Do CTAs Really Work?

Asking for a friend- she's a recovering people-pleaser 👀

Welcome to DPP, a weekly newsletter about the real-life trials and tribulations of pleasing, and how I leverage emotional intelligence for proper recovery. Letters land on Tuesdays and sometimes surprise days, please consider me a first-class seat with your inbox?

I added this portion of my CTA-newsletter opener last Tuesday: ⬇️

I have decided to turn on paid subscriptions. I am currently at a whopping 0 paid subscribers. (Gotta start somewhere!!) It’s $5/month to support my dreams of becoming published- which turns out, is rather expensive to do on our own. If you would like to contribute, be prepared for a SNAIL MAIL LETTER of MY TANGIBLE GRATITUDE in your mailbox. I will reach out, and I will thank you.

Results:

MEGA THANKS TO QUEEN

Amy Gabrielle

- your paid subscription came through quite literally MOMENTS before I took the paid option DOWN out of embarrassment of even thinking about being worthy enough to go paid. Your support goes so far beyond the dollar- you psychologically affirmed that I belong here. THANK YOU SO MUCH. I sent your card via USPS (dropped in the little blue box at the street corner and all) the SAME DAY you subscribed!!

This week I want to know- aside from Amy- do CTA’s work?? Do people read them? Do we benefit from them?

I realize there is a circle of us on Substack and we try to support one another in terms of paid subscriptions. It would be silly to go paid for me, if I am paid for you because our bank accounts are going to get real confused over our $0 balance every month. Please don’t feel obligated to pay for my work if you are a fellow substack writer.

As a pleaser- I would rather die than ask for help do things alone. I don’t want to feel as though I owe you. Or worse- I shrivel at the thought of being seen as annoying to you.

I’m re-reading a gifted book by positive psychology & happiness researcher, Stephanie Harrison, called New Happy, which teaches us that societies’ structure of what Harrison calls “Old Happy” tells us that we have to do it alone. Whatever “it” is, we will be worthless, stupid idiots, if we ask for help or share our ideas with others.

Here I am, freshly watered positive from my read, asking that if you are here and reading this right now, you support me in the New Happy way of living: by joining forces, sharing & communing, and for FREE of course!

We know that there are other ways aside from paid subscriptions to appreciate and amplify each other here, such as “liking” or re-staking each other’s work in Notes, which is HUGELY appreciated- JUST AS MUCH AS A PAID SUBSCRIPTION.

I am here not only to become a Substack Bestseller (just gotta claim it & stop feeling so unworthy already), but also to grow an email list - a free subscription is JUST AS HOLY as a paid one.

I don’t use other platforms to market this publication because I honestly don’t engage with other platforms the way I live here, with you.

Yesterday, I got a notification via email that someone I work with sent me a friend request on Facebook. I laughed gulped. I don’t even know what my FB password is…I deleted the app off my phone years ago.

Instagram is hanging on by a thread- and that’s only because I have a private account for August- tracking his growth as a visual journal for him (and me) as he develops.

Dont have Twitter/X! Never have!

I do have TikTok- but I don’t create content. Strictly consumerism over there.

CTA: Give-A-Way!!

This week year, I would like to get Dear People Pleasers out of her shell and into the world. On Substack or otherwise- and I would never ask without proper reinforcements for such kindness. The best part is you get to PICK which gift you’d like when you win!
I self-published two journals - one is guided with structure around how to leverage emotional intelligence.
The other- is a tribute to Elizabeth Gilbert’s Letters from Love practice: It’s a hardback Lovelet Journal with a daily prompt at the top of each page. The pages are blank (aside from the prompt and cute motivational graphics in the lower right-hand corners) so that you may write, draw, paint, doodle, sticker, junk journal- whatever you please in a nice little space.

What Do These Journals Look Like?

Take a peek:

Giveaway Option #1:

The Guided Emotional Intelligence Journal

Giveaway Option #2:

Lovelet Journal: Inspired By Elizabeth Gilbert's Letters From Love

How To Enter The Giveaway, You Ask?

Well, I think you may already know that. I would love for you to share DPP.

• Restack here within substack- forward this email to a friend-blast on LinkedIn (LOL) wherever you lurk around the corners of the internet.

• Let me know you have ENTERED with a comment, or email, or by carrier pigeon.

But, WAIT!

If you are an angel and ALREADY HAVE one or both of these journals YOU CAN STILL PLAY:

• Leave me a coveted REVIEW of your journal on Amazon, and I will enter you for a special (and also coveted) 30-minute Zoom, called Coffee with Kaylen where we can chat about all things UN-PLEASING about People Pleasing, and of course what we do to deconstruct this way of living.

Giveaway will be open through midnight- Friday, February 14, 2025.

*Two lucky love birds will be drawn and contacted to pick a gift of your choice.

Substack is it for me, and I love to be here with you.

Love,

K. Alexandra

Update on Author Interviews for “Oh, Please”:

There are currently 7 authors working on their questionnaires and I am really excited to receive their answers and share with us here. If you have not already interviewed or signed up- I do not place a deadline to submit - I don’t want anyone to have to “please” me by speeding through answers. Thank you for your patience on the next author’s pearls of wisdom!

If you are a recovering people-pleaser and would like to share how that’s going with us, I would LOVE to have you! Please submit your contact information (safely) here: Interview Me! 🐞