Dispatch #4: It's never been a better time to be a Substack writer
+ The biggest mistake those who aren't growing make, the paid subscriber opportunity you’re missing, and the latest Minimalist's Corner
Your weekly dispatch from the front lines of Substack growth—with the platform’s leading Growth Strategist, Sarah Fay. (The best stuff is usually below the paywall.)
Listen to the podcast version above
TODAY: The biggest mistake those who aren’t growing make, Substack AI update, the latest Substack Minimalist’s Corner, who’s here, and more…
Should you worry about the direction Substack is headed?
A writer from The Atlantic recently interviewed me about Substack and its relevance in the literary world, which taps into Substack’s influence generally, the power of the platform, and whether it’s saturated and where it’s going.
She asked if I’m worried about the direction that Substack is heading.
If you’d asked me a few months ago, maybe even a year ago, I would have said yes.
But after attending Substack’s New York City event, I’m not worried at all.
Four years ago, Substack’s vision was to help you make money and build a platform that you own. Last week, I saw that it’s still to help you make money and build a platform you own. Their vision may have expanded and features have been added in abundance, but the core remains, and that’s what counts.
And (bonus) they’ve given us something no social media platform has: We own our work and our email lists. We still have power.
AI update
Forewarned is forearmed.
I predict that Substack will eventually label AI-generated content. I could be wrong. In fact, I might be wrong. It’s just a prediction. But it’s something Meta, YouTube, Spotify, TikTok, LinkedIn, and Pinterest have all done in one way or another.
In this section of my weekly dispatch, you’ll get AI updates because forewarned is forearmed. The last thing I want is for your hard work to be labeled “AI-generated” and you labeled an “AI creator.”
You can create your Substack without AI.
Doing so might just help you get and keep subscribers:
What to tune out
Tune out anyone telling you to use AI to write your Notes.
There’s a certain Substacker (I won’t mention any names) who uses AI to generate his Notes. Eight months ago, his Notes went absolutely bonkers viral. Now, crickets.
Using AI-generated Notes may work for a little while, and it may work here and there, but it’s not going to lead to high-quality subscribers because they’re subscribing to AI, not you.
(If you’d like more on this, here are The 4 Types of Notes That Get Traction in 2026.)
