Friday Thread! Show Us One from Your Archive!

Last week’s Office Party is still going! Let’s do it again… So often, our archives are neglected. All those posts only our earliest subscribers have seen. Pick one of your favorite posts from your archive and show us! Here’s how this works: In all caps, write the TOPIC of the archived post. Headline URL What it’s about in one sentence. Tell us why you chose it. *If it’s paywalled, un-paywall it for us just for a week. Then: Find someone else’s post in this thread that looks interesting (someone you haven’t met). Tell them if you’re going to read. Read it and respond to it in the comments of the post. Restack! Be sure to tag the Substack author in your restack. This is about making new connections and championing each other. The more we interact, the more the algorithm notices, and the more visible we all become. It’s brilliant! (Notice this is Office Party rather then Office Hours but feel free to ask any questions!) © 2024 Sarah Fay 548 Market Street PMB 72296, San Francisco, CA 94104 (She doesn't know then from than)

DAILY ON DEFENSE: McConnell hails ‘most substantial border security policy in 30 years’

DAILY ON DEFENSE: McConnell hails ‘most substantial border security policy in 30 years’ Biden ‘staging a civil war’: Republican urges Texas to ignore Supreme Court ruling Kari Lake doesn’t want voters to get complacent with poll numbers: ‘We got to swamp them’ GOP to Allow Teens to Work CONSTRUCTION in Florida?!, Eddie Liger Smith Joins The Republicans in Florida are pushing for legislation to allow teens to work in construction. Eddie Liger Smith joins me to discuss. JAYBEFAUNT JAN 23 CBCD System? ITS HERE NOW... From Greg M GREGORY MANNARINO JAN 23 How many of you are aware that as of today, the total amount of actual printed/existing in physical form currency is just $2.26 Trillion dollars? ALL THE REST OF IT IS ALREADY DIGITAL… it doesn't exist, its not on the elemental chart, ITS FAIRY DUST. GM Forwarded this email? Subscribe here for more Substack Writers at Work WRITERS AT WORK WITH SARAH FAY PODCAST Bonus! Soulful Social Media: An Interview with Kat River 0:00 39:52 Bonus! Soulful Social Media: An Interview with Kat River SARAH FAY JAN 23 I don’t think I’ve never met someone who said they really liked being on social media. The general sentiment among the people I know is that we use it, it’s a necessary evil, and that’s that. Except it’s not—not to Kat River, who is one of the most expansive, heart-filled women I’ve ever met. She’s all truth and authenticity. And she’s made a place for social media in her life, not in a begrudging way but in a how-can-I-show-up-and-open-myself-to-this? way. In this interview, she teaches us how to embrace (yes, embrace) social media. Our conversation is full of so much wisdom. It’s a must-listen. Here’s a taste from Kat: “It’s important to come back to your intention on social media. Because everyone’s going to have a different intention. What is your intention? And then just be clear with that. If it’s connection, show up and truly connect. Go out of your way to engage and you will see the return of that. And then you’ll feel like you’re building connections. It’ll feel more fulfilling. If it’s just to do business, then go and read some books about doing business on social media and sales and actually go learn those skills. If you’re going to be on there anyway— Because you don’t have to be. That’s also an option. There’s an option to jump off social media and just go be an epic fairy out in nature and not be connected to it. (I fantasize often. I won’t lie.) But if you’re going to be there anyway, you may as well learn the rules and play the game so that it can be a more thriving experience for you. And you may as well go and question, What are my beliefs around this? Are they actually serving the experience I want? Or are they just fueling this narrative that isn't actually going to be in support of my dreams? And notice that gap and then close that gap. That’s our job, you know.” If you’ve read Kat’s Substack, you know how alluring it is in the “powerfully interesting” sense of the word. You start reading and just can’t stop. It’s like listening to someone speak through written words ordered just so on the page, which is what all writing should be but Kat does it differently. Speech. Ordered. Just so. Kat is a mother, maker, and mystic—much like many of her readers. The short version is that she entered the entrepreneurial and personal development world very young, became an entrepreneur in the online space—co-creating live events, online programs, heart-centered community, and six-figure businesses with her husband Tully, alongside her creative pursuits, and also making art for art’s sake. Please enjoy my interview with the powerful and amazing Kat River. Subscribe to Kat River And for those of you who still feel like, “No! I can’t do social media,” there’s an upcoming mini-course with the excellent Substack writer Astrid Bracke. Astrid’s Substack supports women in business. She has a very cool Marketing Without Social Media four-month course starting in March. She’s lovely and an outstanding teacher. The program is aimed at helping small business owners, freelancers, and creatives create their marketing blueprint without relying (exclusively) on social media. A considerable chunk of the people she works with are writers and artists and they seem to be especially attuned to marketing in a slower, more intentional (yet highly effective) way. Learn more here. Upgrade to paid ✨ Get more great interviews like this one, plus two writing-and-Substack mastery workshops a month, the two keys to success on Substack, and the most up-to-date insider tips to succeed on Substack by becoming a paid subscriber to Writers at Work. You, your writing, and your Substack deserve it. SHARE LIKE COMMENT RESTACK © 2024 Sarah Fay 548 Market Street PMB 72296, San Francisco, CA 94104

Replay! Go Viral: The Art of Writing Substack Posts That Spread SARAH FAY JAN 21 ∙ PREVIEW

Some of us can’t help but get a tinge of jealousy when someone says, “My post went viral and…” Others respond with disdain because writing with “going viral” in mind is silly at best and shameful and/or selling out and/or unartistic at worst. Either way, these responses come from not knowing how to write a viral essay. What’s the secret? And is it possible (just possible) that writing in the hopes of going viral can make us better writers? Find out! What we cover: What “going viral” means What counts as “viral” The 4 reasons a post goes viral What prevents a post from going viral The 5 things that make long-form posts go viral Viral posting strategies A deep dive into one Substack writer's viral post The one thing we know a post definitely needs to go viral A writing exercise to help you write your next (viral) post As Substack’s Head of Writer Relations Farrah Storr puts it, we do these workshops in good faith that people won’t sign up for the link and then unsubscribe. We’re here to build a community of writers who will come together to grow. If you prefer to purchase the workshop, you can do so here: Purchase this course separately This is part of the Craft of Writing on Substack series, where we take the best creative writing techniques and make them work for us on Substack. Time to write your viral essay… NOTE: Revision of what makes long-form go viral #4: Speak to a specific group/belief & oppose another Please read Kirsten Powers’s essay “The way we live in the United States is not normal”—such a good example. No surprise it went viral. Changing The Channel The way we live in the United States is not normal. I don't remember exactly when it happened for me, but the thought arose with surprising clarity: something is deeply wrong with the United States, and I don't want to live here anymore. When I tell people this, they nod knowingly and say something about the 2016 election. While that critical turning point sped up my timetable, the realization that something fundamental was off in the country of my birth actually began years before that… Read more 2 months ago · 1084 likes · 62 comments · Kirsten Powers Here’s the annotated version with my notes: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1tsqAP7s42KJt9mhkpzY0u8Aw3U50zIOKY7jENr41h3I/edit?usp=sharing ✨ Become a paid subscriber to become a better writer on Substack with How to Write Online workshops like this one. Paid subscribers also get access to the Headline Hub chat (so you can write headlines that go viral) and more to help you achieve your goals on Substack... Subscribe to Substack Writers at Work to read the rest. Become a paying subscriber of Substack Writers at Work to get access to this post and other subscriber-only content. Upgrade to paid A subscription gets you: Two on-demand workshops with the keys to success on Substack Bi-monthly workshops with the most current Substack tips to help you create a loyal readership and income Access to the amazing Writers at Work community for Substack support © 2024 Sarah Fay 548 Market Street PMB 72296, San Francisco, CA 94104 Unsubscribe Get the appStart writing One attachment • Scanned by Gmail