Every now and then I sit here and actually think about marketing (I know, shocking). And one of the things I think vaguely about is…is this blog working? Is it doing anything for me? Is blogging even still relevant in 2024?
But then I get distracted by something else and never look at it too deeply.
On one hand, the blog in general is useful. It keeps me writing even through otherwise dry spells. It helps me organize my thoughts. I wrote part of my nonfiction series here.
On the other hand, the marketing hand–maybe not? I wouldn’t say my views or comments or likes or what have you have greatly increased from when I started 14 years ago to today, and I can’t point to the blog as moving the needle when I put out a new book. I doubt followers of this blog have joined my newsletter list, or any of that jazz. And it feels like blogging is out. Like, it’s YouTube or TikTok or Instagram now, and who reads things other people write anymore?
Part of me wonders if I should move to another platform. Something like Medium or Substack, where there is better discoverability. But if also feels like you need a little more polish for something like that, instead of just writing whatever comes to mind on a vaguely routine schedule.
That could entirely be a misconception. I haven’t ever looked too closely at alternatives. If you’ve used Substack or Medium (or some other alternative that I don’t even know about), what has your experience been like? Do you like it better than maintaining your own blog? Do you follow blogs on Substack/Medium/whatever? How’s the reading experience?
I will admit to being a creature of habit. I’ve blogged here for a long time, and it’s scary to think about leaving. But hey, I did LiveJournal for a long time before that, and before that, I used to send random emails to my friends. So I can learn new tricks if necessary.
Thoughts about blogging, squiders?
