I did as I said, for once

2 days ago

3 min read

Pretty relieved to learn I wasn’t wrong

Oct 19, 2026

A 3-minute read

Thanks for opening this email! You’re the best, and I hope you’re having a pretty good day.

So, I finally did as I keep saying, and archived my Substack posts on my website/blog (here!). And I’m glad I did, because then I heard BET.com erased decades of interviews, shows, and content from their website with absolutely no warning. Many journalists and creators lost access to dozens of pieces of their work, all because some exec at BET decided the platform is becoming ‘video-first.’ (It does look like BET felt enough pressure to pretend remorse and reestablish an archive of articles.)

Similarly, Substack could easily be sold to YouTube or X or [insert billionaire hoarding co here], and some bean counter might decide they don’t like the model. Poof! Your carefully-wrought words are gone. (Substack also favours video, especially as they seek to establish Substack TV.) So, back it up! If you’re not sure how, or need some help, I’m right here.

At its simplest, just copy + paste your Substack posts (or newsletters on any platform) into a document. One step up: add that content to your website in some kind of blog format. Poof: you just created a public archive of your work, and also added a boatload of searchable content, thus boosting your search engine optimization [SEO—as in, ways for people to find you].

Using the same reasoning, consider backing up your actual mailing list, too. Maybe once every month or two, because it’s growing a little bit all the time, yes? ;) A how-to, from Substack support: “To export your email list on Substack, head to your Subscribers page [to find your subscribers page, from your dashboard, click ‘audience’] and scroll down to ‘All subscribers.’ Click on the three dots above your subscribers list and select ‘Export.’ Select whether to download a .csv of your subscriber list with all columns or visible columns only.”

Another reminder of how video leads all algos these days: animations I created using video as their base turned my client’s website visit stats into an optimistically vertical line for one day—yay! Diminishing thereafter with my posts of stills and animations—boo! Not sure how I feel about that. I mean, the growth was nice, but I don’t like being forced to dance for the camera to reach even our own followers. You?

Three free solids, just for you

A prime marketing goal is to always be working on ‘know, like, trust.’ As in, you want your followers/readers/clients to feel they know you, like you, and trust you. Maybe pop that on a sticky and put it somewhere you can see it while you create your posts and content. (Have I mentioned the rule of thirds? Ideally, one third of your content is about others; one third is offering relevant education or knowledge; and one (scant) third is about you. This, too, helps people to know, like, and trust you.)
Add an FAQ page to your website, which you can update anytime. This gives folks clarity around who you are and what you do; helps them know there’s no such thing as a stupid question; and can be used as a fun way to create relationships: encourage people to ask questions! Answer them, and then, ta da, you also have content for your socials—tag the asker there, and both of your audiences grow: win-win. On your website, this is also feeding more relevant content into the every-hungry maw of the search engines, so you and your site become easier to find. Hurray!
- Ask me anything! (lauren@theimperfect.network) [Just don’t ask me how to embed an email address in a Substack post, lol.]
Change or update your bios regularly (big ugh), and make sure your Linktree is there, too. You have a Linktree, right? (The free version is plenty, and don’t get fooled by their cagey ways: there is a very robust free version.)

Please take your time with all of this: there’s no rush. I know someone who has given themself three months to learn about and post on Substack, and I have enormous respect for their patience and self-knowledge.

Now that you’ve made it all the way to here, the gift of three random pics from my roll, these ones chosen by my oofspring. [Oh, I am leaving that typo!]