One observation here. Product management is a very "red meat" topic meaning Pawel is writing for well compensated professionals who are happy to pay for a well-written newsletter with unique insights that give them an edge. I come from the consumer product and advertising world and know that this is a super engaged, well-educated audience. This is a hungry group and they are always educating themselves. Not discounting Pawel's success at all. It's clearly well-earned. It DOES make me wonder what is possible and reasonable for some like myself who is writing about topics I think of as "softer" with more intangible outcomes. Great article and making me think about how I apply it to my own publication.
Judy, your crowd is hungry too, they are looking for more customers and more revenue, which is a powerful driver of buying behaviour. Let's discuss further next week.
I agree with you Karen. I think the issue is more around connecting with these folks which is ironically an issue for them as well (connecting with their right people)! Product managers are product managers. The connection point for my folks is more around values and sensibilities which is why I use the descriptors "heart-centered" and "mission-focused." It's such an advertising issue isn't it? Visibility and resonance.
Anyone will pay for actionable insights, as well as if you help to transform them or lead them towards a new identity - no matter the industry. I’ve heard this argument for “intangible” limitation whether selling offers, corporate contracts and I’m sure it applies to Substack conversion to paid also.
So I will gently push back with light validation of your experience, but also propose the possibility that you could be propagating limiting beliefs. Challenge: Instead, look for evidence that disputes your hypothesis rather than arguing for limitations. Then set out to prove yourself wrong. 😊 🥂
I'm having conversations with readers as a way to better understand what it is that they are interested in. Because I agree, there are many other "outcomes" people desire in addition to actionable insights.
As a first-timer to your posts, what drew me in? "... without writing about writing." But I stayed and will be back for more because of the clarity and value of your article—so many great tips and a knock-out case study! I'm glad I found you. I'm looking forward to next time.
This. This is why I spent 7 hours writing a post that has no paywall now and never will.
Strategy: create raving fans who trust me so that when I offer them a way to get more from me there will be some who want to pay. It’s an underrated Substack strategy that’s not getting a lot of love from the super-bros right now.
Welcome Cindy, thank you for taking the time with this thoughtful comment 😍
Great case study Karen ... many thanks for sharing ... Pawl really has his LinkedIn posting strategy very well defined ... I also liked the idea of keeping the paywall lower down on the post to attract subscribers to upgrade to continue gaining valuable content.
This was fascinating and insightful , Karen! I deeply appreciate because I’m learning that my path on Substack is probably not going to be with a vibrant community and comments section, and this example really shows how there are other ways.
Community can be powerful but for many (most?) niches it’s frankly just a pain in the neck for creators. You build beautiful in-person connections in your real-life group work, that’s so much more valuable.
Thank you! Yes, that's exactly what I've been experiencing. Online community has the lure of potentially unlimited scaling - but it's also not reality itself, and connecting through the screen doesn't work for everyone (at least not me).
I'm intrigued by Pawal's comment that LinkedIn is a strong source of subscribers. This is not the first time I've heard about LinkedIn and I'm intrigued by what it is these folks do to engage people on LinkedIn. Something I'll be studying.
One observation here. Product management is a very "red meat" topic meaning Pawel is writing for well compensated professionals who are happy to pay for a well-written newsletter with unique insights that give them an edge. I come from the consumer product and advertising world and know that this is a super engaged, well-educated audience. This is a hungry group and they are always educating themselves. Not discounting Pawel's success at all. It's clearly well-earned. It DOES make me wonder what is possible and reasonable for some like myself who is writing about topics I think of as "softer" with more intangible outcomes. Great article and making me think about how I apply it to my own publication.
Judy, your crowd is hungry too, they are looking for more customers and more revenue, which is a powerful driver of buying behaviour. Let's discuss further next week.
I agree with you Karen. I think the issue is more around connecting with these folks which is ironically an issue for them as well (connecting with their right people)! Product managers are product managers. The connection point for my folks is more around values and sensibilities which is why I use the descriptors "heart-centered" and "mission-focused." It's such an advertising issue isn't it? Visibility and resonance.
Anyone will pay for actionable insights, as well as if you help to transform them or lead them towards a new identity - no matter the industry. I’ve heard this argument for “intangible” limitation whether selling offers, corporate contracts and I’m sure it applies to Substack conversion to paid also.
So I will gently push back with light validation of your experience, but also propose the possibility that you could be propagating limiting beliefs. Challenge: Instead, look for evidence that disputes your hypothesis rather than arguing for limitations. Then set out to prove yourself wrong. 😊 🥂
I'm having conversations with readers as a way to better understand what it is that they are interested in. Because I agree, there are many other "outcomes" people desire in addition to actionable insights.
💛🌟
Great post! Really interesting case study.
As a first-timer to your posts, what drew me in? "... without writing about writing." But I stayed and will be back for more because of the clarity and value of your article—so many great tips and a knock-out case study! I'm glad I found you. I'm looking forward to next time.
This. This is why I spent 7 hours writing a post that has no paywall now and never will.
Strategy: create raving fans who trust me so that when I offer them a way to get more from me there will be some who want to pay. It’s an underrated Substack strategy that’s not getting a lot of love from the super-bros right now.
Welcome Cindy, thank you for taking the time with this thoughtful comment 😍
❤ Your seven hours were worth every minute--not only for me, I'm sure. Looking forward to more.
Great case study Karen ... many thanks for sharing ... Pawl really has his LinkedIn posting strategy very well defined ... I also liked the idea of keeping the paywall lower down on the post to attract subscribers to upgrade to continue gaining valuable content.
Great research!
I’ve found it frustrating that most of what I find on Substack that is successful seems to be writing about writing.
Thank you, that was useful! I will apply your advice. Wait, hold. Seems like I already am. :)
I really enjoyed this, thank you!
This is fantastic! Thanks for sharing. It’s nice to see one of these posts go into depth vs the folks who are always bragging about how they grow here
Excellent quality post with a wealth of information. Loved it.
This was quite the nugget of wisdom.
A massive one.
Thank you for sharing, I have an idea on how to apply it on my value proposal now. 🙏
Thank you for writong a totally different growth post than usual! 💕
This was fascinating and insightful , Karen! I deeply appreciate because I’m learning that my path on Substack is probably not going to be with a vibrant community and comments section, and this example really shows how there are other ways.
Community can be powerful but for many (most?) niches it’s frankly just a pain in the neck for creators. You build beautiful in-person connections in your real-life group work, that’s so much more valuable.
Thank you! Yes, that's exactly what I've been experiencing. Online community has the lure of potentially unlimited scaling - but it's also not reality itself, and connecting through the screen doesn't work for everyone (at least not me).
Your subhead made me LOL.
Wow, Karen, congratulations on delivering a compelling & high value article! Much appreciated. 👏
This is so informative. I received several takeaways that I will use for my newsletter and posts.
I'm intrigued by Pawal's comment that LinkedIn is a strong source of subscribers. This is not the first time I've heard about LinkedIn and I'm intrigued by what it is these folks do to engage people on LinkedIn. Something I'll be studying.