Sub Pub's Twitter Adventure

Co-starring Alex Berenson and Seth Abramson

So this happened on Twitter last night:

Sub Pub @sub_pub_

Why are so many people signing up for @AlexBerenson's Unreported Truths (alexberenson.substack.com) right now? I mean, I know his newsletter is popular — but this popular?

alexberenson.substack.comUnreported TruthsIndependent, citizen-funded journalism

Alex Berenson @AlexBerenson

@sub_pub_ I was just on @TuckerCarlson talking about it. Question - how are you able to see the volume of signups? I don’t mind, I’m just interested.

Sub Pub @sub_pub_

@AlexBerenson @TuckerCarlson Ah, Tucker Carlson – I've heard of him. (So has your audience apparently.) 😉 I can infer a relative number from the frequency of tweets about signups (if all signups have = chance of being tweeted). I'd say you're getting about 3x signups/hr as recent runner-up @SethAbramson.

Sub Pub @sub_pub_

@AlexBerenson @TuckerCarlson @SethAbramson ... and I'm seeing tweets about signups because I'm frequently searching for tweets that contain the word or link to Substack. Of course, some Substacks aren't at substack dot com. Still, outdoing Seth Abramson (or Ed Snowden) in inferred signup rate is pretty damn good.

Sub Pub @sub_pub_

@AlexBerenson @TuckerCarlson @SethAbramson At the risk of tweeting once too often – but in the interest of accuracy – my memory of signups for Abramson's newsletter was faulty. Your current rate is much > 3x the best I can find for Proof. A good search to run in latest tweets is "I just subscribed to [newsletter name]."

Seth Abramson @SethAbramson

According to the "Substack Newsletters" Twitter List, until the recent creation of a substack by someone named Alex Berenson—a guy with whom I'm unfamiliar—PROOF had the highest estimated rate of daily new subscribers alongside (wait for it) Ed Snowden. I'm still processing this

Sub Pub @sub_pub_

@SethAbramson I'm punching above my weight tonight: @SethAbramson & little known @AlexBerenson. (Notice who's first & who's second.) It's not like I did a scientific study. In a court it wouldn't be proof (see what I did there?). I called it like I saw it. And I didn't mention @HC_Richardson.

There’s more. But that’s the gist of it.

Surreal, no?

Lessons from this Twitter Adventure

1. Expect the unexpected

If you were me, would you expect Alex Berenson to reply to my question?

I didn’t. Maybe one of Berenson’s followers would reply.

But I thought it was possible (even if unlikely) that Berenson would reply. I’ve gotten replies, once in a while, from people with 100K followers or more. I bet some of you have too.¹

You never know when someone might see something you’ve said that interests them.

2. Be confident and humble

I feel these are words to live by on Twitter and on Substack:

• Be confident: You have something to say. It’s worth saying. 😊

• Be humble: Be confident enough to correct a mistake or to clarify what’s unclear.

3. Have fun

This is related to #2. Some interactions on Twitter or Substack aren’t fun.² But if you can take a break from the seriousness and laugh at the comedy, then why not?

Neither all work and no play, nor all play and no work. Rather, a balance. Promote your newsletter; enjoy doing it.

4. All interactions are significant

I was happy to be noticed by Alex Berenson and Seth Abramson. But it's more likely to have meaningful interactions with people outside the media / social media stratosphere.

I don’t want to put any non-celebrities on the spot by embedding their tweets with me. You can find the threads on Twitter if you’d like. They’re probably more real than brief surreal interactions with the Substackerati / Twitterati.³

5. Subscribe to Sub Pub

Wait, what? No, seriously. I can connect a pitch for Sub Pub with my previous four points.

Sub Pub is partially about expecting the unexpected. Anyone who creates or reads a Substack might interact with Sub Pub. Just ask Alex Berenson and Seth Abramson. 🙂

I had to be confident to start a newsletter about the wide-ranging, fast-growing subject of Substack and its newsletters. But I have to be humble that I can't cover it all. Sub Pub needs a community. And I'm grateful you are part of the community (even by reading this).

I've only just begun with the fun here at Sub Pub. 😊 If you can't find fun in a Substack newsletter or comment section, where can you find it? A meta-Substack like Sub Pub should be fun to the second power (whatever that means)! 🤔😉

But seriously… I received heart-warming responses to my previous post, The Art of Substacking. The post says that connection is important. You are important. I see you. Thank you.

1. Let me know your brushes with fame in the comments. If you are famous, let me know so we can promote Sub Pub on your sites and social media. 😉

2. For example, some people might go on Twitter or Substack to sharply criticize Berenson or Abramson. That might not be the time or place for humor, though perhaps clever sarcasm.

3. Nothing against the Substackerati or Twitterati. It's just that they're very busy. Important Substack posts; viral tweets; appearances on Fox News…