** Use the Know Your Subscribers Implementation Guide PDF below to make this much easier.

Too often, when we try to get subscribers or likes or conversions, we don’t even know who we’re trying to engage or upgrade to paid.

The tricky part is that our person changes and we change and Substack is always changing, so we always have to be checking in.

In marketing-speak, they call it your “avatar.” Sometimes it can be helpful to approach it in the usual ways. But the world has changed and people have changed and their buying habits have changed and their subscribing habits have changed.

In a world where AI can spit out information, we need to connect as actual humans. That means knowing exactly whom we’re writing for.

What we cover

I walk you through my process for getting to know your actual readers—not some made-up avatar, but the real people reading your work. We dug into where they’re reading you, what they're Googling at 2am, what they’re sick of reading about, and more.

* (00:00:50) - Forget the Substack drama. Focus energy on “you and your people” rather than getting caught up in speculation about Substack’s future changes.

* (00:02:59) - Move beyond traditional “avatar” marketing speak to understand your actual readers and their real experiences.

* (00:08:27) - For Writers: Ask three key questions about your readers.

* (00:10:03) - For Creators/Coaches/Teachers: Use these three questions to get at the problems your audience faces

* (00:18:56) - Using this guide to find ideas for your next posts.

* (00:23:47) - Differentiate from AI by sharing your experiences rather than just information.

* (00:29:41) - Better CTAs than “support my work.”

* (00:38:29) - On Substack, you play five roles: You’re writer, editor, publisher, salesperson, and publicist.

Fill this out during our live workshop. If you’re watching the replay, set a timer for each, so you keep this short.

Save this document. Bring it to the paid-subscriber-only workshop on Friday, 8/1, where we’ll go through your entire subscriber flow to grow your Substack. Details to come.

Thank you Rachel Botsman, Darien Gee, Petya K. Grady, Debbie Weil, Alexander Verbeek, and many others for tuning into my live video! Join me for my next live video in the app.

Use the Know Your Subscribers Implementation Guide PDF below.

Word version:

* https://tinyurl.com/3fz88zyp

PDF:

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