“This idea that we are playing a game that we never really know the rules for, and I think that's a feeling that many people have, like thinking about the algorithm and how often should you post and should you do reels and should you do whatever. That feeling made me feel really bad, and I'm just happy that I don't have to deal with that anymore."— Astrid Bracke This episode is supported by my Diamond Members here on Substack. You’ll find links to their publications at the end. It’s the VERY last day to upgrade if you want 1-2-1 support from me for a whole year. 💎 My Sparkle on Substack Diamond Membership is closing until January 2025 and I won’t be offering the 1-2-1 dm perk in the same way again. It will also go up in price. Here are the benefits you unlock immediately including two courses and complimentary podcast sponsorship to help grow your Substack. 💎WELCOME BACK TO Sparkle on Substack the podcast! Conversations with creatives who use Substack and make it make sense for them. Astrid Bracke is a dedicated mentor for small business owners, freelancers, and creatives, championing a slower, gentler approach to business that remains financially rewarding. She aims to help professionals break away from the constant hustle and productivity hacks, nurturing their emotional and mental well-being while ensuring profitability. Astrid supports her clients through personalised one-to-one mentoring and innovative group programs like "Marketing Without Social Media and “Substack for Small Businesses”Additionally, she offers a mini-course on Substack tailored for small business owners and curates a Substack newsletter, which includes a paid segment, providing continuous support and insights for those aspiring to create a balanced and successful business.“And then in October 2021, I fell ill with severe clinical depression. And at that point, I'd actually just decided to take a three week break from Instagram because I just launched a digital product. But with the depression, that break just extended itself for, I think, about five or six months before I started thinking again about, oh, right, there's this thing called Instagram."— Astrid Bracke🌐 Episode Highlights:1. Journey to Selling Products and Services: Claire opened up about her experience transitioning from word-of-mouth promotions to actively selling her offerings. She addresses the common challenge many face – the difficulty of promoting paid services and the risk of giving away too much value for free.2. Clarity in Communication: Both Claire and Astrid emphasise the importance of clear communication. With readers often missing key messages due to short attention spans, it's crucial to consistently remind your audience about what you offer.3. The Power of Connection: Astrid highlights how she nurtures a sense of community through her Substack, "female owned," and her website astridbracke.com. Monthly discussion threads, accountability clubs, and new features for collaboration are just a few of the ways she fosters connections.4. Managing Notifications and Boundaries: Substack is a fantastic creative outlet, but managing notifications can be overwhelming. Claire and Astrid share their strategies for maintaining a healthy balance between personal and business use of the platform.5. Doing Business Differently: Astrid's approach to business – slow, gentle, and profitable – resonates deeply. Her one-on-one mentoring and group programs, like the marketing without social media initiative, offer a refreshing alternative to traditional business strategies.6. Overcoming Social Media Challenges: After experiencing clinical depression, Astrid took a hiatus from Instagram and discovered other effective marketing avenues. Her journey inspires many who feel pressured by the constant presence required on social media platforms.7. Free Resources and Upcoming Courses: Astrid's plan to create more free resources for her subscribers in the coming year is something to look forward to. Plus, don't miss the upcoming relaunch of her self-paced mini course for small business owners, freelancers, and creatives, focusing on using Substack for business growth.✨"If we have a scale on which one to one mentoring is, the most intense way in which I can support people or intensive rather then the newsletter here is at the other end of the scale."— Astrid BrackeTimestamped Overview 00:00 Balancing work, motherhood, and self-care.05:15 Challenges of social media and online focus.09:51 Feeling relieved to leave social media challenges.12:58 Questioning value of social media; prioritizing happiness.15:05 Newsletter supports small business owners and freelancers.18:26 Substack takes time, learning, and patience.21:33 Using Substack for business and marketing strategies.24:33 Thinking creatively about creative outlets on Substack.26:49 Using Substack blurs personal and business boundaries.32:41 Focusing on nurturing community, fostering growth.33:35 Community building, mini podcasts, and new features.38:45 Encouraging sharing and selling to make money.40:57 Balancing self-employment and selling products.44:03 Expressing appreciation for connection and collaboration.Thank you to my Diamond Members who make my work on the podcast possible and help pay for my time and professional edits by Kerry Hinns.✨ Diamond Sponsors 💎Alice Kuipers from Confessions & Coffee Amanda B. Hinton from The Editing Spectrum Amy Ray from The Meandering MuseCaroline Donahue from Book Alchemy | WebsiteCatherine Rayner from Catherine Rayner Studio - behind the scenes... | WebsiteCatherine Wilde - SoulCareMom from Soul Care Mom with Catherine Wilde | WebsiteDanusia Malina-Derben from Parents Who Think | WebsiteGray Jordan from Gray Jordan: Spellbound by Colour | WebsiteGill Moakes from It's a People Thing | WebsiteJan Fortune from Alchemical wonderings with Jan Elisabeth | WebsiteJennifer Murphy from The Celtic Creatives | WebsiteJo Taylor from Seeds, Weeds and Wildflowers Layla O'Mara from beauty & bone | InstagramLouise Edington from Cosmic Owl | WebsiteLouise Tilbrook from Everyday Knitter | WebsiteNicole Lawrence from Re:birth with Nicole Lawrence | WebsiteRuth Cooper-Dickson from Coffee with Coops | InstagramSteph Wright from in the arena | InstagramTuğba Avci from as slow as possibleZoe Gardiner from Postpartum Matters CIC | Website 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

It was a JOY to meet my pal Suzy Walker for the Sparkle on Substack podcast. Suzy talks to us about ‘starting from scratch’, making the most of our presence online and following your heart even when it tells you to leap!Suzy is a coach (once named one of the top ten in the UK) and former Editor-in-Chief of Psychologies magazine.She’s been privileged to have interviewed some of the best self-development greats in the world, from Oprah to Brené Brown, and loves finding tools, books, and experts that support us in making our own leaps in life.When I met Suzy, my entire life and the way I was building it felt more possible. She told me; “Claire look at this, you are living it.” And I felt that. Those moments where friends, colleagues, new pals really see you - it’s like a lightening bolt. Suzy is my lightening bolt of confirmation often. At the time, two things were true; I was living it and my husband was very sick and I was very scared. Later in our friendship, we met for coffee and I was telling her my goals for Sparkle on Substack and my hope for replacing income from a tricky commissioned project. She looked at me again and said - £350 a month? You can do that. And again I realised yes, yes I can. The income arrived in a flash and I let go of that tricky comissioner. “You can build your own creative universe on Substack. It’s like heaven and you can also earn money. I can’t believe it.” Suzy Walker Here’s Suzy Walker in her own words;The Heart Leap newsletter is about tools, ideas, and people who help us make a leap in thinking so we feel inspired and uplifted rather than trapped, stuck, and downhearted.It’s for writers who want to write and get their books out into the world but who find writing a hard slog but don’t want to give up the dream. Think of Heart Leap as your very own cosy writing nook.Heart Leap is also for people starting again, literally or metaphorically. I’ve just left a big job and my life in London to start again in the wilds of Northumberland, so I’m right here beside you.For paid subscribers, we have the Heart Leap Club, which has monthly self-development workshops with brilliant experts and weekly writing hours where you get to hang out with writers for two hours a week and get your books and blogs finished.(Here’s me by my magic tree on a hill, which overlooks a fairy tale castle and whispers ideas and grants wishes.)“Live a life that makes your heart leap”Suzy Walker Timeline00:00 Loving work, overwhelmed but in growth phase.04:06 Transitioned from busy London to peaceful Northumberland.08:23 Substack offers new freedom for creators.12:41 Substack fosters creativity and kindness in business.14:32 Sustainable, joyful approach to consumer education.17:09 Excited to collaborate on self development portal.20:30 Substack offers collaboration and networking opportunities.25:35 Honing in on sophisticated editing process.26:56 Finding audience interest through experimentation and response.30:14 You are kind, reassuring, and trustworthy.34:22 Prioritising safety and giving oneself grace.38:05 Podcasting allows for diverse and engaging content.39:21 Juliet Thomas turns play into successful novel.44:19 Positive impact of memoir serializations on sales.48:16 Embracing neurodiversity, simplicity, and pursuing dreams.49:45 Balancing digital consumption for a clearer mind.52:35 Finding a space for uplift and joy.More connects * Weekly writing sessions - https://heartleap.substack.com/p/room-to-write* Suzy on Instagram * Buy the Heart Leap necklace!! * Join the Heart Leap community. * Juliet Thomas at Under the Trees * Alnwick Story Fest website - 28 Feb - 2 March 2025 - see you there!! Also in this episode* The Rejection Palace - Open Call We’d LOVE to hear from you in the comments!Claire and Suzy Walker 💕Thank you to my WONDERFUL 💎 Diamond Members for sponsoring season 2 of the podcast. 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

Popping in to tell you more about the BRAND NEW course I’m SO excited to deliver!This course combined two years of my creative expertise distilled down for you into a series of 10 minute tutorial drops.Live calls optional, replays available. Let’s elevate our Substacks into BEAUTIFUL digital magazines we are proud of? Join us?Grab your early bird spot here. Course replay will be available to 💎 Diamond Members after delivery. More on your exclusive invite to Diamond Membership here, don’t miss the chance to get strategic launch and conversion support for ONE WHOLE YEAR if you join before 1st September. 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

“I am earth meets sky... soul meets strategy.”Lauren Barber Hi allWelcome back to another episode of Sparkle on Substack, the podcast! It’s a delight to be here and to tell you my humble little podcast just hit 20k downloads here on Substack. They are an excellent host by the way!! 🎉 If you want to learn more simply head over to the search bar in my publication and type in ‘podcast’ and you’ll find some related articles.In this episode, I chat with Lauren mainly about Substack and how it fits in our online home.. Lauren Barber is a delight truly. A magical being and space holder and a creative in heart and action.I could talk to Lauren about creativity and creative process all day. She’s also an incredible space holder for matrescence, brand storytelling and human design. All of which I’ve commissioned her for. "I feel like the words land differently in Substack. Like they are received and they're received with love."“I feel like it is rebellious to claim ourselves as whole and to show up in our work and actually say, you know what, these are the multiple pieces of me and I'm not going to keep them separate because I don’t feel like a whole person when I've got something over here and something over here." "I have lots of pieces I want to write, but I have to wait till that whoosh of energy comes before it's time to write.""My feeling is that my writing, in its purity, is not paywalled content. I'm not sure how I feel about paywalls, if I'm honest."— Lauren Barber Here on Substack, Lauren writes Held. By Lauren Barber. An open and honest place for those traversing the path of womanhood, motherhood and sacred business, to arrive, rest, to be seen.Timestamps for this episode;04:01 Started Substack for writing about motherhood experiences.07:51 Authentic, honest writing creates sacred community space.11:04 Writing with freedom and deep reflection on Substack.15:36 Embracing diverse women's experiences through all stages.18:51 Two-year journey questioning social media and connection.20:11 Seeking unity and acceptance in human experience.25:27 Waiting for energy, using human design daily.28:54 Creatively conscious, designing wholehearted living, questioning work.33:07 Content behind paywall differs, open for 2 weeks.37:29 Email enhances connection, design, and accessibility.38:33 Balanced support and connection through launching programs.42:56 Connection led to creative collaboration for London event.47:18 Exciting online connections lead to new opportunities.50:04 Lauren's work has been transformative for me.51:29 Serendipitous connection, met online after coincidental event.You can also watch our conversation on YouTube if you’d prefer and please do subscribe while you’re there as I tend to premier these conversations a few days earlier than releasing the podcast so you can be first to watch…You can subscribe to Lauren right here on Substack or over on Instagram✨ Also, if you are quick, you can meet Lauren Barber and Lyndsay Kaldor in The Rose Garden (online) this summer solstice (next week). More 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

"I like to have a plan, but remaining flexible to respond to what my audience is enjoying,"— Molly Ella Earlier this year I caught up with the wonderful Molly Ella over at Slow Scottish Stories. I connected with Molly early on my Substack journey and have read her pieces almost every week. She has a weekly posting schedule where she explores themes of slow, frugal living, Scottish highland life and reading for pleasure. She has a wonderful tone of invitation to her readers and it’s been a joy to watch her stick to her boundaries and grow joyfully here. Molly has an audience of over 50k on her YouTube channel and if you pop over there you’ll soon see why. Molly’s content and videos give you the permission to exhale, to slow down, to know you will be held by her words, stories and visuals. In her own words; “Slow Scottish Stories is a publication designed to help you slow down and celebrate everything that make’s you YOU”.Molly is a full time content creator, living in a Tiny Home, nestled in the Scottish Highlands.A slow living fanatic and proof that, if you really want to, you can reject the hustle culture and live the life YOU desire.Molly's Substack is a breath of fresh air in a noisy world. I love her take on slow living, especially living in her tiny home in the Scottish Highlands! 🤍 Simple & CalmMolly entered the digital world with a passion for creating content that resonated with her audience. Initially, she utilised Instagram as a platform to showcase her lifestyle and thoughts, but as she sought to focus more on her writing, she realised a shift was necessary. In 2021, Molly repositioned her Instagram to specifically highlight her blog, which proved to be a significant turning point as her followers rapidly increased.Embracing the momentum, Molly expanded her online presence in the spring of 2022 by launching a YouTube channel, allowing her to engage with her audience through a different medium. She then managed a trifecta of platforms: her original blog, her rebranded Instagram, and her fresh YouTube presence, juggling content creation across all three.However, by August 2022, Molly recognised that her dedication to Instagram was impeding her ability to write—the craft she held dearest. Balancing a full-time job alongside her online endeavours only amplified this challenge, leading to a decision to reallocate her time and energy. She made the bold move to depart from Instagram, a choice that allowed her to revive her blog after weeks, even months, of inactivity.In the same month she stepped back from Instagram, Molly launched her Substack, a subscription-based platform perfect for nurturing her first love of writing without the intense demands of daily social media engagement. Though she bid farewell to Instagram, she maintained her YouTube channel, balancing her passion for writing with visual storytelling for her growing audience.Molly's journey reflects a creator mindful of her time, dedicated to her craft, and adaptive to the changing landscapes of online content creation. She’s a Substack ‘bestseller’ with over 100 paid subscribers to her publication. "My Substack and particularly my members will be my priority going forwards. And that's mostly linked back to the fact that I've always thought long term writing is my main passion. I think it's probably underestimated, at least I underestimated how much time it takes just to respond to comments. And I found already quite a lot, because I'm like, oh, these people are paying now, they need me to respond to them."Molly Ella Molly online;Website - https://www.hippyhighlandliving.com/YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@hippyhighlandlivingEtsy shop - https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/SlowScottishStoreTee mill shop (organic merch) - https://hippy-highland-living.teemill.com/Membership via Substack - Watch on YouTube with captions 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

"The more personal I am, the more specific I am about my life, the more other people can see aspects of their own life reflected there.”Clover Stroud I was delighted to grab an hour this week with best selling memoir author Clover Stroud in the midst of her fourth book launch. I wanted to talk with Clover about her writing craft, her recent wildly successful Substack launch and her upcoming book. I ADORE Clover’s writing and I know lots of you will already be connected. Her books and words are life affirming and show me the thread of fragility that runs through us all. Storytelling that unites us, feelings that ground us.Clover’s words show us what’s real in our hearts. She gives us a zoom out button to press. We can feel impossibly small and also see the enormity of everything we adore in full technicolour all at once. When I read her work, gentle reassurance runs through my cells. It’s everything I need. Clover’s 4th memoir, The Giant on the Skyline is about home, where we find it and how we connect to it within ourselves. The book is out on 8th May (next week)!! “Home is a concept that has obsessed me since I was very small and homesickness is one of the emotions I can identify earliest as a child.”Clover Stroud Do pop over and subscribe to Clover’s incredible writing here on Substack and consider being a paid subscriber to receive her weekly essays;There are 2 more days to save 35% on an annual subscription here at Sparkle on Substack 🎙️ Timestamped podcast overview00:00 Enthusiasm for book writing and the editing process.04:03 Creating a secure and beautiful home for family.07:57 Generous and unique storytelling on Instagram.10:59 Passionate about Substack, evolving and expanding options.13:22 Adjusting to new country life: complex and overwhelming.18:37 Professional commitment and disappointment in subscriber culture.22:46 Attention spans shortening, challenge in holding readers.25:38 Writers find freedom in Substack's simplicity.27:05 Aspiring to write, creativity, curiosity, and book promotions.32:04 Growing interest in newsletters among publishers.36:30 Setting up paywall for podcast, building community.39:40 Husband describes intense memoir retreat experience.41:27 Writing is becoming more creative.45:44 Facing adversities, searching for unreachable mother, motherhood adventures.48:31 Writing the books I needed to read.51:21 Memoir is real, emotional truth is key.53:53 Emotional appreciation for awakening and sharing gifts.57:14 Encouraging Clover's beautiful work in future.“Clover Stroud is a force of nature and a woman who is fearless in the face of life and death. A fearless explorer of the human heart, and a writer of incomparable grace and passion”. Elizabeth Gilbert 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

"We're in this really fast paced environment now where we're multitasking x100. When I look back to what my mum and my grandmother had on their shoulders and I look at the role that we have today I think it's because we know no different. We've got these go faster stripes going, more, more, more. More input from the moment we wake up to the moment we're going to bed and I just worry about the state of our mental health moving forward.”Tanya LynchTanya and I met at the very start of both of our journeys on Substack in Spring 2022. I remember her original publication so well and the warmth of her connection.I leant into her storytelling and we’ve stayed connected. I was fascinated to learn more about Tanya’s Rage on a Page journalling work and retreats. We also talked about her process with Substack and I know you are all going to connect deeply with this episode. While I’m here please do consider leaving me a 5⭐️ review on Apple Podcasts - it means the world to me and will mean that more folks can find the podcast off Substack. As you know this podcast is a passion project and I’m sharing everything I learn with you along the way. There are limited spaces for Tanya’s popular Ease Retreats in 2024. Work with authors such as Emma Gannon, Stacey Heale and Clover Stroud in intimate rural settings capturing life affirming pockets of stolen time and tranforming your connection to creativity. Writers retreats with brilliant authors in the tranquility of the UK Countryside: "I do try and get as many people to Wales, to Cardiff or Pembrokeshire, because it is so beautiful."— Tanya LynchPlaces to connect with Tanya online;* https://www.easeretreats.com/about* https://www.instagram.com/easeretreats/* Contact Tanya for retreat details - hello@easeretreats.comIf you’d like to watch our conversation from my coat cupboard (!) with captions feel free to do that here and subscribe to my YouTube channel while you’re there?"I think the difference between Instagram and Substack is … we're all in cars on the motorway. With Instagram, traffic is always flowing. If there's a queue, you may see, oh, there's a familiar face, or you'll go through a town and you'll see someone familiar. But with Substack, it's almost like you've gone to a drive through movie and everybody's there to watch and participate in the same event. And you can see each other and there's a big warm glow and you maybe get out and have a chat and have a drink. There’s time." Timestamped overview00:00 Organising writing retreats with well-known authors.03:48 Discussing goal setting, writing, and inspiration through Substack.08:14 Empower women through 30-day word journaling.11:54 Women find warmth and joy in play.13:07 Space for self-expression, connection, and community.18:34 Struggling with puppy challenges, seeking advice and understanding.20:03 Memoir about raising dogs, finding companionship, business.25:48 Retreats and big achievements can feel anticlimactic.26:46 Embracing change and self-care brings peace.30:44 Retreats focus on intimacy, rest, and fine-tuning.35:26 Gorgeous content, challenging for writers on Substack.38:54 Networking challenges in rural living, seeking support.41:31 Creating mental images to explain malapropisms. Instagram vs Substack traffic metaphor.43:22 Promoting travel to Wales and Oxfordshire countryside.✨I’ll leave you with a quote from Tanya; "I've got 100,000 tales to tell, and it's all beautiful things to talk about." 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

I'm not thinking about my neighbour down the street, but here on Substack, because of how it's designed, you do think about those type of things. And at the moment, I think that the balance has maybe tipped because Substack has obviously got to sell itself and what’s ‘working’. But it's like, ok let’s figure out, how I can be here and make this work for me? Natalie LueIt was a joy to reconnect with Natalie Lue for the podcast. Natalie is a BRILLIANT writer and writes On Knowing Yourself here on Substack. Natalie and I met in 2019 at a brilliant event called Make and Mend Festival. I’m linking here and the lovely Clare Albans has a hand in organising if you want to connect in with their work. Natalie’s career has been one of dedication and determination. She’s not afraid to tackle the tough stuff. A ‘blogger’ for over 20 years and has gone down research rabbit holes many of us would be scared to even peek down. Natalie has brought new and important light to the tougher subjects. She’s a published author, artist and podcaster and an all round amazing human. I’m honoured she made the time to impart some of her wisdom here… I’m really looking forward to your thoughts on our chat. Her podcast The Baggage Reclaim Sessions saw Natalie record 278 podcasts. Listening to her depth of understanding of how the online world ‘works’ brought deep comfort to me. "I'll be frank and I'll be honest, but I do it with compassion and with boundaries in the sense of I'm not going to tell a story and make myself out to be the hero, certainly not intentionally."Natalie Lue Places to connect with Natalie online;* https://natalielue.com/* https://www.instagram.com/natlue/* https://www.baggagereclaim.co.uk/the-baggage-reclaim-sessions-podcast/If you’d like to watch our conversation with captions feel free to do that here;00:00 Helping people reclaim themselves from emotional baggage.09:30 Pride in past work and personal growth.12:31 Revelations about personal life and boundaries.18:06 Acknowledging vulnerability, shame, and overcoming judgment.23:14 Acknowledge natural storytelling, intention, and resonance online.28:50 Excitement about writing platform and valuing creativity.37:32 Challenges with paid subscriptions, improved discoverability.38:38 Substack community shift leads to online work.43:49 Scheduling content to reduce mental strain.54:02 Substack's design may not suit everyone.58:16 Self-published author found success but wanted more.01:04:03 Navigating creativity, self-expression, and publishing challenges.01:11:09 Recognize the value in sharing creative work.01:12:33 Substack encourages paywalls, sparks creative reflections.✨I’ll leave you with a quote Natalie opened with; “Who are the people you are seeking to serve and what is the change you’re seeking to make?” Seth Goodin 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

Hi allI’m delighted to drop in two BRAND new PODCAST episodes… This is my brief intro to the season celebrating two years on Substack and 7k subscribers. 🤩 ✨To celebrate the podcast re-launch I’m offering 35% off when you join us a paid subscriber (member) for one year.In this episode I recap on how my Substack publications have shaped and evolved over time. I also hone in on the recent trend of overwhelm and the move toward clarity on this platform. I talk about ‘calls to action’ and creating posts and honing a publication that’s right for us. Watch the podcast here so you can see me walk through the three publications I host here… Links/ spaces I mention;* Creatively Conscious on Substack* Sparkle on Substack * Company of Two on Substack* Culture Northumberland on Substack* The Sound Circle by Laura Oldfield * Money Mindset on Substack * Join us this month in the Sparkle on Substack membership. Thanks so much to Kerry Hinns for the super edits! ✨ My first guest episode with Natalie Lue drops TOMORROW afternoon. It’s a smasher! ✨How lovely it is that we can write a poem... about the feelings we have about this sparkly space... online... together... making it all up as we go along. ✨ 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

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