Substack Live Podcast

“There are many Substacks about Substack. This one is the OG.”
—Gregg Easterbrook
Today we talk about the reality of Substack, a reframed I want you to make, and a revelation I want you to consider. This is about figuring out why your Substack might be stalled, maybe a little jammed, maybe not getting started. It's not you. It's Substack.
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From the Diary of the Leading Substack Strategist…
This week, I share how important your Substack DNA is and a way to start finding it. It's not easy, and it takes some work. It's why I've taught it for 5 years and why I know that it works: my clients, my Premier members, and even my subscribers, the moment they find it, they grow. It's fantastic. Enjoy, and become a paid subscriber to Substack Writers at Work. I'd love to have you.
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This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.substackwritersatwork.com/subscribe

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Here I discuss how five of my favorite Substacks (though I go into more than five) created amazing platforms without losing their souls. That means a range of subscribers from 2,000 to 50,000.
For all Substack Live Podcasts, join Substack Writers at Work: https://www.substackwritersatwork.com/

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.substackwritersatwork.com

Normally, I would do a written summary, but this is one you need to watch or listen to on your favorite podcast platform:
* Remind yourself why you’re on Substack in the first place. (Spoiler: it begins with an f.)
* Find out how this might actually be the golden age of writing.
* Discover the magic of putting your right hand in your left armpit.
You can get Substack “information” anywhere. Paid subscribers get guidance from founding Substack writers who’ve mastered the platform and made it their own in Lives like this one with Liz Gilbert. Become a paid subscriber today!

You can get Substack “information” anywhere. As a paid subscriber you get access to founding Substack writers who’ve mastered the platform and made it their own in Lives like this one with Liz Gilbert. This is exclusively for you.

My Substack Live series features writers, creators, teachers, and visionaries who’ve created something entirely new and/or transformed their Substack into community gathering spaces, educational institutions, cultural touchstones, and/or works of art. Previous guests include Elizabeth Gilbert, Susan Cain, Austin Kleon, Mason Curry, Jessica DeFino, and Emily Kirkpatrick.

Your behind-the-scenes look at what’s really happening and really working on Substack right now—with the platform’s leading Growth Strategist Sarah Fay.
Part 2 of the 2026 Pathway to Earning an Income on Substack
Okay, so I did some digging to see if there really is a crisis in paid subscriptions on Substack (and newsletters generally). ICYMI, someone wrote a viral article that stoked a lot of fear about the future of paid subscriptions on Substack.
The feelings are real—the worry—but the reality…might surprise you:
* It has always been hard to get paid subscribers.
* The rhetoric that Substack’s subscription model will never work has been around for half a decade, possibly since the platform’s inception in 2017. It might not, but the talk is nothing new.
* The data doesn’t support the idea that something has suddenly happened foretelling a grim reality and terrible future with paid subscriptions on Substack.
The worry just fosters assumptions that aren’t supported by the data:
* The economy is terrible, and people won’t pay.
* Subscription fatigue is driving a downturn in paid subscriptions.
* There’s a “subscription pie” we have to compete for a slice of.
* Bundling newsletters is the solution.
* Making Substack into a platform of Dollar Stores is the answer.
Today, I show you the flaws in these five (deadly) assumptions and five things you can do right now to be the one well-loved Substack people pay for.
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This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.substackwritersatwork.com/subscribe