The Time of the Writer with Farrah Storr

Things we talked about:

  • The value of owning your own audience
  • Building a brand for yourself around the work you’re doing
  • The growing online hunger for content by real people and the forging of real connections
  • We seem to be entering an era that Farrah calls, rather poetically, "the Time of the Writer": the world has passed the period of devouring all the content on the Internet, now we are more discerning, and only want to consume content that we genuinely enjoy
  • The continued return of demand for long-form content
  • The return of community: the value of hearing from and engaging with your audience
  • Giving your best work away from free (yes!)
  • The limitations of the stories that can be told in traditional media
  • And related, the limitations of creating content when you're in competition for followers or clicks
  • When you try to appeal to the masses, you bland out

Farrah's tips for what works well on Substack:

  • Niching works well. The more you niche, the more dedicated (as opposed to big) an audience you'll get
  • Publishing twice a week tends to grow a "stickier" audience
  • Use social media to point people to your Substack content
  • Use your "About" page to set expectations and declare a manifesto
  • Claim your real name, if you can

Where to find Farrah:

Where to find Sara:

 

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