I made a promise to myself that my Substack would never include politics.
I’m clarifying this post as words matter and I really didn’t want to offend anyone! Please forgive. Here goes:
If you’re a paid subscriber to
you would be able to watch all her helpful videos, partake in her Chats where fellow writers share intriguing title ideas and enjoy her interviews with the big wigs at Substack corporate and celebrity writers.Last week she hosted a How To Go Viral on Substack webinar. She focused on two essays as examples that went viral. Her point was that these essays spoke to one group and opposed another. Here are my takeaways:
How to Succeed on Substack, is directed to writers who feel they deserve to be read. I enjoyed this piece and saw it as a wake up call for authors but could understand why it might oppose another writer’s viewpoint. The second stack that went viral was written by The Way We Live Is Not Normal; Why we are buying land in Italy. This personal essay is political and critical of the U.S.— my interpretation, not Sarah’s.Sarah’s valid points were to suggest that if we want a piece to go viral, we need to write either essays with opposing views. Thus, your one audience just became two: your choir and those who oppose you. A viral post is born.
This bothered me on a few levels.
Politics-Free Zone
I made a promise to myself that my Substack would never include politics and I have steered away from anything remotely political. The marked exception were my two newsletters after October 7, when I had a tremendously difficult time writing humor. In fact, one post was dark humor and the other was about my daughter’s friend who was under attack on October 7, an Israeli who is like a second son to me, and another Israeli I volunteered with. Even then, my aim was to share a deeply personal experience, not to create opposition or virality.
If I have written an opposing essay hopefully it was with humor. If I ever do write something that pains you, dear, scrumptious reader, please let me know. I am all ears in the comments or you can email me privately.
As I approach my one-year anniversary on Substack and after partaking in this webinar I had a big friggin’ realization-- if opposing a reader’s viewpoint is what it takes to go viral, count me out.
Bringing people together
I love entertaining my subscribers with humor and sometimes heartfelt personal essays, (some have told me my novel made them cry—oops) and I especially adore the afterparty in the comments. The only thing missing in that bottom section are dips ‘n chips and libations. I love getting to know my readers and have even made few friends outside of Good Humor.
In a country (and world) that is so divided I find solace in my own humor writing and other humorists like @kristikeller and @allisonepstein. I love the poetry of @reenakapoor and fiction author @hollystarley. Instead of coffee, I get a NYC fix from @cafeanne. I also adore the essays from @donnamcarthur, a well-being connoisseur, and @sandraannmiller, a seeker of happy. I even ask the Funny AF Women I interview not to include politics in their answers.
I hope this isn’t my Jerry Maguire moment. For the two of you who haven’t seen this perfect movie, Jerry, played by Tom Cruise, is a high-powered sports agent who wants to change the industry; he strives for a client-athlete relationship that’s personal, supportive, and not just about the bottom line income they bring to the business. After handing out his treatise to the entire agency, he’s fired. In the end, Maguire gets the girl and his first and only client, played brilliantly by Cuba Gooding, Jr., achieve a close bond and a gazillion dollar contract. But did he change the industry?
Finding Commonalities—What I Learned
I volunteered a few years ago with a Jewish charity called Stand With Us. Their mission is to educate High Schoolers and college students around the world with facts about Israel in the hopes of eradicating anti semitism. (A stretch, I know, but a valiant effort.) The young Israeli shiliach (educator) finished the school year and was on break for the summer so Eitan and I tabled at various public outdoor spaces in Seattle, inviting conversations with folks who were interested in discussion. Eitan knew the history of the region and was a graduate student of Diplomacy and Conflict Studies. I learned something invaluable from Eitan. If disagreements arise, find the commonalities. We all want a better future for our children. We all want a short line at Coscto, a doctor that doesn’t have one foot out the door and wouldn’t it be nice if our cup of tea or coffee stayed hot for twenty minutes while we sipped? About 98% of the time, Eitan and I had healthy, healing conversations. (The other 2% were angry, hateful people who threw epithets at us.) The face-to-face conversations were a crucial component. We don’t have this on social media including Substack, which makes for heated debates turning ugly, suffering from a lack of face-to-face human context.
Commonalities. We can find them with just about any fellow human.
So, if having an opposing view means going viral on Substack, count me out.
I will continue to thoroughly appreciate and love on my hundreds of subscribers. I used to be an actor and view this online forum akin to a charming off-Broadway house. My Substack is the Minetta Lane Theatre in Greenwich Village and I have a packed house every week. (Okay, my open rate could be better but no complaints.) And those who stay for the comments are visiting me backstage. And when someone says, This made me laugh, that’s my version of viral.
Do you try to find commonalities?
Do you feel like you won the lottery when you discover the shortest line at Costco?
Do you have a plug-in hot-cup coaster or chargeable mug for your hot libation? I have both. They were Hanukkah gifts several years apart. They’re fab.
Wouldn’t it be funny if this went viral? Hehehe.
I'm not very educated on US politics, but what I've come to learn as a universal truth is that politics are fueled by a difference in a fears rather than a difference in ideals, this is why political conversations often emotionally charged.<
People are more motivated to keep something they're afraid of losing, rather than win something new. So when urgency and scarcity are used in political speeches (and that is often) it only fires people up, as it feels very personal to them (same logic is applied when wanting to create viral content)
Once I understood that, I became more tolerant of people that hold different views than my own. Having said that, I thank you for providing a space devoid of politics.
I am days behind in my reading (late comment noticed). Ironically, your post came at the perfect moment for me. Two days ago I read a Substack that ranted about politics, leaving no room for considerate discussion and seemingly intent on stirring up the muck. (an ugly rhyming word...)
This same author had commented just days before about how she railed against the 'brazen social media' and that we needed to demonstrate respect for others in conversation. Whaaaaat?
I stewed for a couple of hours then responded that I appreciated the information that she had provided. In her attempt to slander something, she had also provided a link to the 'terrible' material. I said that I was going to read all of the document(s) and form my own opinion rather than relying on quoting media. I also suggested that she could download the document in question and read it herself (which she had not done). She suggested that we could cross post our thoughts.....no way on this side of the galaxy that that will happen. And if politics are the way to go viral, then you and I can take that hike together. I have some amazing readers in my little community....from all persuasions....and we are respectful and considerate of everyone. You go girl. Give me your kind of humor and your kind humor any day.