Knock Knock…Open Up!

I know there are plenty of random readers who see my posts, but I’ve come to realize most of my e-mail subscribers never see the stories I work so hard on because the notifications probably end up in spam folders, or in the trash.

In the world of blogging, writers are often brag about how many subscribers they have, but I’ve found those numbers don’t matter at all. As my number of subscribers grows, I’ve noticed there hasn’t been any increase in engagement or views. This made me curious, so I did some research.

I figured out there is a way for me to see who actually reads my posts that are sent to e-mail subscribers. In doing so, I found the vast majority of my subscribers never open the email notifications that are sent about my posts. By my best math ability, I average probably about 5% of subscribers actually opening my posts by e-mail. That number translates to hundreds of people based on my current subscriber count. I’ve talked to other bloggers about this and I’m not alone. It seems to be a common trend, even in situations where readers pay to subscribe.

You would think subscribers would be your primary reader base, but it’s not so.

I don’t worry about it much because I know I have readers, and some loyal ones at that (Thanks Herb!), but I just find it odd that someone would subscribe then never (or rarely) read anything else I post going forward. Maybe they don’t like my content, maybe my titles aren’t catchy enough, or maybe they just don’t care what I’m writing about, but if any of these are the case, why did they subscribe in the first place?

Are these mostly “sympathy” subscribers who just felt bad for me?

Maybe these followers read my content via other sources (doubtful)?

Are they tired of hearing about pizza and want me to write about pasta?

Maybe my followers don’t know all my notifications are going to spam and they’re sitting around anxiously wondering why I haven’t posted anything lately (yeah, let’s go with that).

Whatever it is, there isn’t much I can do about it other than hope people read what I create, but I just want to think that those who seemingly like what I do actually like what I do. Affirmation is good (look for a post on this concept soon).

If you are a loyal subscriber and reader, I appreciate you! If you opened this through an e-mail link, thank you for proving my stats wrong (I’m okay with that), but you are probably one of the rare 5% I was referring to. I believe my posts are like a box of Cracker Jacks. You don’t know what amazing prize you’ll get until you open it up and dig through it, so open up those e-mail notifications!

If you’re thinking of subscribing, please mark my e-mail notifications as “Safe” so they don’t end up in the spam folder… I don’t want you to miss any of the future magic I call writing.

~ Marty ~

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Remember: You can always get to my stories by using the URL: WordsWithPizza.com – Bookmark it or save it to your favorites! If you have a WordPress account you can also visit on the WordPress Reader.

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