The Slow Fade: Reflections on Substack, Magic, and Subscriber Numbers
With each article I publish here, I seem to be losing subscribers rather than gaining them. This slow decline started in the summer of 2025, with very few new ones coming in to offset the losses.
It’s easy to say I don’t care about subscriber numbers, but in truth, I do. I care because I genuinely want to understand what has changed.
I’ll admit I write about a wide range of topics. That probably means some readers enjoy one piece but feel little connection to the others. It makes my Substack harder to define — it doesn’t fit neatly into a tidy box with a pretty bow. That’s why I call it “The Magical World of…” — because I genuinely see the world as a magical place, and I try to reflect that spirit in these short articles.
Looking at other writers here, it does seem that Substack itself has changed. Like many platforms, it now favors quick, X-style posts over longer articles. I’ve seen complaints that this shift has affected how the platform promotes us: short posts get pushed forward while full articles are pushed into the background.
It’s likely a combination of both factors. I also stopped actively asking for subscriptions at some point — I was growing nicely and didn’t feel the need. That habit has stuck with me for many months, only recently changing.
I do know I have a wonderful core of loyal readers who comment and engage regularly, and I’m deeply grateful for them. It’s a joy to interact with such a diverse group of people I would otherwise never have met. One or two very special subscribers even came to a conference I was involved with last year, and I had the pleasure of meeting them in person. Moments like that remind me why this kind of writing is so worthwhile — regardless of how the subscriber count evolves over time.
Thank you all for reading my ramblings and for sharing this very magical world of ours.
I love your posts Gary. The only reason I can think that subscribers are down is that people have come off Substack...I no longer have the App, but get your emails.
Its a pleasure to open up your musings on mornings I hit the lalptop. It is good to know that not all of humanity and jabbing themselves with GP-1 thingies, idolising idiots who are famous for being famous, eating beyond burgers (?) and lining up for every simon says propaganda effort. While there are individuals capable of producing a thought in their own heads is possible (sadly that may be a struggle if more people don't start opening a grey cell or two with their starbucks ) then it will be an even lonier road we travel. Here is to finding like minds before humans are biohacked into zombies. I'm enjoying the sun that the ******** planes have left for us this morning, a tiny little bird is nearly exploding his air sacks in order to convince the other little bird in the tree that it is worth laying some eggs this summer. I with the bird, I am intending to make my nest this year (we will find a house!) onwards....