I Wrote One Article a Week on Substack for a Year and Here's What Happened

Sorry for the click-bait title but it's true.

I spent five years acquiring a degree in journalism. I could have gotten my bachelor’s degree in under four years but I was having too much fun in college. When I graduated, I started working at a software company not doing journalism but I wrote a lot. The writing I did was all SEO-driven and lacked creativity. Slowly, I began to dislike writing. So much so that I shifted my career focus to front-end web development and data analytics.

I didn’t think I’d ever get back into writing because I was burned out from doing it for work. After three years of not writing anything beyond work emails and in my journal, I felt the pull to write again. 

I take walks during lunch, which gives me time to process my thoughts and feelings while enjoying fresh air. I found myself wanting to write about different topics that I kept thinking about. I had to start writing to get these thought loops out of my head and into the world.

I researched different blogging platforms because I didn’t want to set up a Wordpress site that nobody would visit. Multiple people told me to check out Substack because of its community, ease of publishing, and email capabilities. I was on my way.

My first Substack post was awful—but I think they all have to be. You can read it if you feel so inclined. I set a goal to publish one article a week for a year. I’m happy to say that I accomplished my goal. I wasn’t concerned with growing subscribers, making money, or anything else. I just wanted to do the work to see how I felt on the other side.

To date, I have published 54 posts (including this one). I was consistent at publishing every Thursday at 9:11 a.m. (see what I did there?). But I started to slack off when I started my new job with posts going live Friday or Saturday mornings. But I was still hitting my goal of one post per week.

What does one year of weekly posts on Substack look like?

I’m all about transparency with my work here on Substack. I have nothing to hide and nothing really to gain. Ultimately, I want to put out the best articles I can write, while hopefully inspiring others to start writing. Here is some data from my first year of publishing on Substack:

• Combined word count: 62,773 (the average length of a novel is around 50,000-70,000 words)

• Average words per post: 1,255

• Published posts: 54

• Subscribers: 61

• Paid subscribers: 4

• Views: 8,014

• Users: 3,846

• Most popular post: 305 views 

• Least popular post: 50 views 

• Subscriber geography: 16 US states and 5 countries

• Revenue: $60

I think I would have gained more subscribers if I had posted my articles to social media. But if you’ve been reading this blog from the start then you know that I quit social media earlier this year. Maybe I’ll get back on Instagram just to share my posts there. Again, growing subscribers has never been my goal.

Gratitude and Inspiration

This Weakened Dad project wouldn’t have been as rewarding without all of the great people who read my posts. I won’t name anyone who doesn’t already have a Substack but you know who you are. I see your comments and email opens.

I would like to recognize a few Substack blogs I read and get loads of value from—listed in no particular order.

Think. Read. Write. Repeat. 

I don’t know John Dailey but from what I’ve read, he gets it. I always look forward to his posts on Thursday mornings. My favorite post from John is Plan The Dive, Dive The Plan. His entire series about looking for artifacts from WWII off of the coast of Guam is fantastic. I would like to think I’m as interesting as John is but I know that’s not true—but we all need goals.

Being a Dad is Hard as F*ck

Michael Vinutolo-Mantovani is an amazing writer. His articles genuinely make me laugh out loud. I find his stories eerily relatable, which makes sense because we have similar-aged children, we like bikes, music, and we’re transplants to the Southern US. His knowledge on being a father, cyclist, and musician far exceeds my own. His article entitled Vol. 78 - It Might Get Loud has been my favorite to date. It’s a must-read for any father with young children.

Whispering Into the Void

Alli Treman and I both worked at the same company a few years ago. Alli was instrumental in my transition to web development. She gave a lecture about CSS that hooked me into the developer world. I am nowhere near her level, and probably never will be, but that doesn’t matter. She’s a technical person who’s also personable. Her latest post Concious Phone Uncoupling resonated with me because I’m always thinking about how to improve my brain with better habits.

What’s Next for Weakened Dad?

The 54 articles that I’ve published have been a mixed bag. Some of them I spent weeks crafting, others were maybe an hour. That being said, time is the great equalizer and I find myself having less of it each day. Writing a weekly article requires a fair amount of time. Hell, coming up with topics to write about takes a lot of time. I don’t know how some people can publish a daily article. I assume that some of them have teams of writers and researchers. But I know most writers on Substack work hard and focus on their craft.

I plan to continue Weakened Dad in 2024, but I’m taking a holiday break between now and January. I need to refill my creativity reservoir and—more importantly—spend time with my family.

I don’t know if my posts will be weekly either. I’ve thought about doing two posts a month. I want to write quality pieces with less fluff. Some of my posts this year were a stretch to hit my weekly goal. I don’t want to be in that position if I don’t have to be.

Again, I appreciate everyone who has read any of my articles. This was not an easy goal but it has been deeply satisfying. I haven’t had a creative streak like this in years.

As my late friend David used to say, “Have a Merry Chrysler and a Happy New Yorker!”

Thank you for your attention and I’ll talk to you next year!