"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams."

Eleanor Roosevelt.

Hi all,

WELCOME if you’re new here. I’m Claire and I write Creatively Conscious , co-host theCompany of Two community and teach Substack here at Sparkle on Substack. I live on the Northumberland Coast with my husband, two children and 5 pet chickens. As the ground is warming up outside, I’m planting new seeds and observing those that have self seeded from our work over the past eight years here. A reminder that our creative projects can take time and that in other cases, some colourful bursts are gone as quickly as they arrived.

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I wanted to record a podcast episode for you to wrap up SEASON ONE of Sparkle on Substack the podcast. I’ve been on a steep learning curve with podcasting. I LOVE it as an art form and I’m so excited that it’s had way over 12k downloads… 🤩

This episode is an honest share of my ‘test and adjust’ strategy for growing my membership here. I feel slightly wobbly about it but my moto is;

If I can support and inspire just one person I’m doing a good job.

I am DELIGHTED to have you all here whether you’ve subscribed and share my work or if you’re a member of the Sparkle Gang. Doing this work with you is pure joy!

I hope this episode is of service to you and I’d love to discuss it further in the comments. if you have questions.

Season Two of the podcast will launch next month and I’m so delighted to share new guests and some solo episodes with you. The rest of the episodes are here if you missed any. You can also listen on Apple Podcasts and leave me rating and review there if you’ve enjoyed listening. Thank you to you all for your support and to all of my guests in season one - it’s been a TOTAL delight.

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Leonie Dawson, Sarah Raad, Cait Flanders , Sarah Fay, writer, Tamzin, Annie Ridout, Laura Oldfield ,Kat River, Susannah Conway, Russell Nohelty and Gabrielle Treanor

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You can read the transcript of this podcast here or watch my YouTube video below…

Timestamped overview…

00:00 Trusting co-creation, offering opportunities, balancing needs.

04:40 Substack process was clunky but a learning experience.

07:54 Free online courses adapted to evolving platforms.

11:21 Non-time-sensitive offer, experiment with free trials.

15:47 Raised prices for community access…

18:34 Goal of 250 members reached, aiming now for 1000 in a soulful, sustainable way.

21:10 Paid posts for members, separate from subscribers.

23:53 Membership benefits and sales strategies discussed.

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Remember - if you’re keen to grow a membership/ your paid subs here I have a suite of focussed resources which is already helping people to do that work. It’s on SPECIAL offer here until the end of March. Substack works SO hard to help us grow in the background. I can’t stress enough how easeful the journey feels when you are in congruence with your creative voice here. Substack is a a new engine for culture, all creatives are welcome! We are making it work on our terms and transforming our working lives and income streams in the process.

Sending sparkles to you all and thanks again for listening, it means the world to me.

Claire

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PS - If you are still trying to figure out your Substack publication and your home here, I have a page with lots of FREE helpful links for beginners.

I’m also hosting a LIVE masterclass ‘Get Creative on Substack’ on 15 March at 12noon GMT (replay available) which you can purchase here or simply join as a paid member to access it live or on replay for free. It’s for people who are new to Substack or want to step out of overwhelm and are excited to try a renewed creative way to be here.

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sparkleon.substack.com/subscribe