Why Your Audience Isn’t Seeing Your Messages—and How To Fix It
A steep learning curve for me
Today’s message is going to be REALLY straight forward.
And comes from a problem I personally underestimated.
Even if you “own” your audience on Substack, as in you can write them e-mails whenever you like, actually reaching them is a totally different story.
Let me tell you why and how to make sure you bring across your message to your readers.
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Repeat yourself and Send those E-mails
Let me tell you a quick story about last week.
I was so excited to host my first-ever live AMA call for my community. I planned it weeks in advance, sent reminders, and made sure to mention it in as many places as possible:
1 personal email to subscribers with only a reminder for the call
2 reminders in the group chats
2 general reminders in posts, sent out via email
And yet, after all of that, only about 15% of my subscribers actually got the message.
The day after the AMA, I received several emails and comments from people who were sad they missed it. They hadn’t seen the announcements or overlooked them in their inboxes.
Honestly, it caught me off guard.
I thought I had done everything right to ensure everyone knew about the event. But clearly, I missed something.
Here’s What I Learned About Reaching Your Audience
Reaching your audience, especially a significant portion of it, takes persistence and strategy.
On average, it takes 3-7 touchpoints to reach just 50% of your audience.
Here’s why:
Open Rates Are Limited: Email open rates generally range between 20-40% (mine is around 35%), depending on your audience and messaging. Multiple emails help bridge the gap.
Inbox Overload: People get flooded with emails daily, so repetition ensures your message stands out.
Diversify Your Channels: Relying on just email isn’t enough. Using group chats, posts, and even notes improves your reach.
A Practical Example:
If you want to maximize your visibility, aim for:
3-4 Emails: Start with an initial announcement, follow up with reminders, and include a final “last chance” email.
2-3 Other Touchpoints: Leverage chat messages, social media, or in-content mentions to amplify your message.
The key is strategic repetition. It’s not about overwhelming your audience but making sure your message lands.
Takeaway:
No matter how much effort you put into communication, some people will still miss your message. But by diversifying your approach and being consistent, you can increase your chances of reaching a larger portion of your audience.
For those who missed the AMA, don’t worry, there will be more. And I’ll keep refining how I communicate to make sure you don’t miss the next one.
Let’s keep learning and growing together.
P.S. If you’ve found a strategy that works to reach your audience, I’d love to hear it. 😊
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Communication is repetition!
This has been one of the most valuable lessons I’ve learned as a manager.
Spot on! No matter what you trying to communicate with your audience, repetition is key. I read somewhere that it can take 20+ touches to get attention these days.