28 Comments
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Kate Emiley's avatar

Loved this post. Great point about how those creators that have big followings don’t know what you know. We’re all so unique and special and I’m so happy I found you!

I’ve just started on Substack and didn’t know audio was a thing 🙊 listening to your voice was such a beautiful way to experience your writing. I noticed you have done audio for all your articles. Do you recommend doing this?

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Anna Mackenzie's avatar

Welcome to Substack! I love recording the audio (I'm a former podcaster haha). I also think it's a nice option to offer readers because a lot of people prefer to listen on the go than read. It only takes me an extra 5-10 mins to do a VoiceOver each week. I recommend!

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Kate Emiley's avatar

Love that! I have a YouTube channel which has gone silent since baby #2 thanks to the energy required to produce content. Think this might be a good addition, thank you 🙏🏼

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Emily Hamilton's avatar

This is exactly what I needed to read today! Thank you for always writing the things that need to be said at the right time x

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Anna Mackenzie's avatar

Thanks lovely x

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Solani's avatar

A beautiful reminder 💓🫂

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Anna Mackenzie's avatar

I wrote it as a reminder for myself too. x

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Sara Thomas's avatar

I needed to read this! Thank you so much for this encouragement. I joined Substack this year and had my first week of no new subscribers and I started to play the comparison game. "It's been said before, but not by your voice" is going to be my mantra this week!

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Anna Mackenzie's avatar

Congrats for starting and continuing to show up here! There will always be quiet days and weeks (the first 8 months of writing for me were sooooo slow) but that's just part of the process. It's normal!

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Sara Thomas's avatar

So encouraging to hear! Thank you again for your words here.

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Amy Boyce's avatar

Yes! I love this Anna. Firstly, validation - your voice is so valued and appreciated so please keep spreading the good word. Secondly - this is exactly what I needed to hear after a rollercoaster of a week. As always thanks for sharing your insight and giving us all the rah, rah we need to head into the weekend!

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Anna Mackenzie's avatar

Thank you, you wonderful woman! ❤️

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Bailey's avatar

I loved this, thanks for sharing Anna!

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Anna Mackenzie's avatar

You're welcome!

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Jeanette Martin's avatar

This is a great post about how we all fit here on Substack and why we need to lean in to who we are to stand out.

Yes, AI can answer "how can X do Y?" But it can't add the messy, relatable, real experiences you've been through that make the story come alive and help us readers feel someone sees us and has walked this path before us.

Happy to find your Substack, Anna!

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Anna Mackenzie's avatar

Thank you!! I appreciate the kind words and happy we found each other too!

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Maria Izvestkina's avatar

Beautifully said and just what I needed, while navigating this space 🫶🏼

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Anna Mackenzie's avatar

❤️

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Melissa Gough's avatar

This was such a great read and resonated so much. It is easy to become overwhelmed and think the pond is too big and you are up against the impossible. A reminder to know that all our voices and life experiences are unique and worthy, especially on the days of self -doubt. Love the voice recordings. Can I ask - what is the best way to do that? 🙂

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Anna Mackenzie's avatar

I feel you, but I honestly believe there's room for everyone if we lean into our unique voice and strengths. Adding audio to your Substack is really easy! In the editor there's a button in the top menu that says "add voiceover" or "add audio embed". I use the voiceover function to do a read through of the posts, then embed audio in the bottom of each newsletter for my chat.

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Jen's avatar

The voice note is sooo good 👏👏

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Anna Mackenzie's avatar

Oo glad you enjoyed it. Do you agree with me on the 'personal' in personal brand stuff?

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Iwana Johannsen's avatar

Agree, I think you said what a lot of us are thinking daily. 🫶

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Anna Mackenzie's avatar

My goal is to speak out loud what's in people's heads, so this is a lovely compliment!

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Yvonne O.'s avatar

Very beautifully written🤍 Thank you for the reminder✨

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Anna Mackenzie's avatar

You are so welcome 🤗

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Working On It by Chloe Field's avatar

This one really hit home - so eloquently and beautifully said x

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Anna Mackenzie's avatar

Thanks lovely 🥰

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