The In Pursuit Annual Report
Hits and misses and thoughts about why
I’m on a very life-giving text thread of fellow Substack writers, and a couple months ago, we discussed our various organizational systems. Color-coded spreadsheets were evoked. Publishing calendars were screen-shotted. There were helpful notes! Like “already drafted” or “need to fact check” or “ready to publish.”
Friends, for better or worse, my newsletter system is primarily vibes based. I have a few google docs entitled things like “interviews,” “wtf,” “links,” and “newsletter ideas,” but I do not know what I will publish the second week of January, nor does any publication calendar exist anywhere other than my brain. In one of these docs, I found the word “tomato” nestled up against the word “mayonnaise” and I have absolutely no clue why. To be clear, I don’t think this is a great system! But it is my system. At least for now.
Given my very unbusinesslike business strategy, it probably won’t surprise you to know that I don’t spend a ton of time analyzing Substack data, which again, I can’t recommend, because it precludes me from making the most strategic decisions based on available statistics. There are a few reasons for this, none of which are defensible.
Laziness
Fear of numbers triggering unwanted memories of me repeatedly telling my dad I don’t get it as he repeatedly explained a bunch of words I’ve thankfully forgotten that allegedly have to do with algebra.
Avoidance of bad news! When my annual revenue dips or I see a downward arrow in the “paid subscribers” column, I feel bad!
This is NOT a wise way to run a newsletter, and if I was the resolution making type, I would resolve to become more vigilant in tracking things like newsletter open rates, conversion numbers, and other truly useful numbers.
If you’re anything like me, your inboxes are full to bursting with Substacks, and you probably only open a fraction of newsletters you subscribe to. I’m never not grateful that you engage with my work, and the biggest factor that disrupts my avoidance of stats is the desire to better understand what you all enjoy about In Pursuit. I’ve gotten so many [unbelievably kind!!!!] messages from you all saying that In Pursuit keeps you company during middle-of-the-night newborn feeds, makes you feel less crazed as you navigate the mamasphere, or that my evisceration of non-anti-aging anti-aging skin creams made you laugh, OR THAT YOU TOO TRIED TO BE A MOMMY BLOGGER. I cherish these messages and I want to keep creating content that you value.
So in the spirit of taking stock, I’m going to tiptoe into In Pursuit’s stats with the intention of learning a bit more about what you all want more of (and also what you’re pretty meh about).
The post that garnered the most free subscriptions
This post was also the most “liked” (or hearted) post - a couple hundred above any others. This leads me to think that a bunch of you are interested in the publishing industry OR a bunch of you enjoy reflections on the inner workings of opaque institutions OR a bunch of you can relate to feeling ambivalent about - anything! If you want more writing industry specific content, I’d love to hear!
The post that converted the most people to paid subscriptions
I am ZERO percent surprised by this, and while many folks subscribed for the tea and then unsubscribed when their gossip craving had been sated (and which I totally get), I think this tells me in no uncertain terms that WE ALL HAVE FEELINGS ABOUT BALLERINA FARM. And maybe trad moms in general? This is good because so do I and will likely never stop writing about it/them.
The post with the highest open rate
This one sorta surprised me! The impetus for this piece was a screenshot from a moms’ Facebook page sent from a friend. The screenshot instantly riled me up which is always a sign I should write something. Writing through BIG FEELINGS is one of my favorite ways to write, but tragically, isn’t really something I can plan ahead for? But I’ll note that you all seem to enjoy critiques of anything condescendingly labeled “mom _____.”
The post that elicited the most comments
Hahaha this makes me feel pretty confident that I’ve found my readers and my readers have found me. Rudy Jude will always be my momfluencer kryptonite so thank you for making me feel seen!
The post that was shared the most times
This one also surprised me! Instead of sharing a straightforward Q and A with Minna Dubin about her book, Mom Rage, I incorporated the interview into an essay about “good dads” that’s been percolating for years, and maybe because it’s been marinating in my head for so long, I didn’t really anticipate it making a significant splash? But again - I love that you love calling bullshit on misogyny and internalized sexism! SAMESIES.
The post that Substack tells me is the most popular
So I have NO clue how Substack determines popularity, and I kinda think this might be a glitch? But maybe you all really needed an Alexia Delarosa analysis? OR you all just wanted a link to the earrings I wear every day? UNCLEAR. Please sound off if you have any intel!
In terms of misses, the post with the lowest open rate was pretty unsurprisingly one about a niche song I was obsessed with in my twenties. That post DID generate a ton of comments though, so clearly some of us want to talk about niche songs! Or our twenties! The post that generated the least amount of free subscribers is this one, which likely has to do with the fact that only a small chunk is shareable. The post that converted the least subscribers to paid is this one, which is rather unsexily about lunch and has a rather unsexy paywall to boot. The least “liked” post is one about a book giveaway, which tracks - it’s not like book giveaways famously elicit passionate responses! The post that generated the least discussion is this one, which I like to think is because it’s so straightforward? The least shared post was this one which proves that sometimes following your weird obsessions will reveal just how weird they are (especially when it comes to ASMR).
Happy Friday, happy almost near year, happy cluttered countertops, and thank you from the bottom of my heart for being here. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that In Pursuit would ultimately become my [BELOVED] full-time job on that fateful day in March 2021 when someone’s husband decided to wax poetic about diurnal creatures on Instagram and someone else (me) decided to write an essay about it.
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I love reading your posts, Sara, even though my kid is grown and gone--guess I still have mom stuff to work through (who doesn't) and I'm still intrigued by what you contribute to the world. And as I've said before, I wish I'd known you, say, fifteen years ago? Right? We learn too late . . . oh well. Such is the suck and delight of parenting. I did love your post on behind the scenes with a book because anything about publishing is stuff I'll read and learn from. And yes, me too, on tracking stuff with my newsletter. I'm grateful for every additional subscriber and those who also pay me to write this each week, but I have zero ability to track what does well or not. Maybe someday, but my business approach has mostly been intuitive in everything I create, and although I do like to review each choice from a personal satisfaction view and I do get blues when something I personally love does poorly in the world, I don't think I'll ever switch from what you call your vibes orientation to more serious planning mode. So far, so good.
Apparently I really enjoy a vibes based system of deciding what you write about because I have loved everything I have read so far. In Pursuit of Clean Countertops and Cult of Perfect have been so aligned with my interests!