Got 40+ registered for tomorrow’s BREAK UP 💔 WITH SOCIAL MEDIA Day Zoom call tomorrow at 12pm EST (Feb 14, of course, still time to register).
Three hours a day is… a lot. I’ll be deleting the YouTube app (too easy to get caught up in scrolling Shorts while making lunch, or reheating my coffee), and the Substack app. Now that I can schedule Live streams via the desktop, I can finally ditch the app, as that too is just way too easy to scroll scroll scroll a few times a day, which adds up.
I love doing live stream stuff, and I feel like I need to figure out how to do that via YouTube or something at some point.
“We work to impress algorithms in hopes they’ll share our stuff, when we should be working to impress our readers so they’ll share it with other humans.”
I could talk about this all day (oh wait, I already do), but for real.
A performer on stage doesn’t seek out new listeners during the show, they must focus on the people right there in front of them. If they do a good job, perhaps they’ll talk to a few people afterwards, and get them to join their email list.
Hopefully the next time you play in the area, they bring a friend.
If you impress the people right there in front of you, the dream outcome is them telling a friend. Posting about you. Sharing your work with others. Telling their friend who writes for a publication, or runs a radio show.
Everything starts from within. Make sure you’re making the work you wanna make. Then, share it with friends. Play in front of 12 people on a Tuesday night. Write that blog post that will only get 5 “views.”
Join me (Seth Werkheiser) for a 90 minute interactive workshop on the endless decisions that come with running a newsletter in 2025.
Should you import your list to Substack? What should you put in my welcome email? Which analytics even matter? Should you switch platforms? What the heck is SPF/DKIM/DMARC?!
Instead of writing, we’re getting lost hours in CSV files and platform settings instead of actually connecting with your readers.
If you’ve ever been like, ugh, HOW AM I EVEN SUPPOSED TO MARKET MYSELF, why not ask yourself a new question: how can I show up & just answer my customer’s questions?????
In the early days of my Social Media Escape Club I’d just answer people’s questions on Substack’s Office Hours threads. I’d even link them to Substack help docs. I did this so well someone from Substack noticed and reached out and asked if I had any interest in joining their help team (no, thank you).
Even for the bigger picture questions, like “how will I live without social media?” I don’t have the full answer for anyone, but I have bits and pieces that I’ve learned from my experience, and how other people have done it.
Sometimes you don’t need the full answer, you just need to the experience of reading and talking to a bunch of people on the same journey.
Had a nice live chat with Sarah Fay today on Substack – and actually uploaded to YouTube for once.
I really enjoy these sorts of live chats, because I get to talk about stuff I’ve loved talking about for like… decades. LOVE. I love this nerdy stuff. This media outlet stuff. This creative journey, and how it aligns with the machinery of the internet.
I’ve found I really enjoy having conversations like this. For better or worse, Substack makes it stupid easy to do a live interview via the app, which means the image quality is superb, and the audio quality is pretty good, too.
I tried hosting my interview videos as a Substack Podcast, but I realized something in the process – all media uploaded to Substack (video or audio) can’t be embedded on your own site. You’ve got to either uplpoad the video to YouTube (meh, Google), or in the case of the podcast… well, you’re out of luck.
So that’s why I moved things to Transistor. Yes, I have to pay $20/mo for it, but if that’s the price I need to pay to keep my interviews from disappearing if the Substack platform goes away (or gets bought by Elon Musk), then it’s a good investment.
I spoke with Frederick Woodruff how a musician friend of mine keeps making connection without being on any social media platforms (above). Watch the full clip below!
Escaping From Social Media is Your Central Assignment in 2025 by Frederick Woodruff
My discussion with writer and musician Seth Werkheiser about his timely crusade (and new community) on Substack: The Social Media Escape Club.
“Consistency is key. You can’t be in the right place at the right time without showing up consistently. You have to fail—and keep failing—until you succeed. People see Keep The Meter Running and SubwayTakes, but they don’t see the ten other failures that helped me get here.”
“But over time, Instagram became its own beast. It brought joy, connection, and incredible opportunities. It also exposed me to the darker sides of the internet. Chasing the algorithm and the constant buzz left me feeling burnt out. And as I grew personally and professionally, I realized it was no longer a fit for who I’d become.”
“One of my favorite things to do is to reach out to people in my network and acknowledge the cool things they’re doing. A quick message like this can be a mood booster for you both!”
“If I have to throw a pebble at your bedroom window every time I do something new, reminding you that I exist, then I’m not doing my best to even give you a reason to visit my website.”
True in 2018 when I wrote it, and still true six years later.
“Once I started trying to anticipate what other people would want, I lost my point of view,” says menswear designer Aaron Levine.
Don’t get caught up in how a newsletter to your fans is supposed to look. Don’t assume your fans want something short and sweet, or long and drawn out. You don’t make your art thinking about the audience, so don’t write and share your art in a way that forces you into form that is not your own.
2. TELL YOUR STORY
We talked about this in yesterday’s Escape Pod Zoom call (next one is Sunday at 10am ET), about making videos to showcase our work.
This doesn’t have to mean making dance videos, or shouting directly into the camera, either. Check out the work of Noah Kalina, Taylor Pendleton, Softer Sounds, and ISETTA FILM, and see how they tell stories in their own unique way.
And when I say make a video, I don’t mean produce a fully-featured clip and upload it to YouTube. Set up your smart phone, or turn on your web cam, or make some voice notes talking the thing you do. Do this today. Tomorrow. This will help you when you get interviewed about your work, or someone asks you about your art at the local coffee shop.
Practice talking about your stuff.
3. USE A DIFFERENT FROM NAME
Is the FROM NAME that you use for your newsletter familiar for your readers? If not, people might not open it.
For example, here’s the FROM name from my Substack, which totally makes sense:
But on KIT (which I use to send out emails about Escape Pod calls), the FROM name was…. my name. While many of my readers know my name, maybe some don’t!
So if you’re sending emails for your band, it might make sense to use your band name, while if you’re an independent photographer, it might be best to use your name.
4. PUT DOWN THE PHONE
You can come back to this email later, but for now put down the phone, or close the laptop, get up from the computer, and do the work.
You know what needs to be done. You know the next step.
That email you have to send, the print you need to finish, the form you need to fill out. They’re all small tasks and I know they can feel super big, but I promise putting off the tiny things will only compound.
BTW: have you done virtual co-working? It’s where you hop on a Zoom call with other people looking to get some work done. For the first 10 minutes you discuss what you’re working on, then everyone goes on mute and works together in silence. Then in the last 10 or so minutes we get together and talk about how it went. I’m gonna be offering this in 2025.
