The powerful emotional truth about what makes readers stay loyal
Your vulnerable stories can create the strongest reader bonds
I've noticed something when reviewing newsletters with clients: we’re always brainstorming for personal stories to weave in because those are often the most interesting parts.
"This is too personal," they'll say. "Nobody cares about my morning routine/career transition/struggle with finding direction."
Yet those personal tidbits are precisely what make their voice distinct from the sea of generic advice.
I almost deleted a story about my transition from San Francisco to Austin during the pandemic.
It felt vulnerable sharing how I moved "for a job" when, as we all know, you're never just moving for a job because life has other plans.
But that admission about life's unexpected turns is something often commented on when we first hop on a call to talk about working together.
Those personal stories stick with people.
Or I could have cut the part about feeling lost after working at Scribe Media, where I helped dozens of successful entrepreneurs and authors launch their platforms—I wasn't applying that expertise to my own Substack.
That admission of irony resonated deeply with fellow writers and some of my Substack strategy clients.
Why?
Because the moments when we're most human are when readers connect most deeply.
So today, I'm wondering: Is there a personal story you’ve been hesitant to share that might actually be the bridge connecting your readers to your ideas?
Sometimes the "too personal" is exactly what your newsletter needs.
Keep Writing,
P.S. Have you included something personal in your newsletter that surprised you with its response? Drop a comment below— or join our Thursday chat thread this week, where we'll dive deeper into this together!
If you enjoyed this ‘lil bit of inspiration, try these:
I believe wholeheartedly that you are right, Jen. Sometimes, I forget about this truth. I have heard many writing teachers explain that the more personal you get in your writing, the more universal the appeal. It's in the details of our own experience that other people see their own lives, hopes, dreams, and fears reflected. People gloss over generalities. They latch onto specifics, especially personal ones. Thanks for the reminder. 💜
Thank you Jen, and I have a question about how personal is TOO personal. I have a story I hope to eventually share where I describe just how I reached rock bottom. The lost pet recovery nonprofit organization that I tried to form struggled to get developed. Because we received NO donations, I took a part-time job delivering newspapers. It was a week before Christmas, pouring rain, and I had torn cartilage in my painful knee. It was a Sunday newspaper that I was delivering, wrapped in a thick stack of Christmas sale advertisements, making each "paper" as large as a log and weighing about 6 pounds! As I hobbled up a driveway with the paper, I got an extremely uncomfortable WEDGY! I broke down and limp-sobbed my way through my paper route, vowing that there HAD to be a better way to develop my dream of pioneering lost pet recovery services! I quit my job that morning.
Is writing about a wedgy TOO personal? It was truly what sent me over the edge, but perhaps some stories are better off not shared? In my first month of posting in Substack I shared a funny story about the first autopsy I attended. I lost a few subscribers with that story and realized that perhaps I need to be more careful about what I share with the world! Thoughts?