One of the things I like about Substack is the analytics. I know, for example, that as of this writing 1,849 people have subscribed to receive my newsletter in their email inboxes, and that 1,155 additional people have signed up to “follow” the newsletter — that is, they see my writing on the Substack app or via their browsers, but they don’t receive emails.1
Seventy-one percent of you live in the U.S., and a big chunk of you Americans live in California, like me. Seventy-three subscribers are in Canada and — surprise! — 30 subscribers are in Morocco.
And here’s something nice: A total of 1,392 subscribers have found my newsletter through other Substack writers’ recommendations. Many thanks to
, , , , , , , , and !I also know that there were 1,090 views of my Monday newsletter (on “rawdog,” the American Dialect Society’s word of the year for 2024), and 29 percent of those views resulted in opening and reading the post. (Did 71 percent of you blush and click away?) Fifteen people clicked “like” on that post, and one person liked it enough to become a new subscriber. (Hi and thanks!)
Those numbers have held steady for a while. My most popular post in 2024 was the one on “wankpanzer”: 8,410 views, 53 percent open rate, 31 new subscriptions.2 The open rate was considerably higher in the newsletter’s early months, August through December 2023: 60 percent, 70 percent, even 100 percent.
I’d like to keep this thing going, and even improve it, so let’s check in. Here are five questions about your reading habits, your send preferences, and what you like and dislike.
Some ground rules:
Substack allows only one answer per poll. If you have multiple choices, please vote for one and leave a comment at the end of the post.
The polls are open to subscribers only. If you’re a follower or a casual reader, you’ll need to subscribe if you want to vote. Again, this is not my choice, it’s Substack’s.
If you’re seeing this newsletter in your inbox and feel compelled to send me a message, do not — DO NOT — hit reply! Your message will go to my spam folder. Instead, click the headline to leave a comment below the post.
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Have I left out one of your burning questions? Leave a comment and I’ll do my best to answer. Reminder: If you’re reading this newsletter as an email, do NOT hit reply. Your message will go to my spam folder. Instead, click on the headline to view in a browser or the Substack app, and then leave a comment.
If you’re reading the newsletter via email only, you’re missing out on Notes, Chat, and other community features. You also can’t see the attractive “newspaper view” on the newsletter’s landing page. On the other hand, if you’re a “follower” you can’t vote in these polls: they’re open only to subscribers. That isn’t my choice; it’s Substack’s.
Not a single reader clicked on the PayPal link, though. Was it too subtle?
I clicked "words and language," but I don't think there's any category of post I'd be uninterested in from you.
I voted for words and language, but also love your posts about brand names.