If you build it... They won't come

Enrique Bay -

I’ve been writing for nearly two months now. Every single day, there has been something out of my still-evolving brain going out into the world. Every time, before hitting the publish button, there is hesitancy on my part to go ahead with the post.

Before, whenever I wrote something, it would take me a few days to get it finished. I’d ask one or a couple of people to review it before I sent it out. And even then, I sometimes didn’t share it. This time, for reasons I have already mentioned, I am bypassing those filters and making sure that however my post is, it has to see the world before midnight every day.

In a way, everything I’ve written and published has been unfinished. It is not up to my own quality requirements.

There is one other thing I’ve always known but only now am realizing. People react to calls to action. If I simply share my writing in whatever outlet, some people will read it and go about their day. If I explicitly invite someone to subscribe, then chances are that will happen.

I am nearing the 60 posts published and currently have the following stats:

  • 14 people have subscribed to the blog
  • There have been 422 unique visitors, with 1.1k views
  • Most people come from Mexico

As I go through the next 60 days, my goals will be the following:

  • 50+ people subscribed
  • 1000+ unique visitors

At first, I wasn’t sharing any of my writings publicly. That gave me a certain freedom, and it dangerously started to make me use this outlet like a diary or journal. However, two weeks ago, I began posting some of my writings on different channels such as LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram. Since then, I would be lying if I say that I don’t care if the post is seen.

I do care. I want people to read what I wrote. I want them to like it, to share it, to comment on it. But, as I have come to realize, just because I write something doesn't mean that people will come and read it. Building a readership takes time and effort; just as I need to be persistent, I also need to be patient.