Substack Premier Membership
Your all-in-one membership for expert guidance and step-by-step support to simplify your life, keep you on track, and accelerate your growth as you build and optimize your Substack.
→ Build your audience. Create opportunities. Grow your income. Change your life (really).
✨ “I tried Substack last year and wasn’t able to grow at all ... but since joining the Membership and really making some connections, I finally have people reading my words. It feels AMAZING.” —Shawn Fink
✨ "The value Sarah provides here is tremendous!" —Jana Smandrova
Substack is the best opportunity we’ve ever had to earn an income, produce our best work, and build an engaged platform.
It’s also one of the hardest to succeed on.
You don’t have to feel isolated on Substack or worry about whether you’re making the right decisions. You could be confident and at ease that an expert is guiding you on the right path.
✨ "The membership has helped me think more clearly, intentionally, and strategically about my relationship to Substack and to my subscribers, which deepens my focus on my creative work. I've made lots of great connections. I love the breakout rooms! It gives me perspective on what other people are doing (and struggling with)." —Kelcey Everick
Few, if any, Substack writers will succeed with the recycled “growth tips” and AI-generated advice flooding the platform.
The days of easy growth are over.
While others recycle generic advice, I’ve built the only framework based on real client data—700+ private strategy sessions and 36,000+ on Substack Writers at Work.
I show you how to use Substack, not feel used (and perhaps abused) by yet another platform.
→ The Substack Premier Membership the only place where you get my proprietary Substack Growth Framework built on real data—plus group coaching, monthly blueprints, and a committed community.
I’m Sarah Fay, the world’s leading Substack Growth Strategist who’s helped thousands of writers substantially increase their revenue and build engaged audiences. I’m a Fortier PR consultant, teach at Northwestern University, and am the national bestselling author of Pathological (HarperCollins).
✨ “The monthly meetings are invaluable, not just for Sarah’s fresh content, but because they force me to look at my big picture instead of getting lost in the daily grind of posting and producing. The collaborations have been my favorite part. I’ve discovered and befriended writers and creators.” —Darien Gee
Your Premier Substack Membership
$985
Everything in the paid subscription, including resources, weekly guidance and live sessions on 2025 Substack trends, and all community Notes Boost Challenges.
PLUS guidance, coaching, and community:
Monthly Premier Live Calls
The only direct access to me outside my 1:1 consulting. Teaching → Co-working/implementation → Breakout rooms to mastermind with each other and get feedback. 3 time slots each month to accommodate different schedules
Premier Substack Office Hours
Direct Zoom access to me for professor-style: you come with specific questions and I answer them, typically reserved for my private clients at $550/session
Mini Substack Audits:
Also typically reserved for my private clients, get a live 10-minute audit of your Substack from me
Premier Monthly Spotlight
The chance to get your Substack featured in Substack Writers at Work and in front of tens of thousands of people
30-Day Monthly Premier Plan:
I give you one clear path per month, so you don't feel overwhelmed and like you're guessing what to do next. Custom templates and implementation guides.
Private Premier Podcast
All live content is available on our private audio podcast for those who are time-poor
Monthly Summary
Each month, I curate the key moments across ALL the live events and SW@W posts to save you time. 3 actionable golden nuggets that will transform your Substack.
Upgrade to Substack Premier:
Pay in installments with Affirm:
Bonus! Join today to receive my Substack Strategy Handbook (Premier Exclusive)—my complete A–Z guide for navigating the platform and making the most of the next year
FAQs
Is this right for me?
The Premier Membership is for Substack writers and creators past the beginner stage and ready to optimize what they’ve built. It’s also for anyone who’s taken my Signature Substack Foundations course or has been following my guidance on Substack Writers at Work actively for more than three months.
✨ “Sarah’s teaching is about developing an authentic and professional publication that will last. With her help, I have built the foundation for a new career in this season of my life.” —Matthew Long
What if I don’t have much time?
The membership gives you the time and focus you need to create the Substack you want. Take the time you might spend scrolling or watching TV and give it to your Substack. You’re worth it.
✨ “The insights and guidance the Membership provided were incredibly valuable—so much so that I might have given up on Substack without her help.” —Mary Ann Rollano
Is it worth the cost?
This is your all-in-one Substack membership that will save you time and accelerate your growth.
It’s less than the cost of two 1:1 sessions with me, and you get me and a cohort of amazing Substack writers and creators for a full year.
✨ “In every call, Sarah leads us on an expedition into the nooks and crannies of the Substack world. And then, like the very best teachers, she invites us to learn from each other. When the session ends, we are empowered for greater success and emerge with new friends we met, continuing our Substack journey hand in hand.” —Robert Leonard
What’s the difference between the paid subscription and the Premier Membership?
Paid = DIY
Resources, weekly guidance and live sessions on 2025 Substack trends, plus all community Notes Boost Challenges.
Premier = Guided. Mentored. Supported.
Monthly Premier Calls with teaching, co-working, and breakout rooms. Premier Office Hours for direct access to me. Mini Audits, where I review your Substack live. Monthly Spotlight to get featured. 30-Day Blueprints with custom templates. Private Audio Podcast. Monthly Summary with 3 actionable golden nuggets.
Upgrade to Substack Premier:
Pay in installments with Affirm:
About me
I’m Sarah Fay (MFA, MA, PhD). I’m best known around here as the world’s leading Substack Growth Strategist and founder of Substack Writers at Work—a featured, bestselling Substack with over 36,000 members.
I’ve helped thousands of writers and creators—from award-winning journalists to bestselling authors to those just starting out—substantially increase their revenue, double and triple and 10x their subscribers, build an engaged audience, and produce their best work.
I also teach creative nonfiction at Northwestern University and am a solopreneur, PR consultant, mental health advocate, and author of the national bestselling memoir Pathological: The True Story of Six Misdiagnoses (HarperCollins). My work has appeared in The New York Times, Oprah Daily, The Atlantic, and The Paris Review, where I was an advisory editor. I write the bestselling, featured Substack Beyond Pathological.
I live in Chicago with my two beloved cats—Sweets and Baby Theo.
We’d love to have you in the Premier Membership!
Join us!
