Aw, you are! Seriously, thank you, Linda. Blogging has been around for a long time (approximately 20 years), but writers can always continue to learn and grow.
Thank you for the very practical advice! After reading your Substack and a few others I finally decided to start posting here, too. I am sharing what I learn as I draft my first novel, hoping it will help others trying to do the same. Just last night I was looking ahead thinking "drafting takes a hot minute...I'm going to run out of things to share!" Bing! BadRedhead to the rescue! 😄
Good advice, but (there is always a but, isn’t there?) I write very short later in life romance. No behind the scenes available. No research needed. I just write a few hours and the story is finished. I never give up or wanted to give up. I am not the kind of writer who procrastinates or has low self esteem or what not else readers might relate to. I am 61 myself but as a person do not fit into any of the stereotype boxes people put women my age on autopilot. And I never started a blog because it would reduce my hours to live my life outside of writing. And sorry not sorry, but I simply don’t believe anyone reads blog posts nowadays when we are already overwhelmed by all the newsletters in our inbox that no one reads anyway and that contain exactly that content.
Hi Nina! You raise excellent points, and thank you for sharing your experiences and perspective.
Ultimately, we all have to do what works best for our time, energy, and life. But let me offer a slightly different angle. Instead of focusing solely on the number of comments or newsletter/blog post opens, consider the broader goal: visibility.
Google constantly looks for fresh content. Blogs that are regularly updated with solid, interesting posts (not filler content) tend to rank higher in search results. Even if the engagement numbers seem small, you’re still building long-term visibility and credibility online.
That’s one of the reasons I personally love Substack — it allows me to reach my email subscribers AND create searchable content that Google can index and share with people who might be searching for precisely what I’m writing about.
In the end, it’s really about what feels right for you and your goals. There’s no one-size-fits-all. You’ve got this, lady!
Let‘s agree to disagree. Google is rather cagey about indexing Substack posts, so I wouldn’t bet on that. Considering I am a romance author and roughly 1.04 million romance titles are released in a single year and considering everything is controlled by algorithms, I doubt blogging does anything for my visibility. But that’s just my take on this topic after having been in this business and in consumer marketing far too long. 😊🧡
So much practical advice! Thank you. You're the best
Aw, you are! Seriously, thank you, Linda. Blogging has been around for a long time (approximately 20 years), but writers can always continue to learn and grow.
Lots to sink my teeth into here, and FYI, you missed linking a post about our ideal readers. Guess how I knew?
Oh shoot! I did miss that. I'll fix it. :) Thank you, Marilyn You're amazing.
Thank you for the very practical advice! After reading your Substack and a few others I finally decided to start posting here, too. I am sharing what I learn as I draft my first novel, hoping it will help others trying to do the same. Just last night I was looking ahead thinking "drafting takes a hot minute...I'm going to run out of things to share!" Bing! BadRedhead to the rescue! 😄
Hi KC! Thanks for sharing. I love when that happens. It's like the planets aligned.
I love the idea of the insight. Drafting can be time-consuming. Great idea.
Good advice, but (there is always a but, isn’t there?) I write very short later in life romance. No behind the scenes available. No research needed. I just write a few hours and the story is finished. I never give up or wanted to give up. I am not the kind of writer who procrastinates or has low self esteem or what not else readers might relate to. I am 61 myself but as a person do not fit into any of the stereotype boxes people put women my age on autopilot. And I never started a blog because it would reduce my hours to live my life outside of writing. And sorry not sorry, but I simply don’t believe anyone reads blog posts nowadays when we are already overwhelmed by all the newsletters in our inbox that no one reads anyway and that contain exactly that content.
Hi Nina! You raise excellent points, and thank you for sharing your experiences and perspective.
Ultimately, we all have to do what works best for our time, energy, and life. But let me offer a slightly different angle. Instead of focusing solely on the number of comments or newsletter/blog post opens, consider the broader goal: visibility.
Google constantly looks for fresh content. Blogs that are regularly updated with solid, interesting posts (not filler content) tend to rank higher in search results. Even if the engagement numbers seem small, you’re still building long-term visibility and credibility online.
That’s one of the reasons I personally love Substack — it allows me to reach my email subscribers AND create searchable content that Google can index and share with people who might be searching for precisely what I’m writing about.
In the end, it’s really about what feels right for you and your goals. There’s no one-size-fits-all. You’ve got this, lady!
Let‘s agree to disagree. Google is rather cagey about indexing Substack posts, so I wouldn’t bet on that. Considering I am a romance author and roughly 1.04 million romance titles are released in a single year and considering everything is controlled by algorithms, I doubt blogging does anything for my visibility. But that’s just my take on this topic after having been in this business and in consumer marketing far too long. 😊🧡