Why blogger(s) stop writing what you want
and why you keep subscribing
There’s a guy I really enjoyed reading about note-taking. During my first stages exploring how to build a PKM in Obsidian, his posts were life-saving. Besides that, he also wrote about productivity.
Reading his blog soon turned into a habit, and somehow he looped me in his lifestyle. I did what his blog tell me to, looking forward what to do next.
One day, he stopped writing. Not that he stopped publishing, but I stopped reading because he no longer writes note-taking and productivity. His posts were now newsletters, capturing his life and reflections. I also stopped reading on the net.
This is only one of the cases. I know a lot of other bloggers who write such beautiful posts about learning, community building, and note-taking that stop writing about it–either they switch topics, or stop writing completely.
I honestly hate this. Why can’t you guys be consistent with your niche?
Dear bloggers community, why do you switch topics so often?
The truth is, I’m here to justify.
I have been writing for sometimes, and yes, I am person who switch topics a lot.
How to use Notion? How to use Obsidian? Community building, learning, everything is on here. Yet, nothing takes over. Everything is covered, yet none is deep enough.
If you subscribe to my Substack because of my Obsidian series, sorry because I don’t plan on writing anything about it in the near future.
If you subscribe to my Substack because of my post about how to run a conversation, sorry because I have gotten sick of it ever since.
To write consistent and actually enjoying it, switching topic is a canon event. Well not really but it is painful and happens often.
Unless you get paid to write and love your job at a socially unacceptable level, you will have to write something different than what you promise on your Substack bio. Is there anything wrong with that? I don’t think so.
I believe that’s how blog works. We write about our life. My former favorite blogger’s life may be used to be lot about note-taking, now the topic switched, probably because his life changed too. It’s the same for everybody. Interest is gone, so we move on.
Our topics on what we write change in a natural way. We stick to what we think and experience in our life—our life shift.
And because of that, I wonder what make up a “true reader.” Do my true readers subscribe because of the topics I put on my bio? Do you only follow because I write guidance on how to use Obsidian or how to be less cringe when talking?
Why you still read their blogs, even when the topics changed.
When bloggers change their topics all the time, the readers who stay need to be more interested than what are simply promised on the bio.
Your readers may interested in your writing style. The energy that your writings give. The diction. The vibe. The format. Or you, your life.
I truly don’t know. And I don’t want to know, because then I feel like I have to stick to it all the time. I don’t know I can do that.
Anh Tuấn Mon published a post about how he’s no longer writing about productivity and actively recommend his readers to unsubscribe if it’s what they are here for. Turns out, in the comment section, they all have contractual reactions.
They are excited about his future posts, regardless.
Suddenly, a blogger changes his/her topic is no longer a problem because that is not what the readers all care about. Maybe most of them are here for you, for your adventure. It takes more posts to find out, so keep writing.
Break promises on your Substack bio is not a problem. It’s an ordinary process.
Well I guess the only way to not break the promises is putting “I write about my life” up there, making your own fandom.
Regardless, I will have to change my bio multiple times, figuring out what I write about–like the way I try to figure out what I do with my life. My blog speaks for my current interests and experiences. The readers will be the people who read and excited for what’s next, and the people who come across my posts as the solutions to what are happening in their life.
What do I do next? Probably stop making myself to stay on the same topics, and be more open on writing what’s my life is currently surrounded with.
If you are a blogger and you switch topics, I hope you embrace it
If you are a reader and your blogger(s) switches topics, I don’t really know. Would you actually unsubscribe? Give me some insights lol:
Other than that, have a good week everybody. Cheers!
I would say that even the blogger is figuring out along the way too. They start with a certain topic(s) that they love. But then when they get deeper into those topics, they see something that captures their attention. So they move on. And just like what you said: It's a normal process. That's actually a good sign: The writer is still writing.
i subscribe to your substack because of you :>