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

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.substackwritersatwork.comJoin the Substack Writers at Work community to create a Substack that grows and earns an income: www.writersatwork.com/subscribeThis 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…

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

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 success02:14 Narrative techniques04:39 Using Notes and social media05:51 Teaching and workshops09:41 Laurie’s writing process17:37 Building a sustainable Substack25:47 What’s next for Everything Is Personal 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

Learn how to navigate emotions and strategies for success on Substack. Start with text posts and overcome confusion and overwhelm to find your path to success.

✦ 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/subscribeWhy 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 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

✦ 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 Substack02:20 The Challenges of Traditional Publishing05:04 Discovering Serialization on Substack06:52 Building a Following and Promoting Work09:04 Pivoting to New Projects14:44 Handling Criticism and Staying Creative17:34 Advice for Aspiring Substack WritersIf you haven’t yet joined Substack Writers at Work, subscribe right here ⤵https://www.writersatwork.net/about 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

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.substackwritersatwork.comBe 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 Pod2. 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 Klatsch3. 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!

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.substackwritersatwork.comSuch a fun strategy session!In this Strategy Session: 00:09 Understanding Your Audience's Reading Habits00:44 Checking Your Dashboard for Reader Insights02:46 Adapting Content for Different Mediums09:54 The Importance of Quality Content11:42 Strategies for Writing Shorter, Impactful Posts16:06 Editing Tips for Clarity and Engagement31:53 Exploring Workarounds for Audio Posts33:43 Setting Up a Podcast for Discoverability36:01 Managing Paywalls and Free Content with Audio40:47 Podcasting Tips and Best PracticesWrite Less, Say More Challenge WorkflowDRAFTING 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 adjectiveEnjoy the replay!All my best,SarahP.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 Habits00:44 Checking Your Dashboard for Reader Insights02:46 Adapting Content for Different Mediums09:54 The Importance of Quality Content11:42 Strategies for Writing Shorter, Impactful Posts16:06 Editing Tips for Clarity and Engagement31:53 Exploring Workarounds for Audio Posts33:43 Setting Up a Podcast for Discoverability36:01 Managing Paywalls and Free Content with Audio40:47 Podcasting Tips and Best Practices

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 Frequency00:43 The Six-Part Framework for Posting Frequency01:43 Debunking Common Misconceptions05:57 Respecting Your Subscribers' Inboxes06:18 Be Your Own Publisher06:50 Analyzing Substack Stats07:27 Learning from The New Yorker08:50 Personal Experience and Recommendations10:55 Interactive Exercise for Subscribers12:16 Conclusion and Gratitude 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