Is blogging back? Reflections on my two months on Substack

Algorithms, representation in the blogosphere, and that time the kids had tea with Kelly Ripa. Also, thank you. ❤️

Hello, friends. This is newsletter #9. Which means that I’ve made it to two months on Substack! I know it’s not a huge milestone, but I honestly wasn’t sure what I was getting myself into when I first created an account here last November on a whim and an itch to start writing again. I’m really so grateful for all of you who have subscribed and are coming along on this ride with me.

After having stepped away from being a blogger/content creator for so many years, I gleefully forgot all about the endless cycle of self promotion that comes along with it. Building up a following from scratch again through organic growth is a slog, but I’m also happy to not spend any mental energy thinking about damn algorithms (I’m looking at you, IG). In that sense, Substack feels a little bit like the days of social media yore (for now, at least). Who said long-form writing was dead? I personally love getting newsletters I’ve subscribed to in my inbox and I find it so interesting to see an uptick in articles about why blogging for business is returning in 2023. So is blogging making a comeback?

Suck it, algorithms

Back when Instagram was a major marketing tool for our bakery business—we’re talking 6-8 years ago—I became fairly obsessed with cracking the nut on their mysteriously opaque algorithms. I spent hours on Instagram every day (do not recommend) posting photos twice daily, joined comment pods to increase engagement, and read every article about growth strategies that I could find. I watched some of my friends’ accounts soar in follower numbers, and while our account grew modestly, it never gained anywhere near the traction that some of my peers achieved. All of that time spent—and wasted!—was all for nothing. I know when to admit defeat. You win, Instagram!