"Who exactly are you writing for?"
That's probably the question I ask our clients most inside the Substack Accelerator. And when a member isn't sure what their readers want, my advice is always the same: stop guessing and ask them.
This week, one of our members brought up something I hear a lot.
She had been writing about the same topic for over a year, and lately the posts felt harder to write and fewer readers were opening them. Her plan was to quietly switch to something new and hope the audience would follow.
My advice? Before you change anything, ask your readers.
Tell them where your head is at, ask why they subscribed in the first place, and let them tell you what they want more of. If you've built the right audience (and in the right way), they're usually far more open to coming along than you might think.
And while I was saying it, I realized I owe you the same question.
Because the person who subscribed to you a year ago might not be the person reading today. And you're not the same writer either.
Your topics change. Your interests change. The things that light you up change.
Mine definitely have.
Over the past months, I've been having different conversations about money and business because our business has grown significantly, which comes with new ideas, opportunities, and challenges.
Last week I wrote to you about ARR (annual recurring revenue), and I loved digging into a fresh topic like that, but I also know that it's not truly relevant or exciting for most of our readers.
Some of you run a business and want Substack to bring you clients.
Some of you are just getting started online.
And some of you simply like reading along.
And I don't want to assume you want what I'm excited about just because I'm excited about it.
Here's what I want you to hear:
Knowing your audience isn't something you figure out once and then tick off.
Whether you have 10 or 10,000 subscribers, your readers grow and change with you, and the only way to keep up is to keep asking.
So this week, I'm taking my own medicine.
Which of these sounds most like you right now?
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One click, that's it.
And if you write for an audience yourself, steal this. Send your readers one question and see what you can learn from their answers.
Worth Your Time This Week
→ How to Win Clients on Substack (Without a Big Audience). The 4-step system that turns the right readers into paying clients, no huge following required.
→ Substack FINALLY Fixed Its Biggest Growth Leak (4 Ways to Use Freewalls). How to set up a freewall and 4 ways to turn your best posts into new subscribers.
→ What the Biggest Substack Writers Actually Do (And What You SHOULDN'T Copy). Titles, hooks, structure and endings from 6 top writers, and which patterns are actually worth stealing.
→ Substack 2027 Predictions. Our new YouTube video: where I think Substack is heading next year, and how to get ahead of it.
→ Stop Chasing the Substack Bestseller Badge (3 Things to Build Instead). Why the badge won't make you rich on its own, and the 3 things that turn a publication into real income.
Here's to asking instead of assuming,
Sinem
P.S. What's one thing you'd love me to write about next? Hit reply and tell me.