Social Media Escape Club

Max Pete joins to talk about chasing tech dreams, the rise (or comeback?) of offline community, and how creatives can find balance between being seen online and actually living their lives.

In this wide-ranging conversation with writer and astrologer Frederick Woodruff, we dive into the shifting landscape of newsletters and paid memberships, why he moved away from Substack, and what it really means to create outside of social media. We also talk astrology (including the Saturn–Neptune conjunction), Frederick’s new book The DMER Diaries, and the slow, grounding power of email lists an...

Seth talks with musician Matty C about the unvarnished truth of creating and releasing an album in 2025 — from launching a $20k Indiegogo campaign to pressing vinyl, filming a live show, and telling the deeper story behind independent art. They dig into the realities of streaming payouts, building community, choosing platforms, and why story matters more than algorithms.

Prioritizing real-life connections: Angela Hollowell shares how focusing on in-person events over constant social media brought her valuable contacts, new opportunities, and even an award. She notes that “in real life, it just matters that much more,” and that her name still traveled through rooms even when she wasn’t there. Owning your platform and content: Creators should control their own domai...

Angela Hollowell (Please Hustle Responsibly) and Seth from Social Media Escape Club talk about stepping back from algorithm-driven platforms like LinkedIn and Instagram to build slower, calmer, more sustainable creative practices. Topics include: • Replacing daily posting habits with long-form writing • Why a newsletter is a better foundation than social media • Website strategies and owning your...

I spoke with Brie-Anna Willey about how scrolling works. That’s why social media has had such a hold on us—because we just scroll. There’s nothing to it. Then look at our websites, filled with links and categories and the wide images, it’s just like—decisions. Options. Do I want to click on their About page? Do I want to click on their Category page? Remember the blog post? Here’s a photo, then he...

Camilla Wickman links! https://camillawickman.com/ https://camillawickman.bandcamp.com/album/red-rock-seal-skin

Some of the big things we covered: You need a space that’s truly yours (and feels safe to show up in) Real community comes from real connection Leading something long-term? set boundaries, stay sane Start small, try stuff, be okay with messy Chase meaning, not just follower counts

https://streamndestroy.substack.com/ https://www.ryanjdowney.com/

More details here! https://socialmediaescapeclub.substack.com/p/max-pete-on-community-making-your

Music: cat therapy by L.Dre  

Sarah Fay and I focused on how people are using Substack right now, especially the temptation to treat Notes like another social feed to optimize and post constantly.  We talked about slowing that reflex down and prioritizing email subscribers instead—saving strong ideas for newsletters, reposting things from Notes into emails so subscribers actually see them, and measuring success by retention ra...

Tim's newsletter: https://soberlivinginthemusicindustry.substack.com/

Subscribe to Mario's Morning Shakeout Newsletter! https://themorningshakeout.substack.com/

Find out more about Claire Venus here: https://sparkleon.substack.com/

Find Mansi here: https://notes.mansimakes.com/

Get on Laura’s email list here: https://penfriend.rocks/hello Get Laura’s music on Bandcamp !

Subscribe to Olivia's newsletter here: https://oliviarafferty.substack.com/ And check out her new album here: https://oliviarafferty.bandcamp.com/album/typical-forever

This episode is from a Substack Live we did on March 10th, 2025, where we discussed Chuck Marshall's nonprofit, GIG: The Art of Michigan Music , which he started to showcase and support the visual artists involved in the Michigan music scene. Chuck also talked about Life in Michigan , the website and newsletter he runs with his wife, Brenda, which focuses on local beer, music, and travel in Michig...

Sean R Reid was a guest on one of our recent Escape Pod Zoom calls, and he dropped the phrase “artfully cacophonous,” which led to some good laughs! He talked about all the toys and other fun items he collects, and I was reading the part of Austin Kleon’s ‘Show Your Work’ where he talked “Don’t be a hoarder,” and I’m so glad Sean isn’t hiding his fun decor - I think you’ll appreciate this intervie...

Spoke to Michael Gilbride of Mad Records on Substack Live yesterday (Wed, Mar 5, 2025) and we covered a lot of ground here. Buckle up. Directly reaching your audience with an email list Building trust in your work and how you present yourself Approaching the business side of all this creatively Be the Roomba Getting back to TALKING again, in person Be sure to subscribe to The Mad Records Monologue...

We covered a lot on this nearly hour and a half chat, including, but certainly not limited to: Owning your work and backing it up. Why waiting to be "discovered" is a flawed. How email and direct outreach beat relying on social media algorithms. Focusing on conversations and connections instead of chasing numbers. https://botharetrue.substack.com/

Sarah Faith Gottesdiener and I talked about building a sustainable business with an email list, rather than relying heavily on social media. Sustainable can mean a lot of things, but we found in our conversation that it means ease, calm, peace. Like sharing resources, and solving problems together.

Social media companies want you sitting on your couch consuming as many ads as possible. It feels like a leisurely activity, but really you’re working very hard to increase shareholder value for massive corporations. Sara Eckel wrote about this in ‘The People Who Don't Want You to Sleep,’ “Social media companies don’t want you to go out and have fun with your friends—they want you to look at pictu...

Colin Czerwinski spent his own money making his first photo book and sold most of them by being in the right room. Being in the right room is an elusive destination for many creative people, mostly because we find it very easy to be in the wrong room on many occasions. Colin and I talked about our friends Diana Pappas and Tom Bland, who recently set up at a local art fair, and it didn’t go so well...