Sarah Fay is a great writer; she also the insight, the eye, and the expertise that has elevated many people's Substack. She is engaging and seriously effective. Check out Sarah’s Substack here.
An award-winning author and Substack growth strategist, known for her journalistic memoir 'Pathological', Sarah shares her journey of transitioning to Substack, the challenges she faced, and the strategies she employed to grow her subscriber base. The discussion covers practical tips for optimizing Substack profiles, the importance of clear and compelling calls to action, the effectiveness of voiceover features, and the role of the new 'Notes' feature for engagement and subscriber acquisition. Sarah encourages writers to approach their Substack with a mindset geared towards success and community growth.
00:00 Welcome and Introduction
00:31 Introducing Sarah Fay
02:19 Sarah Fay's Journey with Substack
03:32 The Power of Substack
05:12 Sarah's Personal Experience and Growth
06:45 Building a Successful Substack
08:03 Practical Tips for Substack Success
10:38 Engaging with the Substack Community
13:46 Optimizing Your Substack
17:41 Advanced Substack Features
22:31 Exploring Boost Features
23:14 The Debate on Discounts
24:45 Subscriber Offers and Bundles
25:41 Teaser Posts and Free Trials
28:34 Strategies for Paid Subscribers
31:30 The Guardian Model and Paywalls
36:14 Engaging with Notes
43:21 Professional Development and Subscriber Growth
45:44 Conclusion and Final Thoughts
If you are a paid subscriber you will have access to this - and all other Gathering films - as well as a transcription of the conversation below; please feel free to become a paid subscriber if you’d like to join the Gathering community.
