I not only open the letter, I read it, frequently smiling and then save it. It’s like a keyhole peep into that too amazing brain whose workings never fail to surprise or challenge those of us who live in the ordinary!
Ha! This post (as I call them) made me smile. Does commenting count as "writing back?" 64% is incredibly high as these things go, Ian! And today's subject-line-subtitle combo is so enticing; bet it results in an above-average open rate! Would that more writers on Substack use the optative mood. Your playful processing of the life you lead is one of the reasons I keep not unsubscribing. Nice try. There's no way we'll let you get down to 0%!
This counts as writing back! You're my person this week. I googled "optative mood" and liked it. Also, I would call these "posts" but a few weeks ago I walked rather briskly into a granite hitching post in my backyard and broke several ribs. Maybe I'll write about that next week. We don't even have a horse. Are these comments public? People should think I have a horse, right? Would that they thought so.
Am I too late to join the writing back party? Especially since I am specifically called out in this letter? If it's any consolation, the why am I doing this vibe sometimes feels directly proportional for me with the growth in readers, especially as my open rate is now firmly under 50 percent. I haven't delved enough into the statistcal dashboard to see whether that's because some people open it nearly 100 percent of the time and others are too lazy to unsubscribe. Or maybe people deliberately choose to only open it half the time. What I have found is the pieces I am most proud about tend to be directly proporational to my lowest open rates. Whehter it's films on Netflix or books sent out into the world, are there more people who tell you they've seen them than actually have or are there more people quietly consuming the "content" without ever letting you know?
I not only open the letter, I read it, frequently smiling and then save it. It’s like a keyhole peep into that too amazing brain whose workings never fail to surprise or challenge those of us who live in the ordinary!
Ha! This post (as I call them) made me smile. Does commenting count as "writing back?" 64% is incredibly high as these things go, Ian! And today's subject-line-subtitle combo is so enticing; bet it results in an above-average open rate! Would that more writers on Substack use the optative mood. Your playful processing of the life you lead is one of the reasons I keep not unsubscribing. Nice try. There's no way we'll let you get down to 0%!
This counts as writing back! You're my person this week. I googled "optative mood" and liked it. Also, I would call these "posts" but a few weeks ago I walked rather briskly into a granite hitching post in my backyard and broke several ribs. Maybe I'll write about that next week. We don't even have a horse. Are these comments public? People should think I have a horse, right? Would that they thought so.
Am I too late to join the writing back party? Especially since I am specifically called out in this letter? If it's any consolation, the why am I doing this vibe sometimes feels directly proportional for me with the growth in readers, especially as my open rate is now firmly under 50 percent. I haven't delved enough into the statistcal dashboard to see whether that's because some people open it nearly 100 percent of the time and others are too lazy to unsubscribe. Or maybe people deliberately choose to only open it half the time. What I have found is the pieces I am most proud about tend to be directly proporational to my lowest open rates. Whehter it's films on Netflix or books sent out into the world, are there more people who tell you they've seen them than actually have or are there more people quietly consuming the "content" without ever letting you know?