Substack Live Podcast

The 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 in a room with some of the biggest names on the platform, and the words that kept surfacing weren't the ones the growth-advice economy sells. No one said hacks. No one said viral. What they talked about was fun, taste, and the person behind the words.

This episode covers:

*Why the era of giving your best work away for free may be over.

*Which skills are about to gain value on Substack, and which are about to lose it.

*Why slow, steady growth is the only kind with substance.

Here’s your weekly dispatch from the front lines of Substack growth—with the platform’s leading Growth Strategist, me. Usually, the best stuff is below the paywall.

Today: What’s out, what’s in, and what really makes a Substack go viral

Welcome 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 crowded Substack landscape.

The biggest mistake I see on Substack is people making it way too complicated.

Principle #1: Post when you have something worth sending.

Each post should pass two tests: Is this something people need right now? Is this something they could get from ChatGPT?

Enter the Golden Nugget post.

It's an easy, short post you can create when you don't have time for a full, high-quality post. A gift—a book, a song—something that doesn't ask readers to do anything. A full post, not a Note, that comes from a genuine desire to share one thing that means something to you right now. No call to action, no questions for comments. Don't make readers do any work.

But a Nugget post isn't about you. It's a gift to your readers—something they can absorb without much effort. The Nugget gives you and your readers breathing room while maintaining connection.

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Book a Substack Strategy 1:1 with me

Nearly 250 paid subscribers came to the monthly paid-subscriber live with Seth Werkheiser of SOCIAL MEDIA ESCAPE CLUB.

» I love when we all get to be together.

Seth walked us through a 4-step approach to Notes that converts, pulls you out of your comfort zone by showing you how to engage with others, and stops you from feeling like you’re just posting into the void.

Listen for more and if you aren't a paid subscriber to Substack Writers at Work, become one: www.substackwritersatwork.com

How 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 find out where you're being read (email, app, or web), and why creating a familiar, consistent post structure is more important now than ever.

I also cover what's working with images, why stock photos can devalue your writing, and how to think about your opening lines so readers actually want to stay.

https://www.substackwritersatwork.com/

Part 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 and my Craft of Writing on Substack course.

Today, we dive into Substack writer's block, a unique but common ailment.

Substack writer’s block looks like not posting—or posting lifelessly. Or giving up entirely. There are a lot of dead Substacks:

Many as a result of “writer’s block.”

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Navigating SW@W:

SW@W homepage | Premier Membership homepage | 2026 Notes Boost Challenge | Paid/Premier Chat | 2026 Substack Pathway | Upcoming courses & Intensives | Substack Essentials Workshop library | Archive | Index | Guidance on Notes, Growth, Revenue, Writing on Substack, Serialization