Your Personalized Substack Success Strategy 1:1
Substack is a very challenging platform.
You can know your topic, have so much to say, even have a following on another platform, and still end up with a Substack that doesn’t stand out.
You can try all the supposed “strategies” and still not attract subscribers or convert.
If vague strategies and surface-level audits worked, everyone would have tens of thousands of devoted subscribers and effortlessly earn an income.
99% of all Substacks fail because they miss the essential piece that makes a Substack succeed: their Substack DNA.
Your Substack DNA is the core of what makes your Substack you and the architecture you need to create based on it.
≠ It’s not “what makes you unique” or “positioning yourself” or “finding your niche.”
= It’s the operational blueprint that determines how your Substack functions based on your goals, expertise, talents, skills, obsessions, and interests, translated into the right type and mode for the platform.
Together, we decode your Substack DNA using my Substack DNA Growth Framework™️—built on years of pattern recognition across 1000+ clients and tens of thousands on Substack Writers at Work.
Over the past four years, I’ve used my Substack DNA Growth Framework™️ to help my private clients:
Double and triple and quadruple and 10x their subscribers
Substantially increase their revenue
Create additional revenue streams
Make genuine connections with their readers
Develop sustainable systems that work for them
Find their authentic voice
Attract the attention of literary agents and editors
Build platforms with tens of thousands of loyal readers
Jeannine Ouellete’s paid subscriptions (at $50/year) increased from 560 to 953 in 70 days.
✨ “Sarah is brilliant and knows Substack inside out. She also listens deeply and gets to know you and your goals for your newsletter, both short and long term. Sarah earned my trust in the first five minutes. Her guidance is not cookie-cutter; it’s very precisely tailored based on your specific publication and vision.”
—Jeannine Ouellette, Writing in the Dark
David Roberts became a featured Substack, a Substack bestseller, and grew by 4000 subscribers in just one year.
✨ “Before I signed up with Sarah, I was clueless. The result has been an improvement in the quality of my posts and a surge in subscribers. I'm also having a lot more fun as a Substack writer. She is a superb teacher.”
—David Roberts, Sparks from Culture
My clients include:
CNN political analysts and commentators Kirsten Powers and Chris Cizzila
Organizations: PBS, Zibby Owens Publishing, and Resolute Square
Influencer Ajiri Aki and thought leader Shannon Watts
Bestselling author and entrepreneur Joy Sullivan and Publisher’s Weekly editor Maya Popa
Author, podcaster, and viral TED speaker Sarah Knight
I’ve helped those who’ve been on Substack for years and those with no following who are just starting out.
**3-Session Substack DNA Growth Package
My gift as a Substack Strategist is the ability to spot your Substack DNA and guide you step-by-step to apply it on Substack for maximum growth.
After each session, you’ll receive:
A detailed, follow-up email with step-by-step directions on what to do next
My personal (not AI-produced) templates based on my deep knowledge of the platform and my work with 1000+ Substack writers over the past three years
Full access to the transcript and replay with magic links for ease of use
Your 3 sessions are highly customized to you and your needs, but here’s a general view of what to expect:
Session 1: Substack DNA Deep Dive
A clear view of what I call your Substack’s DNA—my proprietary method to help you discover the strengths of your Substack
An analysis of your metrics—we get behind your dashboard and see what’s really happening
A strategic assessment of your About page, short description, title, and homepage
Session 2: Platform Strategy
Your customized Substack DNA strategy: how your Substack DNA determines how you should approach earning an income, growth, and engagement
An implementation plan for immediate growth, including Notes and recommendations, the two biggest drivers of Substack growth
Connecting with other Substack writers and creators for long-term growth
Session 3: Paid Strategy
An examination of your whole business model—I help you see how Substack can work for you to increase your revenue
Identification of audience engagement opportunities
$1650, 3 sessions, 45 minutes each
**Single Substack DNA Strategy Session
The Substack DNA Strategy Session is designed to give you an overview of your Substack based on your Substack DNA.
In one intensive session, you receive:
A clear view of your Substack DNA—my proprietary method to help you discover the strengths of your Substack
An analysis of your metrics—we get behind your dashboard and see what’s really happening
An initial assessment of how your Substack DNA might shape how you approach earning an income, growth, and engagement
Answers to any of your Substack questions
Full access to the transcript and replay with magic links for ease of use
$550, 45 minutes
In case you don’t know me, I’m the world’s leading Substack Growth Strategist and founder and director of Substack Writers at Work—a top ten bestselling, featured Substack, globally, with 36,000+ active Substack subscribers.
My other roles:
Faculty at Northwestern University
Fortier PR consultant
Creator of two bestselling, featured Substacks
Mentor to thousands of Substack writers and creators
Award-winning, national bestselling author at HarperCollins (Pathological: The True Story of Six Misdiagnoses)
Freelance writer at The New York Times, The Atlantic, et al.
Former advisory editor at The Paris Review
Lover of all things cats and Substack
I work with a limited number of 1:1 clients to ensure each receives my full attention and expertise.
If you’re ready to transform your Substack, your platform, and yourself, book your meeting now.