How I Read Your Substack Article

7 Reasons I Stop Scrolling—From a Busy Mom Who Doesn't Have Time to Read

I’m no Substack coach, influencer, or guru.

I’m just a busy mom who has opinions on education, parenting, and writing.

But after a year of being on Substack, I’ve realized there are a few things that either keep me reading an article or have me stuffing it in the cave of saved files where it may never come to light again.

I’m writing this piece—I actually started it then deleted it a few times—not to pick on anybody, but to help writers on Substack understand why someone like me may or may not read your article.

Maybe I’m not your ideal audience.

You might not care that some homeschool mom is skipping your content.

Just keep in mind, there are many moms who want to read what you write. Women who will not only read your words, but also comment on them, support you, and share your work. We are some of the biggest cheerleaders on the internet. We might just be your best audience if you get us to stick around long enough.

But you may be doing unintentional things that prevent us from reading.

I’m guilty of setting up articles that don’t work. To fix that behavior, I’m forever learning best practices on Substack and revising them when better ones arrive.

Speaking as a reader—I want to read your articles! I really, really do.

But my time is limited.

What prompted me to finish this piece? Last week, when I had no time to spare and was doing my usual rounds on Substack with 12 mom interruptions, I spotted an article.

An article that stopped me in my tracks.

I read the whole thing in one sitting.

I skimmed it only to find myself starting over from the top and reading every word, while shushing my daughter and ignoring my real life. It was so good I made the time to read it.

Those articles often have some key elements in common.

Here are the 7 key things that catch my eye and get me to read your posts as a busy mom with limited time:

1. Your Title

Where the main idea lives

You guys produce some pretty clever titles.

Clever or not, the truth remains: if I don’t understand the title, I’m skipping the content.

I need to know what I’m getting into before I start reading. The easiest way to do that is by reading the title.

Sure, I can quit reading at any time. But Substack has so many great authors; if I commit to your article, I want to truly commit to it. Abandoning an article halfway through feels like wasted time and gives me the ick. It also means I won’t feel like I can comment on your post.

In other words, I want my time to be valuable for you and for me when I’m reading.

So I start with the title.

Cute and interesting titles are fun, but if it doesn’t explain what’s coming in the rest of the piece, I move on. Using plain, understandable language, at least in the subtitle, can make my decision about reading easier.

Titles and subtitles are great places to give readers the main idea of the entire piece, letting us know instantly what to expect and giving us an opportunity to decide whether or not we should commit.

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2. Subheadings

Giving us the breadcrumbs of your story

Subheadings are like the title, but they live throughout your piece of writing.

Using subheadings makes it easier for a reader to scan and skim. When I scan, I zero in on those subheadings. When I skim, I read a little more content to get the gist of the passage. Anyone who’s been to college knows this technique for getting through reading material. These skills translate well to a busy mom reading on Substack, as well.

If I scan a text for subheadings, I get a clearer picture of your article beyond just the main idea in the title. Subheadings function like breadcrumbs on my journey through your work. They lead me in the right direction and tell me where I’m going before I get there.

But they do more than just announce the next section of writing and what big ideas live there. They also break up big sections of text.

Which brings us to…

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3. Great Walls of Text

Function like a stop sign for busy moms

In rock history, we had Great Balls of Fire, but on Substack we get Great Walls of Text. The only thing those two have in common is they both:

“Shake my nerves and rattle my brain”—Jerry Lee Lewis

I can’t read them. I just can’t. They are so intimidating.

I get it. I probably write a lot like you do.

I put down a whole bunch of stuff that’s floating around in my head. It includes a lot of words nobody has time to read. When I first start a piece, I do a brain dump where I keep going and going… and going.

But before I submit an article, I do my absolute best to break it up into sections with subheadings and bold certain words for easy scanning and skimming.

Easy skimming: It’s one of my favorite things right up there with wine. I mean, my only child.

Listen, if you’re using Substack as a journal and you just need to get a lot of emotional content onto a page, by all means, write and drop a giant wall of text. I’m just probably not your audience.

As a busy mom, if I see a Great Wall of Text, I’m skipping the whole article.

So ask yourself:

• Why are you writing on Substack?

• Who’s your target audience?

Maybe I’m not your type.

But what if you’re looking to attract more busy moms to your readership? Women who will like, comment, and share your work? Then consider how you could break up those great walls of text to be visually clearer and move us through the content with ease.

4. Ways to Make Your Words Stand Out

The Big and Bold Way to Get My Attention

Beyond subheadings, there are even more ways to break up your text and make your writing stand out.

Bold words are a key strategy to make words pop on the page.

Figuring out which words to bold when I’m writing a personal article vs. a how-to article is something I’m still getting the hang of. But I would definitely encourage any writer on Substack to skim their own writing before they submit it and bold any words that would catch a reader’s attention and make the content easier to digest.

I think this goes for fiction writers as much as nonfiction writers.

You don’t have to give away the ending. But you could bold some ideas that function like cliffhangers between chapters. Points in the story that would make us want more.

For my nonfiction writing, I bold key phrases the way I’d circle or underline key ideas when reading a book. I might also use italics to emphasize specific words. For example, if I really really like a piece, italics is a good way to point that out.

Bolding phrases or even whole sentences for concepts I want a reader to catch quickly is a go-to for me. And so are italics to emphasize emotions. That means I look for these when I read your article, too.

And don’t forget the block or pull quotes to add a famous quotation or even something significant you say in your writing. I’ve noticed some writers using the callout block, but those feel more like a place for sales offers. My eyes tend to skip over the callout blocks in favor of the block or pull quotes.

I also use dividers to break up sections.

I’ve created my own branded divider. I place these at the beginning and end of my articles, so there’s a clear area where the real content lives in between the introduction and the final CTA or What’s Coming Next section. This means you can get right to the main article.

And don’t forget to use bullet-point lists.

If I read through and find at least three things (sometimes even two) in a row, I turn those into a bullet point list. Again, this helps a reader zero in on that section of content, and it pulls their eyes down towards the finish line.

Whether you bold, italicize, employ bullet points, or use some kind of quote block, the goal here is to help the eye catch certain ideas, keep a reader moving through the piece, and avoid the Great Wall of Text.

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5. Who Are You?

When I Can’t Find Your Name to Give You Credit

I had this incorrectly set up on my Substack for a good 9 months until a recent Timo Mason🤠 article pointed it out to me.

Substack is such a collaborative platform; I shout out the people whose work I love to read so other busy moms can find them. But I often struggle to do that when I use the @ symbol to locate you.

So many times I simply can’t find you.

Not because you’re not there, but because the name you’ve listed as your profile name is different from the name you use for your @ symbol.

I decided to go with my real first name, then use the | (pipe symbol) and add my publication name, too. I still might be doing this wrong, but I want my one publication to stand out. And I think most people can find me now.

Putting my first name with my publication name, April | The Narrative Nest, has been my best option.

Originally, I was using my publication name for both the newsletter and my profile, and I decided to scrap that when someone asked what they should call me. Yes, it would be weird to be referred to as The Narrative like it was my first name. So, I’m grateful they pointed it out.

If you feel like you need anonymity and want to use only your publication name, I understand. I wrote under a pen name for years. All I’m getting at here is that to share your content so other moms can see it. I need to be able to find you using the @ symbol and feel like I’m calling you the right name when I reach out.

So make sure your naming is clear on your Substack.

Double-check that when someone types in your name, they can pull you up easily. And make it clear how you’d like to be addressed.

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6. The Great AI Debate

Useful Technology or 100% Demonology??

AI. We’re all trying to figure it out.

But the dissenters might be in for a surprise if they looked more closely. Most of us may be using AI and not even knowing it. More and more companies are embedding AI into their technologies; technologies we use daily.

Do I think we should question its use? Definitely.

But screaming: I’m blocking you for using AI!!!!

Can we stop doing that, please?

Pretty please.

There’s been some powerful work written with nuance on the subject of AI. Work by JHong, Dr Sam Illingworth, and Manuela Kouakou, MD-PhD. I would suggest anyone weighing in on the AI debate read their work before making a judgment call.

As for me, I can draw by hand, and I’m a damn good writer.

If AI didn’t exist, creatively speaking, I’d be okay.

What I lack is time.

Pulling everything off seamlessly is a difficult maneuver.

In the past, we’d have entire departments to get done what one person is expected to make happen on Substack: graphic design departments, researchers, and editing teams.

Yet, many of us are working for free and can’t afford to hire one assistant.

So if technology can help me work more efficiently, I’m using it.

AI is not replacing my brain, my words, or my ideas. It’s filling in gaps and helping me make better use of my time.

Should we be concerned about data centers and environmental issues? Absolutely. But that should be an ever-present concern no matter the cause.

As far as AI detection to know who’s… erm… using AI… Monica Hebert referred to that as a purity test, and I love her for saying that.

Go ahead and sew your Scarlet Letter on now, folks!

AI software looking for other AI to say the second AI is bad but not the first AI that’s looking for the second AI.

Whew! That’s a whirlwind.

I’ve recently taken classes on curriculum development where I’m instructed to NEVER make AI covers, yet the writing, directions, and research are fine if they’re all AI-based. Huh?

So, some AI is okay, but other AI is…???

If you’re on Substack, you’re most likely using AI in some capacity, whether you realize it or not. There was technology before us, and there’ll be technology after we’re gone.

I tend to sum up AI this way:

I use knives and fire in the kitchen every day.

Do I cut or burn myself? On occasion, yes. Nothing major, but is there a potential for a house fire or cutting off my finger on accident?

Always. If I’m not careful.

Still, I’m not giving up my knives and fire to cook.

I’m not interested in eating room-temperature raw meat and veg.

I quite like the risky technology that helps me prepare a good meal for my family. And just because I use these tools doesn’t mean I’m not actually cooking the meal myself. With every cooking session, I’m improving my knife skills and perfecting the temperature I’m cooking with to produce a meal.

Likewise, most of us use AI not to cheat, but to make our own work more efficient so we can continue to participate and connect on Substack.

As a reader, what I’m skipping out on are the lengthy articles that denigrate anyone who may use AI at all for anything.

❦ If The Narrative Nest benefits you as a home educator, but you aren’t ready for a paid subscription, consider making a small donation to help me continue my work ❦

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7. Available Audio

Listening is a Viable Alternative to Reading

Speaking of AI, voiceovers reading your articles used to be a function you had to provide yourself. While it would be lovely if everyone had the time to sit down and record themselves reading their articles in their own word, I, for one, am glad this audio feature is automatic now.

I’ve seen a few voiceovers that require a paid membership.

When I go in to find my voiceovers, they don’t pop up until I’m on the mobile Substack app, so double-check you can access your own or someone else’s voiceovers without issue.

But I believe most available Substack articles now have automatic audio.

To ensure you’ve got a voice you like reading your articles, do this:

1. Go into your Dashboard

2. Then go to your Settings

3. Stay in Basics and scroll down to Read-aloud voice; you can choose whatever automated voice you’d like.

Once you write and publish an article, the voiceover is automatically available for your work, which can be a LIFE SAVER for busy moms.

I digest more content by listening than reading simply because I can get through so much content while I do chores.

Every night when I cook, I’m listening to stuff like Dr. Death or other crazy true crime podcasts. Recently, I discovered I could switch over and listen to all my saved Substacks while I’m cooking.

All I have to do is go into my Subscriptions and click on Saved.

Once I find an article I want to listen to, I click on the arrow button at the top of the page.

If Substack was smart, they’d figure out how to make that first audio roll right into the next one for continuous play, but alas, we can’t have it all.

I’m still more likely to get to your work if I can listen while I’m cooking or cleaning than if I have to sit down. Reading is great, but it’s just not always the best option for busy moms.

In fact, I had food in the oven last night and thought I had time to read one Substack article. Nope. Midway through, I burnt half of my food. Had I been listening to that article instead of reading it, I would’ve never set off the fire alarm.

Substack even allows you to turn on two buttons right above the Read-aloud voice feature:

• Additional post languages

• Allow automatic translations

Yes, of course this means there could be mistranslations, but I say why not go for it? Why not give access to people who may not speak the same language as you? It’s one more option for accessibility.

There are plenty of ways to get supportive moms to follow your work. You just have to be willing to make the words on the page more accessible to us.

Next week I’ll be showing you how I’ve made my homeschool work for us this year instead of feeling like we’re drowning. If you’re just getting started with homeschool, you may want to take a look.

Homeschool once felt like my biggest struggle, but it now is the easiest part of my day.