The Substack Success Podcast (Sarah Fay)

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I love Wikipedia’s definition of writer’s block:

“Writer's block is a condition, primarily associated with writing, in which an author is either unable to produce new work or experiences a creative slowdown.”

So melodramatic: The author is unable to produce new work. Practically an illness: a condition.

I also love the image Wikipedia chose to accompany the entry: 19th- and 20th-century impressionist painter Leonid Pasternak’s “The Passion of Creation.” High drama. Total despair. (Google the phrase writer’s block, and that image will come up a lot.)

You have to understand that Leonid was friends with Leo Tolstoy, perhaps the most melodramatic author to set foot on this earth. (That’s not a dig at Tolsoy’s writing—come on, War and Peace, Anna Karenina—but Tolstoy had a way of creating drama in his life. He was a serious philanderer, made his wife Sophia a slave to him and then left her at the age of 82, and started what was basically a cult that got him excommunicated from the Russian Orthodox Church.) (Yes, Leonid was also the father of Boris, author of Dr. Zhivago, and about a gazillion poems. No writer’s block there.)

Writer’s block can be applied to visual artists, but usually, it’s just us. Surgeons don’t get surgeon’s block. Electricians don’t get electrician’s block.

Writers like drama. That’s our bread and butter. And sometimes, our love of drama seeps into our lives in ways that aren’t productive.

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A bonus for you for the weekend! If you’re serializing or thinking about serializing your book (or possible book), I go through the entire process and what to consider on the Become a Writer Today podcast with Bryan Collins. Bryan is great.

We talk about all things serialization and “becoming an author,” including my trajectory from

* interviewer at The Paris Review to

* MFA-in-creative-writing grad to

* PhD-in-English grad to

* HarperCollins author to

* devoted Substacker serializing my new memoir Cured and helping creative writers everywhere come into their own and make a living as a writer.

I hope it inspires you and gets you thinking about serialization on Substack. Listen and enjoy!

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I’m absurdly excited to bring you my interview with Miller Coffey. Miller is a digital marketer who helps established authors start a Substack. He’s also incredibly genuine and real and smart and…I could go on. Miller is the president of the marketing firm Bellflower Media, a trans and queer-owned business that’s dedicated to equity and social justice.

We discuss everything from what every Substack should have to what he does for his clients to which social media platform writers should be on to branding and logos.

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Happy Tuesday!

Please read the intro as I forgot to record one!

This interview is a concise rundown of the realities of being an author in a publicity-driven world. Courtney Maum is quite possibly the only person who could bring it to us.

You might think of there being two eras: BCM (before ) and ACM (after Courtney Maum). Before Courtney and her game-changing publishing guide, Before and After the Book Deal, authors and writers were pretty much left in the dark as to what to expect when they went to sell a book and what would happen during and after. Courtney changed that. Her book and her amazing Substack have changed writers’ lives and empowered us all.

Courtney is also a stunning novelist and memoirist. She’s the author of The Year of the Horses, which was chosen by The Today Show as the best read for mental health awareness. A nominee for the Joyce Carol Oates Prize and the host of the monthly Beyond Fiction conversation series at Edith Wharton's.The Mount, Courtney's essays and articles on creativity have been widely published in outlets like The New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and The Guardian and her short story, “This Is Not Your Fault,” was recently turned into an Audible original.

I’m so happy to be able to interview her for you and (I hope) ask her some of the questions you have about writing and publishing on Substack and beyond.

Listen or read the transcript below and enjoy!

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On the go? Listen to the audio.

If you aren’t a subscriber, become one (!) to master the art and business of being on Substack.

On to the reason why so many writers feel bad about promoting their work and why they shouldn’t…

For many creative writers, publicity is something to be avoided lest someone accuse them of “self-promotion.” (By “creative,” I mean anyone who’s not a journalist—not that journalism isn’t creative.) The tacit belief is that “real” writers shouldn’t need to promote their work. “Good” writing magically publicizes itself or is promoted by others, i.e., gatekeepers—agents, publishers, critics, the media, celebrity authors, Substack writers with hundreds of thousands of subscribers, etc.

I can’t overstate how damaging this has been to writers. It’s brainwashed us into believing 1) all promotion is self-promotion and 2) publicizing our work means slumming and a lack of literary or artistic credibility. More than that, it’s created a culture of dependency and entitlement and a whole lot of professional writers who can’t make a living from their profession.

Writers—especially creative writers—seem to think publicity isn’t or shouldn’t be part of our job. Guess what? It is. It’s not the reader’s responsibility to find us. And not just on Substack. You can get the best agent and a big book deal and you’re still expected to sell your own books. (Sorry to pop that fantasy bubble, but it’s true.)

Yes, there’s the whole art-versus-commerce angst, which I’ve never understood. The idea that commerce taints art is one that I’d love for us all to question. Maybe it has more to do with reaching people. Art that sells speaks to the buying public; art that doesn’t, well, doesn’t.

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I will save you from spending years flailing around on Substack, trying to figure out the platform, and not getting any traction.

Book a single meeting:

Or a discounted 3-meeting package to get $25 off:

Substack is the best platform for writers—financially, professionally, and artistically—and the hardest to succeed on. Don’t do it alone.

This will be the best money you’ve ever spent. I don’t say that lightly. Just ask the writers who’ve met with me. Their Substacks have

* doubled and tripled in subscribers,

* seen a sharp increase in revenue,

* gotten real engagement, and

* been chosen as Featured Substacks–the pinnacle of quality on the platform.

“More than worth the money.” —Joyce Wycoff, Gratitude Mojo

You can’t find this level of mentoring, attention, and expertise anywhere else. No one else has the relationship with Substack that I do and specializes in the unique nature of the platform, how it can be used to earn an income, and how it complements traditional publishing and all aspects of a writer’s career.

To upgrade to listen on Apple, go to www.writersatwork.net/subscribe.

I’m so excited to have Matt Kirkland here today for you. Matt is the creator of Dracula Daily, the serialization of Bram Stoker’s Dracula on Substack. Most people know the story of the vampire and his move from Transylvania to London in search of victims. It’s primarily an epistolary novel made up of letters, diaries, telegrams, and newspaper clippings. It takes place from May to November, c. 1890. Most chapters of the novel occur on a particular date.

Matt didn’t serialize Dracula by simply dividing it according to word count or chapters. He broke up the novel according to date. All subscribers get a post or an installment of what’s happening in the novel on that date. You receive the parts of the novel that take place on May 3 in your inbox on May 3.

In our interview, we talk about how he ended up serializing Dracula.

Enjoy!

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Listen now to my interview with Russell Nohelty. Hear about how to succeed as a self-published author on Substack and how to use crowdfunding and other approaches to further your career.

Writers at Work

Grow. Your. Substack.

Book a Substack 1-to-1

If you’re interested in succeeding on Substack—i.e., want to focus your Substack, accelerate your growth as a writer, and attract subscribers—book a meeting! Find out exactly what your Substack needs, how your talents and expertise can be expressed on the platform, and how to produce work that subscribers (and agents and editors) really want to read and keep reading.

You leave with meticulous notes of our meeting that give you a step-by-step action plan, a clear content strategy, a better understanding of Substack’s features, ways to publicize your Substack and draw subscribers and more.

I’ve helped hundreds of writers and creatives. Their Substacks have doubled and tripled in subscribers, seen a sharp increase in revenue, gotten real engagement, and been Featured Substacks–the pinnacle of quality on the platform.

Get real guidance. Everything I share with you is based on the advice Substack gave me.

To upgrade to listen on Apple, go to www.writersatwork.net/subscribe.

I’ve worked one-to-one with over 250 people—helping them succeed on Substack. That means I’ve been behind a lot of dashboards and mentored a lot of different people—with different interests and goals—to

* double and triple and quadruple and septuple their subscribers,

* substantially increase their revenue,

* build a readership with real engagement, and

* be Featured Substacks—the pinnacle of quality on the platform.

Personalized guidance is the fastest, most efficient way to start and grow on here. I love strategizing and figuring out how a person’s talents, interests, and expertise will work best on the platform.

Notice I didn’t say you can write “for yourself” and expect to be paid. You have to show up like a pro and serve your readers.) There’s nothing better than helping someone see how amazing they are and how Substack can help them have the life and career they want.

I’ve learned and know a lot about Substack. Some of it also comes from building my own bestselling, Featured Substacks with over 9000 subscribers in eight months and guiding over 7000 subscribers here at Writers at Work.

Here are seven things I hope will bring you growth and joy on Substack in 2024.

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Hello, Substack Writers at Work!

Every once in a while we start to feel like we’re either in a holding pattern on Substack or it’s just not working. Your subscriber numbers are stagnant. They go up and go down—or they just go down. No one likes or restacks your posts. Every morning, you wake up and tell your cats, “It’s not working” (hypothetically).

This, my friends, is known as the Substack rut. Don’t worry. You’re not alone. And I’m here to help.

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I don’t think I’ve ever met someone who said they really liked being on social media. The general sentiment among the people I know is that we use it, it’s a necessary evil, and that’s that.

Except it’s not—not to Kat River, who is one of the most expansive, heart-filled women I’ve ever met. She’s all truth and authenticity. And she’s made a place for social media in her life, not in a begrudging way but in a how-can-I-show-up-and-open-myself-to-this? way.

In this interview, she teaches us how to embrace (yes, embrace) social media. Our conversation is full of so much wisdom. It’s a must-listen.

Please enjoy my interview with the powerful and amazing Kat River.

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00:03 Navigating Your Profile Page

00:12 Understanding Your Posts and Notes

00:27 Finding Other Users' Notes

00:35 Locating User Profiles

00:59 Exploring Other Users' Notes

To upgrade to listen on Apple, go to www.writersatwork.net/subscribe.

What we cover:

* What “going viral” means

* What counts as “viral”

* The 4 reasons a post goes viral

* What prevents a post from going viral

* The 5 things that make long-form posts go viral

* Viral posting strategies

* A deep dive into one Substack writer's viral post

* The one thing we know a post definitely needs to go viral

* A writing exercise to help you write your next (viral) post

As Substack’s Head of Writer Relations Farrah Storr puts it, we do these workshops in good faith that people won’t sign up for the link and then unsubscribe. We’re here to build a community of writers who will come together to grow. If you prefer to purchase the workshop, you can do so here:

This is part of the Craft of Writing on Substack series, where we take the best creative writing techniques and make them work for us on Substack.

Time to write your viral essay…

NOTE: Revision of what makes long-form go viral #4: Speak to a specific group/belief & oppose another

++A couple more examples of posts that went “viral” on Substack. In the workshop I mentioned that viral long-form posts often take a stand, agree with one group, and oppose another.

But the emotions that also cause people to share are joy, awe/surprise—positive. Check out this from @Jeannine Ouellette

Also, taking a stand doesn’t have to be political. I wrote this in favor of writing fewer words:

https://www.writersatwork.net/p/write-less-please

(I think it’s best to think in terms of viral for each of us, i.e., particularly widely shared and restacked, rather than putting a number on it.)

Please read Kirsten Powers’s essay “The way we live in the United States is not normal”—such a good example. No surprise it went viral.

Here’s the annotated version with my notes: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1tsqAP7s42KJt9mhkpzY0u8Aw3U50zIOKY7jENr41h3I/edit?usp=sharing

✨ Become a paid subscriber to become a better writer on Substack with How to Write Online workshops like this one. Paid subscribers also get access to the Headline Hub chat (so you can write headlines that go viral) and more to help you achieve your goals on Substack.

To upgrade to listen on Apple, go to www.writersatwork.net/subscribe.

We ended up doing deep work here—the best kind, the kind that helps you see the value of your Substack and your writing.

Yes, personalizing the automated emails so they convince subscribers to stay requires knowing why people subscribe to us in the first place, i.e., what our Substack and writing offers.

(In case you’re unfamiliar, Substack sends our subscribers automated Welcome emails, opt-out emails, and a renewal email.)

You’ll finish this workshop knowing: 

* Why people subscribe and would want to stay subscribed to your Substack

* The 3 most important automatic emails your subscribers get and how to write them

* How to know if your emails “work”

* How to write a Welcome email that makes subscribers feel like they’ve just joined an exciting community instead of like they’re going to get yet another email with “stuff” in it

* How to ask people to do something after reading your email so they actually do it

* The secret to the email banner, header, and footer

→PLUS

* We crowdsource your approaches and get wisdom and tips from our amazing Substack Writers at Work community.

No more unsubscribes!

Enjoy.

✨ Become part of a thriving 8000+ community to get the support and guidance you need to succeed on Substack and produce your best work. Get the discounted annual subscription.

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Here’s a breakdown of the three ways to collaborate with other Substack writers: guest post, cross-post, or interview (print, audio, video). Enjoy!

You can find people to collaborate with on the Substack Writers at Work Office Party.

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How to Write an Opinion Piece on Substack

On Substack, most people doing any form of personal writing use three modes:

* rumination,

* narrative, and/or

* opinion.

Your posts may be a mix of all three, but to write Substacks that draw readers and create engagement, we need to know which mode we’re in and how each works.

Opinion writing may be one of the hardest:

* How do we do it without being moralizing, reactionary, or trite?

* How do we establish authority?

* How do we write something important to readers, not just ourselves?

By the end of this workshop, you’ll know the four keys to opinion writing online: 

* The difference between a hot take, a think piece, an opinion piece, and an op-ed

* The ideal structure for an opinion piece that doesn’t come out dull, sloppy, or disjointed or harangue the reader—brought to us by the great

* How publishing an opinion piece on Substack can perhaps take a different approach than writing an op-ed for a mainstream media outlet

* The 10 keys to a successful op-ed

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Sara Tasker and Keeley Rees are the force behind The Substack Soiree. When Substack started pivoting slightly (very slightly) away from being solely a platform “for great writing” to an “economic engine for culture,” Sara and Keeley brought their combined gifts to the platform: Sara's magic in growing online audiences and running a business that doesn’t burn you out with Keeley’s professional experience in storytelling, copywriting, brand design.

The Substack Soirée focuses on how the visual element of our Substacks can complement our writing. They offer free branding bundles and The Substack Soirée class—a supportive group program for anyone looking to start, grow or expand their Substack presence. It guides Substack writers to find their voice and the stories they’re here to tell with support, accountability, and a gathering of like-minded people. 

Find out more about the class starting March 18 here—but listen to the interview first because these two make branding heart-filled to even the most branding-averse, cynical people. It’s not branding; it’s visual storytelling.

Sara and Keeley have spent decades in the online and social media spaces, particularly audience growth, online marketing, writing, and storytelling. Sara’s business is Me & Orla. She’s a creative business coach, writer, photographer, iTunes #1 business podcast host, bestselling author, and self-described Instagram nerd. Keeley’s areas of expertise are vast: writer, visual storyteller, email marketing expert, designer and content producer, copy coach, filmmaker, voice-over artist, and more.

They each have a Substack in their own right. Sara’s Entre Nous is “slow living, online business, and personal growth—for creative souls and dreamers.” It’s a glimpse into her life, including the French house she’s currently renovating, and her insights into creating a business, being on social media, marketing, and selling “while being a human with a heart.” Keeley’s Secret Gardens is a space for her personal narratives and insights into what it means to be a creator (which she would define very broadly) today. You can read her excellent post “Visual Storytelling: AKA the Case for Branding” here.

Enjoy!

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Ah, sections. If you’re like me, you’ve unknowingly gone down this dangerous road. Ill-advised.

To group posts on your homepage, so they appear by topic rather than in chronological order, you want groups, not sections.

Sections are only if you want to create an entirely separate newsletter within your newsletter. They’re a nightmare for you and your subscribers. Find out why in this video.

Thanks for the suggestion to do this tech video, Mitch.

Here’s Substack’s guide to setting up sections.

✶ Join our community. Get the support of thousands of paying members and benefit from my expert guidance to help you grow your Substack fast.

Paid members, we’re here to support you. Need help with your headlines? The members-only headline hub chat is where you get expert advice on how to headline your posts to draw readers in. 24/7. Go here, tell us a bit about what your post is about and the headline you’re considering, and we’ll give you suggestions:

To upgrade to listen on Apple, go to www.writersatwork.net/subscribe.

PDF with the slides and prompts is below!

We’ve never been given an opportunity like this to earn an income, build a community of loyal subscribers, be creative, and get exposure for our work.

But how do we do it in a way that’s relatively free of overwhelm, doubt, stress, and frustration?

Enter your editorial calendar.

Part of my genius working with people 1-to-1 as a private Substack consultant is that I listen to their goals, spot exactly what they love to write, and help them set up an editorial calendar that serves them and their subscribers.

In this workshop, you get a taste of that.

What you’ll do:

* Revisit your goals, what you most enjoy posting, and which posts resonate with your subscribers

* Determine how often and how much you really need to be posting

* Set up strategic editorial and content calendars that improve your life and your Substack

BONUS: How to repurpose content on Notes without feeling lame

*Even if you’re satisfied with your posting schedule, it’s always good to check in.

✨ Get access by becoming part of the Substack Writers at Work community, the most supportive, connected network on Substack.

If you prefer not to subscribe, you can purchase this workshop separately.

It's a deep dive into strategizing your editorial calendar on Substack. If any of it feels too high-level, come back to it when you're ready. 

Note: I reference two other Substack Writers at Work workshops— 

* The Key to Growth on Substack: Your Expert Guide to Notes workshop 

* Get Discovered on Substack: Alt Text and SEO Workshop

To upgrade to listen on Apple, go to www.writersatwork.net/subscribe.

There’s so much talk about overwhelm and burnout that it feels like it’s starting to create overwhelm and confusion. No longer.

It’s up to us to make Substack the place we want it to be. If that means loads of notifications for you, go forth! If you’d rather quiet it down a bit, managing your notifications is essential.

Here’s how to adjust chat notifications on the Substack app.

To upgrade to listen on Apple, go to www.writersatwork.net/subscribe.

On the go? Listen to this on the Substack Writers at Work podcast here!

This is the best fifty-two minutes you can spend. This Q&A with the amazing Sophia Efthimiatou, Substack’s Head of Writer Relations, will fill you with inspiration, optimism, and a true appreciation for Substack and how much it’s doing for us.

Sometimes it can feel like we’re just writing on a platform, but Substack is made up of real people, many of whom are writers themselves. They believe in giving us the professional opportunities we deserve. Here, we’re part of a community.

Become a member of the Substack Writers at Work community. Join 11,000+ Substack writers. Annual members get everything. I encourage you to commit to your Substack with my guidance for a year and get the discounted annual subscription. You, your Substack, and your work are worth it.

A quick overview of your Substack dashboard. You don't need to know everything about Substack's tech. This is expert guidance in all you need to know and nothing you don't. 

In this session:

* Home (00:03)

* Posts (01:04)

* Podcasts (01:59)

* Subscriber Insights (02:38)

* Stats (03:29)

* Network Benefits (04:02)

* Subscribers (04:52)

Substack’s design features are limited, which is a beautiful thing. You don't have to spend time branding and can get to building your Substack and achieving your goals instead. 

What’s here…

* 00:00 Introduction to Substack's Ever-Changing Design Features

* 00:14 Design Philosophy: Prioritizing Writing Over Aesthetics

* 00:25 Personal Experience: Transforming Substack into a Website

* 01:02 Exploring Substack's Design Options

* 01:36 Homepage Layouts: Customizing Your Look

* 02:17 Advanced Layouts and Grouping Content

* 03:03 Setting Up Tags and Groups

* 03:46 Conclusion: Basic Design Features Recap

Note: This is part of the Substack Accelerator Course offered off Substack:

Build your platform, grow your audience, unlock your potential on Substack

Get the full Substack Accelerator Course:

If you’re tired of DIY-ing your Substack, getting overwhelmed, and trying to figure out the platform, the Substack Accelerator Course gives you a full overview and a step-by-step foundation for your Substack.

In 4 concise sessions, you will:

* Design a Substack that truly represents you

* Craft content that turns readers into devoted fans

* Master growth strategies that actually work

* Transform your passion into income

Substack and SEO. On Substack, your SEO title and SEO description talk directly to search engines and suggest how they might display your post in search results.

There's internal versus external discoverability.

Substack has internal discoverability. That's Notes. I've mentioned this, but this is like the early days of YouTube and podcasting. You can get discovered on here. You can grow. Most of our growth is happening internally. It's not true for everybody, but your focus doesn't need to be fully on SEO and Google.

In this session:

* Understand Internal vs External Discoverability on Substack (00:27)

* SEO Best Practices for Substack Posts (01:50)

* The Keyword Conundrum in SEO (03:04)

* Should You Change Your Substack URL? (03:34)

* Recap of Growth Strategies on Substack (03:46)

* Understanding the Purpose of Each Post (05:05)

To upgrade to listen on Apple, go to www.writersatwork.net/subscribe.

How to boost your growth on Substack?

Make your Substack essential.

People don’t unsubscribe from Substacks they feel are essential.

What you’ll come away from this Strategy Session with:

* Awareness of how to make your Substack essential so people won’t unsubscribe

* An action plan to communicate that to subscribers

Whether you’re experiencing a slowdown in pa…

To upgrade to listen on Apple, go to www.writersatwork.net/subscribe.

Workshop replay | Just 30 minutes

If you’re on Substack to find a loyal readership, earn an income, or be creative and grow into a better writer, you need to manage your time.

Period.

**Below is the workflow I use for posting and my weekly calendaring process for you to make your own.

What we cover:

* A Substack schedule that helps you be more creative and effective

* An easy workflow that helps you produce quality posts that fuel your creative energy—including what the three must-dos on Substack (vs. nice-to-dos)

* The right mental outlook to achieve your goals

Free to all paid subscribers.

Get this workshop and all Substack Mastery Workshops by becoming an annual paid subscriber.

Or join the Substack Growth Cohort—the only 1-year program to achieve your Substack goals to get everything in the paid membership, monthly Mastermind Cohort Calls with other Substack writers, the Substack Growth Blueprint, monthly Strategizing Workshops to earn an income, produce your best work, and get subscribers.

You and your Substack are worth it.

Workshops referenced and available to watch at your convenience:

To upgrade to listen on Apple, go to www.writersatwork.net/subscribe.

The magic of your Substack About page.

I love it when people ask me if their Substack About page matters.

* Does anyone really look at it?

* Don’t some successful Substacks have, like, nothing there?

* Why bother?

Well, we don’t know for sure because Substack doesn’t give us those stats, but I’ll give you two reasons why I think it does:

* It’s prominent on the app.

* People don’t freely give out their email addresses and certainly not their money for a paid subscription without checking out the source.

Join us to learn more..

To upgrade to listen on Apple, go to www.writersatwork.net/subscribe.

What we cover:

* The 3 types of Substack audio and how they work (voiceover, memos, and podcast/audio posts)

* Substack audio in 3 easy steps—including the editing tool for writers

* Voiceover-artist top tips

* The best (and least expensive) equipment to use

To upgrade to listen on Apple, go to www.writersatwork.net/subscribe.

For you: A 15-minute pep talk for those who may feel like there’s a lot of noise on Substack.

The amazing Claire Venus and I guide you through my top, top Substack tip of all time: Don’t subscribe to or follow a bunch of Substacks that talk about how to be on Substack.

For those who may not know Claire, she’s the mastermind behind Sparkle on Substack and Creatively Conscious. She’s a creative who also writes and a Substack enthusiast. She describes herself as being powered by sustainability, slow living, big dreams, and quiet ambition.

Claire is the real thing. She’s a Substack educator I often recommend, especially for creatives.

Sparkle on Substack is “a bespoke space to help you stay creative on Substack with co-working, workshops, weekly posts, chats, a podcast, and all the tools to help enhance your journey to growth on Substack in a joyful sustainable way.”

We encourage you to follow/subscribe to one Substack guide (two max) for a year. Sure, it’s great to get lots of perspectives and ideas, but when you listen to everyone, you risk not hearing yourself.

Some of you do well with noise. Blessings.

For those who don’t, listen to or watch this conversation with Claire.

Subscribe to Sparkle on Substack here.

Subscribe to Creatively Conscious here.

To upgrade to listen on Apple, go to www.writersatwork.net/subscribe.

* 2-minute overview of Substack audio and how to navigate it

* 2-minute recap of my quick-and-easy method for recording and editing audio like a pro (for those who don’t have time to watch the deep-dive audio workshop)

00:00 Introduction to Substack Audio

00:25 Setting Up Your Podcast

00:49 Creating and Uploading Audio Posts

01:09 Using Audio Embeds and Voiceovers

02:06 Recording Tips and Techniques

02:44 Editing with Descript

03:30 Creating Free Previews

Audio is one of the best ways to connect with subscribers and expand our reach on Substack and beyond.

This is a free preview. To listen to the full amazing workshop, become a paid subscriber: www.writersatwork.net/subscribe

* We want devoted readers, listeners, viewers, and/or clients (depending on your category and what you do)—a.k.a. “superfans.” (Don’t love that term, but you get the idea.) But Substack doesn’t offer a clear path on how to find and keep them. You have to pave that road yourself, which is what this workshop will help you do.

Highlights:

* What and who are your devoted readers, a.k.a. “superfans”

* How to give them the highest quality writing even if you don’t think of yourself as a writer

* The 2 types of “great writing” on Substack

* How to pitch other Substacks to get your exceptional writing out into the world

To upgrade to listen on Apple, go to www.writersatwork.net/subscribe.

Be a Substack success story. Subscribe to Substack Writers at Work!

Today, Post Less Often, Please. How often should I post on Substack? 

It’s an age-old question that’s sent many a Substacker into spirals of doubt.

In today's episode:

00:00 Introduction to Substack Posting Frequency

00:43 The Six-Part Framework for Posting Frequency

01:43 Debunking Common Misconceptions

05:57 Respecting Your Subscribers' Inboxes

06:18 Be Your Own Publisher

06:50 Analyzing Substack Stats

07:27 Learning from The New Yorker

08:50 Personal Experience and Recommendations

10:55 Interactive Exercise for Subscribers

12:16 Conclusion and Gratitude

Such a fun strategy session!

In this Strategy Session:

00:09 Understanding Your Audience's Reading Habits

00:44 Checking Your Dashboard for Reader Insights

02:46 Adapting Content for Different Mediums

09:54 The Importance of Quality Content

11:42 Strategies for Writing Shorter, Impactful Posts

16:06 Editing Tips for Clarity and Engagement

31:53 Exploring Workarounds for Audio Posts

33:43 Setting Up a Podcast for Discoverability

36:01 Managing Paywalls and Free Content with Audio

40:47 Podcasting Tips and Best Practices

Write Less, Say More Challenge Workflow

DRAFTING STAGE

* Talk out your post to a friend or yourself.

* Write your post.

MACRO EDITING STAGE

* Write that one thing you want the reader to remember if it’s all they take away.

* Using that, cut anything that’s unnecessary. Of every paragraph ask, Does my reader really need to know this?

* Revise generalizations to make them specific.

MICRO EDITING

* Cut cliches

* Check it’s, this, that for antecedents

* Create two sentences for every sentence with and that has two ideas

* Fight for every adverb and adjective

Enjoy the replay!

All my best,

Sarah

P.S. We have an exclusive 24/7 Cohort-only chat to connect, ask questions, and publicize your latest posts! Find it here.

In this Strategy Session:

00:09 Understanding Your Audience's Reading Habits

00:44 Checking Your Dashboard for Reader Insights

02:46 Adapting Content for Different Mediums

09:54 The Importance of Quality Content

11:42 Strategies for Writing Shorter, Impactful Posts

16:06 Editing Tips for Clarity and Engagement

31:53 Exploring Workarounds for Audio Posts

33:43 Setting Up a Podcast for Discoverability

36:01 Managing Paywalls and Free Content with Audio

40:47 Podcasting Tips and Best Practices

Be inspired by creators using Substack video in innovative ways. Find at least one way you might use video in your Substack. Get the most inexpensive, time-efficient way to produce video.

As you watch the replay, I want you to imagine how video might be a way to connect more deeply with your subscribers and yourself. If you’re already doing it, maybe go deeper.

Substack Writers, Sophia Efthimiatou, and Katie O'Connell. It was so fun to put this together and see the great video that’s out there, the types and genres video tends to fall into, and the many innovative ways Substackers new to video might use it in their own Substacks.

Workshop highlights:

1. Be inspired by creators using Substack video in innovative ways

* We go through the video artists chosen for Substack’s Creator Studio, and you get to choose your favorite:

* Jenny Gorelick, Night Out

* Kellerman, The F*ckin' News

* Coco Mocoe, Coco Mocoe

* Kit Lazer, Movies Are Therapy

* Gabi Jones, The Vintage Vault

* Miguel Peña, Build a Boy Workshop

* Patrick Hicks, Patrick Hicks Music Stories

* Justice Jackson, The Curl Diaries

* Jeauni Cassanova, With Love, Jeauni Cassanova

* God, The God Pod

2. Find at least one way you might use video in your Substack (or double down on how you’re using it)

- Talking/thought-wandering/touching base with your subscribers

* Patti Smith, Happily talking about nothing

* Marya Hornbacher, Riffs & Rants from the Road: Episode 10

- Workshops, co-working sessions, silent retreats, writing groups, etc.

* This video from Substack Writers at Work

- Memoir documentary

* Lynn Chen, Not So Perfect Pitch (from Taegan MacLean’s One Word)

- Responding to subscribers’ questions

* Priya Joi, The Art of Freelance

- Food and travel sensory stimulation

* Sunnyside Breakfasts and Desserts

- Introducing a written post

* Mary Joan Cunningham, “Fun Weekend Vibes: Inspiration from Awesome People”

- Video essays

* Taegan MacLean, One Word, Names, Nothing, Path

- Author reading (and essay)

* Marya Hornbacher, “Truckstop, Fireworks, Stories, Night (take 2)”

- Interview/conversation/podcast

* Evelyn Skye’s interview series

* Robert Reich’s Coffee Klatsch

3. Get the most inexpensive, time-efficient way to produce video

* A simple, inexpensive way to produce video that isn’t flashy or self-indulgent and expresses you. (I believe in zero-to-little overhead for your Substack.)

Important!

✦ If you haven’t yet joined Substack Writers at Work, subscribe right here: https://www.writersatwork.net/about

❡ I’m thrilled to bring you this interview with Elle Griffin. Elle talks about building a following, defying traditional publishing, handling criticism, and staying creative. She also shares her advice for aspiring Substack writers.

Elle is something of a Substack icon. In 2022, she was awarded one of 10 places in Substack’s now-defunct Grow program, which launched her Substack into the stratosphere.

(The Grow program is similar to Substack’s current Creator Studio Program, which we talked about in the “Create Connection Using Substack Video Workshop.”)

Her dogged pursuit to bring back serialized novels made mainstream media take notice of Substack as a platform for fiction. Her Substack, The Elysian, has been featured in The New York Times, BBC, Business Insider, Fast Company, The Information, Publisher’s Weekly, Means of Creation, and Morning Brew.

She describes The Elysian as a kind of living newsletter salon:

“[A] utopian garden where we can study philosophy and debate politics and rethink capitalism and enjoy contemplative leisure and be part of a new enlightenment. It’s a place where we can think through a more beautiful future through essays and literature and discourse.”

Her TEDx talk “What if we release books episodically?” has garnered 25,000 views.

Enjoy this interview with Elle Griffin.

01:33 Elle's Journey to Substack

02:20 The Challenges of Traditional Publishing

05:04 Discovering Serialization on Substack

06:52 Building a Following and Promoting Work

09:04 Pivoting to New Projects

14:44 Handling Criticism and Staying Creative

17:34 Advice for Aspiring Substack Writers

If you haven’t yet joined Substack Writers at Work, subscribe right here ⤵

https://www.writersatwork.net/about

✦ Get the only expert guide to Substack to stop spinning in Substack confusion, overwhelm, and doubt ✦ Get the clarity and confidence you need to grow

Subscribe: https://www.writersatwork.net/subscribe

Why aren’t people subscribing to your Substack? 

Many reasons, of course. But at least partly because you may not be considering your readers and making your posts accessible, i.e., you aren't structuring them to draw people in and keep them reading. 

So how can you structure your Substack posts (while still retaining your artistic integrity), so they lead readers through your posts and convert?

That's what we talk about today.

00:08 Understanding Subscriber Retention

00:29 Case Study: Substack Writer's Dilemma

01:15 Structuring Your Substack Posts

01:44 Design Elements Overview

01:59 Deep Dive: Openings and Topic Sentences

02:55 Effective Use of Headings and Anchor Links

03:45 Word Repetition and Bullets

04:15 Hyperlinks and Bolding

05:47 Reading Patterns and Design Elements

07:17 F Pattern and Layer Cake Pattern

08:16 Spotted Pattern and Zigzag Pattern

08:54 Commitment Pattern and Final Tips

12:00 Images and Online Reading Patterns

13:24 Conclusion and Reader Engagement

* Become a paid subscriber to listen to the replay: www.writersatwork.net

Are you feeling confused, overwhelmed, or pretty much lost on Substack?

Get clear, feel at ease, and feel confident that you belong on the platform.

Subscribe to Substack Writers at Work: www.writersatwork.net.

I’m so pleased to bring you my interview with Laurie Stone. She writes the literary Substack Everything Is Personal. In this conversation, we talk about how she grew her Substack so quickly—plus her writing process, her approach to “marketing,” Notes, publishing, the nature of narrative, and how she seduces the reader.

She also shares her checklist for writing posts and Notes that resonate with her readers:

* Start in the middle,

* fail to arrive,

* remember to love something,

* make the reader hot,

* make the reader laugh.

She was a longtime writer for the Village Voice (1974-1999), which comes up here. She’s also the author of six books, most recently Streaming Now, Postcards from the Thing that is Happening (Dottir Press, 2022), long listed for the PEN/Diamonstein-Spielvogel Award for the Art of the Essay. She writes for The Paris Review, Evergreen Review, and Galerie. 

You can join her monthly Zoom conversations on writing craft by contacting her at lauriestone@substack.com. 

Subscribe to Everything Is Personal here: https://lauriestone.substack.com/

Timestamps:

00:15 Laurie’s Substack success

02:14 Narrative techniques

04:39 Using Notes and social media

05:51 Teaching and workshops

09:41 Laurie’s writing process

17:37 Building a sustainable Substack

25:47 What’s next for Everything Is Personal

If you’re struggling to grow your subscribers in the sea of Substacks…

Just know that you don’t need to be “great” writers to succeed. You don’t.

» All you need is a distinctive voice. Your voice.

This workshop is an opportunity to refine how you express your uniqueness, helping your writing resonate more deeply with your readers.

* Free subscribers, get ac…

To watch or listen to the full workshop, become a member of Substack Writers at Work, the only all-in-one membership to grow your Substack. No cheap tricks. No marketing "hacks" that don't work. Real expert guidance: www.writersatwork.net/subscribe.

This workshop is so, so good.

Watch or listen to get exercises to define your Substack niche, develop a profile of your ideal subscriber, and articulate the specific problem your writing addresses.

The goal is to help you better understand your readership, which will inform your content strategy, strengthen reader connections, and make Notes and publicity much, much easier.

Join the Substack Writers at Work community to create a Substack that grows and earns an income: www.writersatwork.com/subscribe

This is great to listen to while driving, walking, cooking, etc. Someone else’s questions are likely your own.

And I just love the Substack Writers at Work community. Such wonderful people here—like you!

Timestamps:

(00:00:34) - Targeting a niche for your Substack

(00:09:38) - Incorporating a community aspect into your Substack

(00:12:41) - Defining your audience for your Substack

…

Watch now—or listen in the app or on Spotify or Apple podcasts.

Join the only all-in-one membership where you get subscribers, build a platform, and earn an income on Substack: www.writersatwork.net/subscribe

I had the opportunity to sit down with Hamish McKenzie, co-founder of Substack. I’m so happy to bring you our conversation. It was really illuminating and feels like the best thing I can give you as a Substack writer or creator.

Many people don’t understand or know who the people behind Substack are. Hamish and all the people who work at Substack are some of the best, most idealistic people I’ve ever met. That goes across the board, everyone who works at Substack.

I’m very happy to bring Hamish to you today.

If you don’t know Hamish, he’s a New Zealander living in the Bay Area. He’s the co-founder of Substack and also a writer in his own right—like many people who work at Substack. He’s an incredible writer, author of Insane Mode: How Elon Musk's Tesla Sparked an Electric Revolution to End the Age of Oil, which came out in 2018. Before that, he was a journalist, the former lead writer of Tesla, and a reporter for the tech blog PandoDaily. He’s written for publications around the world on technology, business, pop culture, and politics.

So please enjoy my interview with Substack Co-founder Hamish Mckenzie.

HIGHLIGHTS:

On Substack’s origins:

“The core realization [was] that you needed to make the reader the customer instead of the product…Substack’s real product is the Substack model... undergirding the entire ecosystem.”

On the idealism behind Substack:

“[We thought] maybe we can build something here that could be an alternative to that other system that we think is corroding trust and corroding goodwill in society.”

On Substack’s current vision:

“The vision is as pure as it was the day it was born.”

On the power of small, engaged audiences:

“Even if it’s fifty people.. it can be nourishing and rewarding where you really feel like you’re writing to real people who are really reading your stuff and engaging.”

On the Substack model vs traditional social media:

“This more genuine, deeper connection where the economics can be productive with lower numbers is transformative in itself.”

Advice for new Substack writers with an existing platform:

“Tell people that you’re doing your work over here. Consolidate your work here.”

Advice for new Substack writers without an existing platform:

“Don't overthink it. Just start publishing, get feedback from people. Don’t panic if you’re writing to a small audience for a while.”

On the current media landscape:

“This is the best time there's ever been to start a one-man or one-woman media empire, or even just like your ongoing serial publication.”

03:20 Hamish’s time at Tesla and his book

07:34 Substack’s origin story

12:41 Substack’s vision and model

25:03 Advice for aspiring Substack writers

Get more expert interviews like this one from the Substack team by joining the Substack Writers at Work membership:

Join Substack Writers at Work, the only all-in-one accelerated membership to get ahead on Substack fast: www.writersatwork.net

Watch the replay to

* Craft a customized, effective Notes strategy with viral potential

* Create a calendar that gets you results on Notes in less time

* Break out of your Substack bubble and attract new subscribers

Join the Substack Writers at Work membership: For people who are ready to get serious about their success on Substack. www.writersatwork.net

I have such a treat for you. Today, my guest is the one and only Lucy Werner. She is the mastermind behind the Substack Hype Yourself, which is also the title of one of her bestselling books. I’m so happy to bring you this lightning-quick episode in which we look at why it’s okay to hype yourself and your Substack.

Hype Yourself is one of the top 50 global business newsletters. With over 20 years of communications experience, she’s taught hundreds of entrepreneurs through workshops and courses for creative spaces, like The Futur, Bayes Business School, and the University of Arts London.

She’s the author of two bestselling books, Hype Yourself and Brand Yourself, and has been featured in the Alt Marketing Power 100, The Dots Rising Stars, and Start Up Magazine’s Female Founders to Watch.

Please enjoy my interview with the great Lucy Werner.

Wow!

This workshop from the Substack data expert Amanda Hinton is packed with ways to use the data on your Substack dashboard to strategize your Substack growth.

01:39 Amanda's Journey and Approach to Data

04:34 Workshop Goals

06:00 Understanding Substack Data and Metrics

09:40 Analyzing Newsletter Performance

11:19 Addressing Data Anomalies and Subscriber Insights

14:42 Navigating the Substack Dashboard

27:44 Subscriber Page and Activity Ratings

32:39 Navigating Subscriber Metrics

33:44 Filtering and Analyzing Reader Engagement

34:58 Understanding Post Views and Shares

36:30 Email Segmenting and Targeting

37:34 Practical Demonstration of Filters

42:13 Identifying Key Reader Behaviors

50:03 Tracking Subscriber Actions

55:43 Final Tips and Resources

To upgrade to listen on Apple, go to www.writersatwork.net/subscribe.

How to Write an Opinion Piece on Substack

On Substack, most people doing any form of personal writing use three modes:

* rumination,

* narrative, and/or

* opinion.

Your posts may be a mix of all three, but to write Substacks that draw readers and create engagement, we need to know which mode we’re in and how each works.

Opinion writing may be one of the hardest:

* How do we do it without being moralizing, reactionary, or trite?

* How do we establish authority?

* How do we write something important to readers, not just ourselves?

By the end of this workshop, you’ll know the four keys to opinion writing online: 

* The difference between a hot take, a think piece, an opinion piece, and an op-ed

* The ideal structure for an opinion piece that doesn’t come out dull, sloppy, or disjointed or harangue the reader—brought to us by the great

* How publishing an opinion piece on Substack can perhaps take a different approach than writing an op-ed for a mainstream media outlet

* The 10 keys to a successful op-ed

Live Substack Office Hours. Your Substack questions answered.

Become a paid subscriber to Substack Writers at Work: www.writersatwork.net/subscribe.

Yet another way SW@W is here to help you be your amazing self on Substack.

Who?

* Me, you, all of us.

What?

* Your Substack questions answered.

When?

* I’ll announce the day and time of each live Substack Office Hours every Tuesday in that week’s post.

* We’ll also have popup Office Hours.

Where?

* You’ll be notified in email and the app when we’re live.

* We’ll be live in the app.

Why?

* Imagine: Getting to ask me instead of the bot.

* Imagine: No more confusion. No more frustration. No more feeling alone.

* Office Hours are for paid subscribers.

What are they like?

* Watch the replay above to find out! (Great to listen to in the app or on Spotify or Apple. Timestamps are below.)

* Basically, come on, be with each other, connect, put your questions in the chat, and I’ll try to get to each one.

How?

* Join us by upgrading to paid.

Substack Office Hours, 11/8/24

[00:04:17] Niches vs. being a generalist—my signature Substack DNA paradigm

[00:07:35] Setting up subscriber challenges/workshops

[00:09:33] Understanding the activity tab & metrics

[00:14:18] Posting frequency - category differences & expectations

[00:29:56] Balancing posts vs. notes - social media strategy

[00:33:02] Monetization & subscription value

[00:39:01] Headers, footers, and banners - design elements

[00:42:02] Building audience—reality vs. perception

[00:44:21] Custom domains and URLs

[00:48:46] Selling/marketing without losing authenticity

[00:51:31] Writing calls to action effectively

[00:52:26] Community building among Substack Writers at Work subscribers

Find out how the title of your Substack, building community, and tapping into the Substack network can lead to real, meaningful growth.

Authentic Growth PDF toolkit below.

I bring you my interview with (and case study of) two amazing Substack creators—and, I’m proud to say, clients—Seth Werkheiser and Cassidy Frost.

They both found extraordinary success on Substack:

* Seth grew from 541 to over 4000 subscribers in one year through experimenting with his offerings and taking advantage of the Substack network.

* Seth is a musician and guide for the growing social media exodus. Through his Substack Social Media Escape Club, he empowers creatives to connect directly with their audience, grow their fanbase, and burn down the constraints of social media algorithms.

* Cassidy built 1400 subscribers from 0 (that’s zero, folks) in five months by focusing their Substack and building a tight community.

* Cassidy is a writer and artist educator living in San Francisco. They run the Substack Dedicate Your Life to Music, “helping women & queers build their music careers.”

Check out both my interview with them above and my case studies of what led to their enormous growth below.

Interview and Case Study Quick Tip:

Your Substack Title Is Everything

When Seth came to see me for 1:1 guidance, I immediately saw how much incredible value he was offering, but—there’s often a but—the name of his Substack was Heavy Metal Email.

Seth: “I always tell people it was like 27 minutes into our 30-minute call. And Sarah was like, ‘I don’t like the name.’ I don’t know if it was exactly like that, but I just remember it was just like, ‘I don't like the name.’”

It wasn’t about liking or not liking; I just had no idea what Heavy Metal Email meant and that maybe it was too restrictive.

And Seth had so much to offer.

Seth: “The name change was just a mindset shift with that of like, Oh yeah, I could still rail against social media, but it doesn’t have to be limited to just music.”

He was against a title change. All his branding was there. But he did it.

And as soon as he changed it to Social Media Escape Club, his Substack took off:

The title of your Substack is everything. Unless it tells subscribers exactly what they’ll find there—be leaden, not poetic or “intriguing”—they will not visit your Substack. People are busy; they don’t have time to try to puzzle out your Substack.

Cassidy’s does so much work for the potential subscriber: Dedicate Your Life to Music. I know exactly what it is. I even know the energy behind it.

For paid subscribers:

Authentic Growth Toolkit (PDF)

* How Seth and Cassidy 10x’d and 14x’d their subscribers by focusing on community building and using the Substack network

* A clear implementation strategy based on the community-building approaches that have worked and are working so well for Seth and Cassidy\

I’ve done a variation on this goal-setting session every year since 2018 and am amazed at the results it consistently produces—both in my own life and in the lives of the writers and Substack writers I work with.

I want you to walk away from the replay of this session knowing at least one thing:

The wins you’ve already achieved—no matter how supposedly small—hold the keys to your future success on Substack.

Through neuroscience, practical strategies, and real-world examples from writers in our community, the replay above and Goal Setting Toolkit and Magical Monthly Planner below will take you step-by-step to discover how small wins create sustainable growth.

Highlights:

* Why celebrating every win actually decreases motivation

* The “middle problem” and how to overcome it

* A 30-second technique for handling goal-related anxiety

* The surprising power of visualizing failure (and when to use it)

* How to make goals both ambitious and meaningful

Most importantly, we walked through a step-by-step process for setting achievable goals that still stretch your capabilities. The writers who attended left with clear 2025 goals and practical plans for reaching them.

For paid subscribers:

* Full goal-setting session replay (50 minutes of focused strategy)

* Your Goal Setting Toolkit (structured workbook PDF with proven exercises)

* The Magical Monthly Planner (the simple system that helped me reach 29,000+ subscribers)

* Quarterly check-ins to keep you accountable and supported throughout 2025 (March, June, September, December)

* Our first community goal-setting thread below (!)

Want to set your 2025 Substack goals in a way that makes them achievable? Upgrade to paid:

Here’s to your ambitious, meaningful growth in 2025!