Five Years: A Reflection

Processing my time on Substack, and what's next

Without me realizing it, I passed my five year milestone on Substack. I attribute it more to my being busy and locked in on getting work done more than anything else. The point is that it happened. And while I should likely be celebrating somewhere, somehow this milestone, I didn’t. It wasn’t even a blip on my radar.

This got me thinking. Why not? I mean, I spend hours on these posts each week, often hoping that my words inspire, provoke, connect, and maybe most importantly, challenge us to think bigger about what we are doing for mental health.

Photo by Ricardo Arce on Unsplash

If you’ve been a part of this community for a minute, you know that this Substack was started organically. Years ago, I was challenged by the PR team I worked with to lean into this new and exciting platform, Substack. I was an early adopter, and never really strayed from a traditional strategy of putting out timely, weekly content all focused on mental health.

I saw the Substack platform grow, saw people make major revenue, and remained content to focus in on quality writing. Did I always succeed? No. I look back and cringe at some of the writing, some of the takes, however well intended, but during the early days, the writing was a labor of love and wasn’t as refined as I think it is now. It wasn’t until much later that I realized how to really hone the message making the work less work and more a place to go to test ideas and force myself to articulate positions clear enough that another person could understand.

I’ve also met some amazing people along the way. Been exposed to writing and thinking that humbles me, and recognized that no matter how large or small your audience, Substack gives you an organized place to connect. But like any good researcher, I have to start to ask myself hard questions about me, the writing, and this platform.

Do I want to keep this going? Is it making any difference? Why do I see engagement with the topics, but a slow growth in subscribers? Is this worth my time? So, I pulled the data.

Over five years, this newsletter has grown from a few hundred readers to nearly 2,000 subscribers, with an audience spread across every state, concentrated in certain places: California, Colorado, New York, Virginia, Maryland, DC. A great deal of the subscribers come directly from other Substack authors who have recommended me. I am quite happy with average open rates hovering around 40 percent, which, if you know anything about email, is strong. For me, this is valuable as it shows the writing is reaching people who care enough to keep reading.

But here’s the honest part: I am surprised that this community hasn’t grown more. I want more, not for vanity, but more because I think the work demands it.

Photo by George Pagan III on Unsplash

I’ve always seen this Substack as something like a public utility; it’s free, open, and available to anyone who wants to think seriously about mental health in this country (and have a little fun). None of this is changing, but I’ve started to see the platform as a place to experiment with ideas, e.g. a book I’m working toward, an upcoming presentation, a talk.

To do that work well, I want to grow this platform, and I am big believer in setting goals. So here we go. I want to reach 10,000 subscribers in the next 12 months. Sound impossible? Maybe, but at that scale, this becomes a platform with real leverage.

I mean did anyone think the Knicks were going to come back and win last night? Down by 29 at half time, it should have been an impossible feat to come back and win. But yet, they did.

And that’s where you come in. No, not buy cheering for the Knicks, though New York would love you to, but by playing a small role in helping me get there. As a policy guy, I know the power of an ask. Here’s mine:

If this writing has meant something to you, if a piece made you think differently, send it to a colleague, or maybe you showed up to a conversation more prepared than you would have otherwise, share it. Forward this email. Post it. Tell someone who works in mental health, philanthropy, policy, or just cares deeply about what we’re building in this country. That’s how we close the gap between 1,952 and 10,000.

Is it possible? Well, if I don’t try, it’s not.

Five years. Nearly 300 posts. One simple ask. And a whole bunch of thanks! I appreciate you all continuing to show up, reading, engaging, and doing your part to make the world a better place.

Onward!