How I Use My iPad To Run A Newsletter
How I blog about iPads with an iPad
A few years ago, going iPad-only was only possible for little kids, grandparents, and tech YouTubers with large followings.
Thankfully, we’ve come so far since then.
For the past year, I’ve been writing Overoptimize entirely on an iPad. As far as I can remember, I’ve never used a computer to even sign in to Overoptimize.
After 62 posts, my writing workflow has slowly evolved to where it is today (you can see this evolution if you look through my old posts).
Here’s how I consistently write and promote my posts (using only my iPad).
My Dashboard
To organize my posts, I use a Notion dashboard.
There are four categories of posts:
Not Started: This category is for any random ideas I think of. For most of these ideas, I won’t write a post.
In Progress: This is the category for ideas I’ve decided to write a post about. When an idea is in this category, there’s usually some writing progress towards a full post.
Complete: These are posts that I’ve written but haven’t been published yet. I usually keep one or two “evergreen” posts that I can use as backups in case an emergency happens in my personal life.
Published: This category is hidden (that’s why you can’t see it in the picture). This is for posts that have been published on Overoptimize.
If you’re interested in checking out the dashboard, here’s the link to a template I made a while ago.
Writing
To write my posts, I usually follow a four-step process:
Subheadings
I like writing these out first because they give me a structure I can follow.
That saves a lot of time for me - I can focus on writing instead of what to write about.
Introduction
These usually take me a while to come up with, but it’s a fun process.
Sometimes I’ll include a quote from a friend. Other times, I’ll use a small story or connect the post topic to another idea.
I try to have an exciting first sentence, but that can be tough to do when you’re writing about iPads.
Rest of Post
Thanks to my subheadings, I can fill in the rest of the post pretty easily.
As I write my post in Notion, I like to add little reminders in bold.
When transferring a post from Notion to Substack, I usually add the images in Substack. To create a reminder, I like adding bold text (I usually use ADD PICTURE).
Conclusion + CTA
I find writing good conclusions a little tough.
Usually, I mention something about how I hope the post has helped you (I genuinely do), but I don’t write much beyond that.
Occasionally, I’ll also add a call-to-action (CTA) at the bottom of my Substack posts. This is usually if I’m cross-promoting with another writer or making an announcement.
On my Medium posts, I’ll also add a CTA with a link to my Substack in the hopes that people subscribe to my newsletter. I used to write this CTA on the spot, but I now use a template I can copy and paste.
Proofreading
To check my articles prior to posting, I use two websites: WordCounter and Grammarly.
WordCounter
I use WordCounter to find the length and reading time of my post.
I usually keep my posts between 3-5 minutes long, which means I try to keep the written part of my posts between 2-4 minutes long (pictures usually add around 1 minute of reading time).
While this isn’t a set boundary though (I’ve had posts that take 2 minutes to read and posts that take 9 minutes to read), I try to make sure my post isn’t too short or too long.
Grammarly
While I do use Grammarly, I mainly use it to fix my grammar.
I only use the free version, and I don’t use any tips about improving the style of writing. When I used to follow Grammarly’s style tips, I found that my writing became more robotic - something I didn’t want.
Posting
Whenever I publish a post, I release it in two places: Substack and Medium.
Medium is where my promotion happens - I currently average around 11,000 views per month.
Substack, on the other hand, is where the true Overoptimize community exists. While I don’t currently send out discussion threads, I have in the past and I plan to do so in the future.
Images
I’ve tried three types of photos in my posts:
Unsplash photos
Screenshots
Drawings/diagrams
Each has its pros and cons.
Unsplash photos look cool, but some are overused. Screenshots are practical, but they don’t have an aesthetic look. Drawings and diagrams are also practical, but I have terrible handwriting.
Usually, different posts need different types of photos: While app discussions need screenshots, iPadOS prediction posts rely on photos from Unsplash.
Promotion
In addition to Medium, I use a few more promotion techniques. Here are some of the ones I’ve used in the past:
Newsletter listing sites
Cross-promotions
Product Hunt
Reddit
Discord (I have permission to promote Overoptimize in an iPad-related server)
I’ve also tried promoting Overoptimize at school (not seriously, more as a joke).
Of the three subscribers I personally know, one subscribed so he could leave interesting comments on this post and this post, the second is a close friend, and the third wrote this post and helped me write this post.
Final Thoughts
And that’s how I run Overoptimize from my iPad.
As always, I hope this post provided some valuable advice for you.
Thanks for reading!
Adi
Very interesting post, thanks for sharing your process!