About this podcast
Your weekly behind-the-scenes look at what’s happening and working on Substack—with the platform’s leading Growth Strategist, Sarah Fay.
The only podcast that helps you stay ahead of the curve as Substack changes and changes again and again, so you can use it to fuel your creative, professional, and financial life.
Plus, conversations with the best writers and creators who came to Substack early and made the platform great to show you how to create and, yes, monetize, not by gaming a platform but by bringing your amazing work to the world and making the world a better place in doing so.
www.substackwritersatwork.com
Episodes
The newest 20 of 39 episodes
- Why Substack Is So Difficult (and Strange) · 7 min“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…
- How Five of My Favorite Substack Built Massive Followings without Losing Their Souls · 1 minThis is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.substackwritersatwork.com Here I discuss how five of my favorite Substacks (though I go into more than five)…
- Live with Elizabeth Gilbert: When a Substack Becomes a Spiritual Practice · 2 minThis 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…
- How Susan Cain Built 'The Quiet Life' to 275,000 Subscribers · 41 minNearly 400 people joined us live to talk about Susan Cain’s amazing Substack The Quiet Life. If you don’t know Susan Cain, she’s the author of the mega bestsellers “Quiet: The…
- Newsletter Dating, the New Restack, and more · 21 min“There are many Substacks about Substack. This one is the OG.” —Gregg Easterbrook This week: Substacks making news, newsletter dating, Substack in Japan, why you don’t have to go…
- How Letter Writing Will Make You a Better Writer with Lindsay Hurty · 51 minToday’s live was phenomenal! Please listen to the podcast version while you’re cooking this weekend or walking or running or whatever. In my live with the amazing Austin Kleon…
- Masterclass: How To Get a Brand Deal on Substack · 5 minThis is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.substackwritersatwork.com Brand sponsorships on Substack aren't just about some sort of weird brand placement…
- Live: Substack News for the week of 6/9 + the person you should learn Notes from · 51 minThis 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
- Dispatch from Substack's 2026 New York City Summit · 9 minThe highest earners on Substack aren't debating whether to use AI. They're asking a better question: how to stay valuable in a world that's full of it. I spent a day in New York…
- The Minimalist's Guide to Substack: The Magic of the Golden Nugget Post · 20 minWelcome to our new series for paid subscribers: “The Minimalist’s Guide to Substack.” Declutter your Substack brain and life, so you can actually grow in what is an increasingly…
- The Million Dollar Question: Do Substack Followers Really Become Subscribers? · 5 minThis is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.substackwritersatwork.com Nearly 250 paid subscribers came to the monthly paid-subscriber live with Seth…
- Write Openings That People Open · 42 minHow your Substack posts land in your reader's inbox matters more than you think. In this live, I walk through what your subscribers actually see when your post arrives, how to…
- Become an exceptional bestseller with Simon Haisell · 44 minThis 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
- 3 Home Remedies for Substack Writer’s Block · 14 minPart of the Substack Writer at Work Series. In 2026, I’ll be giving paid subscribers and Premier members a taste of the writing guidance I use with my students at Northwestern…
- Live Substack Notes Writing Workshop · 2 minThis is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.substackwritersatwork.com Navigating SW@W: SW@W homepage | Premier Membership homepage | 2026 Notes Boost…
- Self-promotion for people who hate self-promotion · 1 h 3 minMaya C. Popa and I talk about self-promotion for the self-promotion averse. Find out why self-promotion is all about bravely falling backward into a ball pit and why we can blame…
- Be Contrarian with Substack Icons Jessica DeFino and Emily Kirkpatrick · 1 h 4 minWelcome to the Substack Live Podcast! Conversations with the best Substack early adopters who created amazing newsletters and continue to bring their good work to the world and…
- The (Substack) Writer’s Growth Mindset with Maya Popa · 58 minIt was so fun to talk about the importance of mindset when you're a writer and a Substack writer. It’s everything. Substack Writers at Work is the only expert guide to Substack…
- The Real Art of the Newsletter with Austin Kleon · 1 h 5 minWelcome to the Substack Live Podcast! Conversations with the best Substack early adopters who created amazing newsletters and continue to bring their good work to the world and…
- Why Dopamine Hits Won't Get You the Creative Life You Want with Maya Popa · 1 h 28 minNearly 400 people showed up to listen to Maya C. Popa and I talk about: - The realities of pitching, publishing, and rejection - Mindset, motivation, and the myth of “having it…
