Substack Growth Podcast

Between being on Substack almost every single day for the past two years and working with 100s of coaching clients and course students, I’ve had the chance to look closely at a lot of Substack publications. More than a thousand by now. And the patterns are clear… The newsletters that grow, that build loyal audiences, that actually make money, they do certain things differently than the average Substack publication, in particular in three key areas. Let’s dive straight in. ---- 💰 Want to Become a Substack Bestseller? You’re invited to our brand-new masterclass, How to Become a Substack Bestseller in Less Than 12 Months . During this live training, I’ll share the exact system behind attracting paid subscribers, becoming a Substack Bestseller, and using the platform to grow your business. You’ll leave the Substack Bestseller Masterclass with a clear roadmap to turn your publication into real income.

Most Substack creators are sitting on a goldmine of growth tools they’re barely using. They publish their newsletter, maybe post a Note here and there, and then wonder why growth feels so slow. Substack has built some genuinely powerful features specifically designed to get your work in front of new people. The problem is that most creators either don’t know about them or don’t use them consistently enough to see results. At Write • Build • Scale, we’ve used these features to grow our publication to over 48,000 subscribers, so everything I’m sharing here is backed by real experience, not theory. Let’s dive straight in. ---- 🧰 Grab your FREE Substack Starter Kit: ⁠⁠⁠https://mwa.kit.com/podstarterkit⁠⁠⁠ 📙 Subscribe to Write • Build • Scale: ⁠⁠⁠https://writebuildscale.substack.com/

I’ve spent a lot of time studying the top Substack creators — the people in the top 1% of the platform, both in terms of audience size and paid subscribers. What’s interesting isn’t just what they do. It’s what they don’t do. Because eliminating some of the habits and behaviors that keep you stuck is often one of the fastest ways to make progress. Here are the three things the top 1% Substack creators don’t do, and what they focus on instead. ---- 🧰 Grab your FREE Substack Starter Kit: ⁠⁠https://mwa.kit.com/podstarterkit⁠⁠ 📙 Subscribe to Write • Build • Scale: ⁠⁠https://writebuildscale.substack.com/

For the past 365 days straight, I’ve done one thing without exception: I published a Substack Note. On most days, I’d publish three. But always at least one. After publishing so many Notes, I learned a lot about what actually works when it comes to publishing Notes that get good engagement and bring in new subscribers to your publication. In today’s episode, I want to share the three biggest lessons I've taken away from a full year of posting Notes - and how you can apply them to your own Substack right now. 🧰 Grab your FREE Substack Starter Kit: ⁠https://mwa.kit.com/podstarterkit⁠ 📙 Subscribe to Write • Build • Scale: ⁠https://writebuildscale.substack.com/

In this episode, I’m joined by Mandeep Kaur , who spent 30 years in Fortune 500 companies before reinventing herself as a transformational coach and founder of Awaken • Align • Ascend on Substack. In this value-packed episode, we cover: The hidden blocks (fear, trauma, self-sabotage) that quietly hold people back from their next chapter (04:39) Why Mandeep decided to go all-in on Substack - and get coaching from us (06:16) How overthinking keeps creators stuck - and how to start taking fast action (09:09) The simple Substack growth strategy: consistency, notes, and daily engagement (13:48) Why community-building is the real growth engine - and how to build it (17:02) The 555 Method: a step-by-step framework to create deep identity transformation in 5 weeks (20:08) What Mandeep recommends to new Substack creators who are still on the sidelines (21:29) And much, much more… ----- ⚡ Stop Guessing. Start Growing. Your Substack has more potential than you’re currently unlocking. Our coaching gives you the strategy, systems, and direct support to: Attract new subscribers every month with actionable growth systems Turn your audience into real revenue — paid tiers, digital products, and more Lock in your positioning and content strategy so every post builds momentum No figuring it out yourself - but hands-on guidance from people who’ve actually done it. Apply today: https://substackcoaching.com/

Together with my two co-founders, Sinem and Philip, we’ve grown our Substack publication, Write • Build • Scale, to over 45,000 subscribers and 1,500+ paid subscribers in about two years. In this episode, I’ll break down exactly which strategies and Substack features made the biggest difference in our growth, so you can focus on them and speed up your own growth. 🧰 Grab your FREE Substack Starter Kit: https://mwa.kit.com/podstarterkit 📙 Subscribe to Write • Build • Scale: https://writebuildscale.substack.com/

For the past two years, I’ve been going all-in on Substack. Together with my two co-founders, we’ve grown our publication to 44,000+ subscribers and 1,400+ paid subscribers - and leveraged Substack to build a $50k per month digital business. So, it’s safe to say I believe Substack is one of the best platforms out there right now for creators, professionals, and founders who want to build a real audience and a real business. But here’s the thing: I see a lot of people flocking to Substack right now with expectations that don’t match the reality of the platform. And when reality doesn’t match expectations, people quit — often right before things were about to actually work out. That’s why I wanted to share four things you need to understand before you go all-in on Substack, so you’re approaching it with the right mindset and strategies.

What separates the Substack creators who build real audiences from those who struggle, stall, or quietly give up? Having worked with hundreds of successful creators, I can tell you it’s rarely just tactics. The biggest differences almost always start with mindset and belief — and only then show up in tactics and results. So whether you’re brand new to Substack, you’ve been at it for a while, but growth feels slow, or you’re already doing well and want to reach the next level, here are the 10 habits I see consistently in the Substack creators who succeed.

In this episode, we walked through the exact 8-step process we followed to take our latest mini-course, Substack Notes Simplified, from first idea to 5-figure launch in under 14 days. ----If you do ONE thing for your creator business this year, make it this: build a mini-course that generates revenue on autopilot.We'll show you exactly how in our free masterclass this Wednesday, March 11. Reserve your seat today: https://go.writebuildscale.com/livemasterclass

💻 Want a profitable mini-course idea tailored specifically to you? Answer a few quick questions, and I’ll personally suggest a mini-course idea based on your background, skills, and audience. It’s free. Takes two minutes. And it might be the most valuable thing you do today: → [Get your personalized mini-course idea here] ----- Over the past few weeks, we’ve been getting so many questions from our community about mini-courses. Questions about whether they’re right for you, how to get started, what a “mini-course” even means, and whether you actually need a big audience to make it work. So I figured: why not dedicate an entire episode to answering your biggest questions all in one episode? That’s exactly what we’re doing today. Let’s dive in.

I created my very first digital product almost a decade ago. Since then, I’ve created and launched dozens more - online courses, workshops, eBooks, templates, tools - across different niches and different businesses. Over the years, those products have generated multiple six figures in revenue. And I’m still a big believer in digital products. Why? Because you put in the work once, and then the product can sell around the clock. While you’re sleeping. On the weekends. On random Mondays when you’re not even thinking about it. Digital products have always been at the center of every online business I’ve built. But if you’re thinking about creating your first (or next) digital product, there are a few things you should know before you start. These are lessons I learned the hard way - through trial and error. Let’s dive in.

We just launched our brand-new Substack publication, Smarter Substack. Subscribe to Smarter Substack: https://www.smartersubstack.com/ The idea behind Smarter Substack is simple. It’s a one-stop newsletter that curates the best resources about Substack growth and monetization - from all kinds of different Substack experts. Subscribe to Smarter Substack: https://www.smartersubstack.com/ We wanted to create one place on Substack where people can find the most relevant, useful, and trustworthy information about growing on Substack. Not just from us - but from dozens of different Substack creators.

If you’re serious about growing on Substack, there’s one feature you really can’t afford to ignore. And no, it has nothing to do with creating more content. And it definitely has nothing to do with shouting louder or promoting yourself 24/7. It’s pretty much a set-it-and-forget-it feature that runs quietly in the background, while bringing in 100s or even 1000s of new subscribers over time. (I know that sounds a bit too good to be true. But it’s very real.) I’m talking about Substack’s newsletter recommendation feature. You’ve probably seen it before. You might already be using it. But in my experience working with hundreds of Substack creators, this feature is still massively underused and undervalued. And that’s a missed opportunity. Listen to this episode to learn how to leverage the full power of Substack recommendations.

In this episode, I’m joined by Philip Hofmacer, and we dive deep into how he built his first online course, what he learned from generating multiple 6-figures with courses, and what he would do differently if he started from scratch today. 🧰 Download Your Substack Starter Kit (Free): https://www.writebuildscale.com/podstarterkit/ 📙 Subscribe To Write • Build • Scale on Substack: https://writebuildscale.substack.com/ In this value-packed episode, we covered: - How Philip accidentally stumbled into online courses (00:38) - Why first-time course creators often focus on the wrong things (03:05) - Why the mindset of “Published over perfect” and shipping fast is key (07:47) - How Philip’s first $1.36 payout set him up for multiple six figures in revenue later (10:29) - How Philip went from $1.36 to $5,200/month in just a few months (15:04) - Why building an email list would have made him 10x more money in the long run (22:36) - The most important question to answer before building your first online course (31:06) And much, much more…

In this episode of the WBS podcast, I’ll answer 21 of the most common questions we received about Substack. We’ll cover all sorts of questions, like: What should you focus on if you’re new to Substack? How often should you publish per week? How do I decide what to put behind the paywall? How long should an average Substack post be? How does Substack compare to other platforms like LinkedIn? Can you use Substack to sell your books and attract coaching clients? Is it smart to have multiple publications, or should you have only one? And much, much more…

In this episode, I’m joined by Benjamin Hies, and we break down how he turned his publication, Digital Citizen, into a Substack bestseller (with 100+ paid subscribers) and a thriving online business. If you want to learn how to attract more paid subscribers - and turn your publication into multiple sources of revenue - you’re going to love this episode. ---- Benjamin is part of our private Substack coaching program. If you want to apply for private Substack coaching so we can personally help you grow and monetize your publication faster, click here: https://form.jotform.com/260063396621051 (Limited spots available.) ---- Subscribe to Benjamin's publication here: https://www.clubcitizen.co/ ---- Here’s exactly what we cover: - The biggest mistake Benjamin made on Substack: writing for “everyone” instead of one clear reader (02:52) - The curse of knowledge: why writing basic content often performs best (05:45) - How Benjamin became a Substack Bestseller in 8 months (12:20) - The exact content + pricing strategy that pushed him past 100 paid subscribers (13:37) - Why paid subscriptions are just the starting point of monetization, not the end goal (24:49) - How Benjamin added a $5,000 consulting offer to his Substack (26:22) - What new Substack creators who want to build a business on the platform should start doing (28:38) - Why Benjamin recommends being “impatient with actions, but patient with results” (29:45) And much, much more…

Amy Suto is a 4x author, founder of a 7-figure writing business, and the creator of the bestselling Substack publication, Make Writing Your Job. If you’re interested in learning how Amy built a best-selling Substack publication with 1,000+ paid subscribers - and nearly $200K in annual recurring revenue - this episode is for you. 📚 Pre-Order Amy's New Book Here: https://www.amysuto.com/write-for-money-and-power 📙 Follow Amy Suto on Substack: https://substack.com/@sutoscience 📝 Subscribe To Make Writing Your Job: https://www.makewritingyourjob.com/ ----- 🧰 Download Your Substack Starter Kit (Free): https://www.writebuildscale.com/podstarterkit/ ----- In this value-packed episode, we covered: - The simple question every creator must answer before they can grow paid subscribers (01:35) - Why her paid Substack isn’t “more articles,” but a full membership with tools, classes, and community (03:22) - The two Substack business models (broadcast vs community) and how to know which one fits you (04:02) - Why marketing doesn’t have to feel sleazy (05:30) - Why you should turn on paid subscriptions from day one - even with a tiny audience (09:09) - Why Substack is a powerful platform for freelancers, consultants, and writers (12:03) - The myth of the “starving artist,” and why writers need to reclaim money and power (22:30) - How to stop fearing critics, bad reviews, and hate comments (27:03) And much, much more…

In this final episode of the year, we broke down the biggest lessons we learned from growing the Write • Build • Scale publication to 1,000+ paid subscribers (and 29,000+ total subscribers) in 2025. 🧰 Grab your FREE Substack Starter Kit: https://www.writebuildscale.com/podstarterkit/ 📙 Subscribe to Write • Build • Scale: https://writebuildscale.substack.com/ In this value-packed episode, we covered: - The biggest mistake beginners make with paid subscriptions (00:45) - The exact free vs paid content mix we follow (00:02:39) - Why we create a few “pillar posts” per year - and how they drive paid subscriber growth (05:30) - How one free post became our most profitable piece of content ever (07:23) - Why personal connection will matter more than ever in an AI-heavy future (11:05) - Why we treat our paid Substack as an entry-point offer, not the end of monetization (18:05) - How Substack is becoming an all-in-one creator platform heading into 2026 (28:24) - The Substack features we’re most excited about for next year (33:15)

In this week’s episode, I sat down with Derek Hughes from The Irresistible Writer to talk about how to turn your Substack into multiple streams of revenue (rather than relying on paid subscriptions alone). ---- 🧰 Grab your FREE Substack Starter Kit: https://mwa.kit.com/podstarterkit ---- Follow Derek Hughes on Substack: https://substack.com/@derekhughes Subscribe To The Irresistible Writer: https://derekhughes.substack.com/ Check Out The Irresistible Substack Agent (AI Tool): https://derekhughes.thrivecart.com/the-irresistible-substack-agent/ ---- In this value-packed episode, we covered: - How Derek lost 95% of his Medium income overnight - and why that changed everything about his writing business (00:45) - Why he stopped building “perfect” digital products (04:34) - How to serve different types of buyers with the same knowledge (low-ticket → high-ticket) (06:44) - Why you should never build a big product before validating demand (and how Derek tests ideas fast) (12:37) - Why writing in a “saturated market” doesn’t matter if people trust you (17:15) - Why paid Substack subscriptions should be an entry point, not the end goal (33:28) - How Derek prices his paid Substack to maximize retention (34:23)

In this week’s episode, I sat down with Corey Fradin, who is the founder of Authrs.io - an agency that ghostwrites, markets, and publishes best-selling books for busy professionals. Interested in Working With Authrs.io? Book a Call Here: https://authrs.io/call Interested in writing for Authrs.io? Reach out to their Director of Fulfillment here: anthony@authrs.io (Experienced writers only.) ---- 🧰 Grab your FREE Substack Starter Kit: https://mwa.kit.com/podstarterkit ---- In this value-packed episode, we covered: The biggest mistake first-time authors make (02:16) Why most books only sell a few hundred copies - and how to make sure your book sells more (03:17) How to choose the right book idea (04:10) The real economics of book sales on Amazon (08:12) Self-publishing vs traditional publishing - which one is better? (09:14) Why building an audience first makes traditional publishers almost irrelevant (13:02) How Corey and his co-founder grew Authors.io into a 7-figure business in under 3 years (24:31) And much, much more…