform

A plate of cookies might make you rethink your strategy on writing platforms

Tell you something that gets under my skin. Write a post that over two thousand people read. Gets shared and restacked dozens of times. Brings in dozens of new subscribers. Notice that 129 people clicked the heart. Quick math. Six percent.

Think to myself, what the heck? Clearly the piece resonated. Wouldn’t have been restacked 82 times if it didn’t. But only 6% clicked the heart?

And I know what you might think. How ungrateful of me.

Say something like that I know there will be people who’ll reply privately instead of publicly. Tell me I need a little more gratitude in my heart.

Also? Some people will think I have an attitude problem. Cause *they’d* be over the moon to have 129 people like their post. They wouldn’t be bitching. Like me.

Which totally misses the point.

Because first? I am very grateful to the readers who enjoy my work enough to engage with it. To hit like or stop to leave a comment or have a conversation. Comments here are just awesome. Lot of fun in there. But 6% is worth observing.

Let’s play pretend.

Once a week, you stand in a public place with a plate of homemade cookies. You bring 100 cookies every time. And a big sign that says free cookies. Every week, it’s the same thing. Six people take a free cookie and say thank you.

Ninety four people walk up and take a cookie, and walk away. Don’t bother saying thank you. Because clearly this is a thing you like doing, baking cookies. Not like anyone is making you give away your cookies. That’s your choice, right?

You should just be happy they ate your cookie, right?

Like, how much worse would it be if they turned their nose up at your cookies. You ungrateful baker. Hoping people will say thank you. What’s your problem? They ate your cookies, didn’t they? You should just shut up and be happy they ate them.

Know what the stupid thing is?

One day you get pissed off. No more free cookies.

So you put up a sign that says homemade cookies, 2 for $1. And you know what happens? People hand you a dollar and pick the two best cookies on the plate. Then they smile and say thank you!

Because that’s how we do. We say thank you to the grocery clerk, the woman who makes our cappuccino at Starbucks. The waitress in a café. Because they made it pleasurable to spend money. Interesting thing to observe, don’t you think?

Oh, not all of them. Some will huff away and say fine, there’s lots of other people with free cookies. Cause it was never about your cookies. Only that they were free.

Think about it that way, it feels a little different, no?

I’d understand if it cost a dollar to click the heart. We only have so many dollars to dish out. But it doesn’t cost the reader anything.

Instead, it costs the writer.

Not even joking. On Medium, engagement affects a writer’s pay. On Substack, engagement affects a writer’s visibility.

This isn’t a platform problem. It’s a people problem.

We all want people to support our work. But then we go read other people’s work and don’t bother to say thank you. Don’t click the heart or clap to say hey thanks. Don’t think how it affects the writer’s results while lamenting our own lack of results.

I don’t understand but I don’t need to. What I do know is that when I go paid here on Substack, the readers who respond most consistently will get a free subscription. Just my way of saying hey thanks. For showing me that my writing matters to you.

Love to know what you think...

P.S. If you enjoyed this post, I also write on Medium.

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