The only way to convert and engage subscribers now that Substack is social media
→ If you want to have engagement and convert paid subscribers, don’t be “unique,” don’t “offer value,” don’t “produce quality content.”
That’s right: Don’t do those things.
→ Those are buzzwords and AI cliches.
If it were as easy as what AI-generated advice could give you, everyone would have a highly engaged list that’s generating unforeseen riches.
Getting engagement and earning an income from your Substack and beyond requires more.
You need to find what’s special in yourself that’s particular to Substack that no one else has.
→ You need to know your Substack DNA.
That’s what people engage with and pay for.
And I’m the only person who can help you find it.
I created the process of finding your Substack DNA™ based on my success with 700+ private clients.
The process is intricate and subtle and something I’ve spent the past three years perfecting.
It comes from being the creator of two bestselling, featured Substacks starting from zero and with no platform; someone who’s been on Substack for half a decade; my twenty years teaching in graduate programs at the University of Iowa and Northwestern and elsewhere; my time as an advisory editor at The Paris Review.
Mainly as a result of meeting 1:1 with Substack writers and creators for the past three years.
My Substack DNA method has helped hundreds of my private clients:
Become Substack bestsellers
Double and triple and quadruple and 10x their subscribers
Substantially increase their revenue
Establish six-figure incomes
Build engaged communities of loyal readers
Create additional revenue streams
Attract the attention of literary agents and sponsors
Build genuine connections with their readers
Create sustainable systems that work for them
Develop skills they can use anywhere
Gain clarity on their unique path
Find their authentic voice on the platform and off
My clients include:
CNN political analyst Kirsten Powers
Publisher’s Weekly editor, poet, and entrepreneur Maya Popa
Former CNN commentator Chris Cizzila
Influencer Ajiri Aki
Bestselling author and entrepreneur Joy Sullivan
Author, podcaster, and viral TED speaker Sarah Knight
Publisher, podcaster, and bestselling author Zibby Owens
Activist and founder of Moms Demand Action Shannon Watts
Organizations like Five Things I’ve Learned and Resolute Square
Bestselling author Jennifer Lauck
Award-winning authors Robin Hemley and Esme Weijun Wang
Life coaches Caitlin Faas and Jane Pilger
Substack DNA Intensive is the only setting where you’ll discover your Substack DNA outside my premium 1:1s.
Get clear on your Substack to grow:
Substack DNA Intensive: How to Stand Out in 2025-26
Paid subscribers get 20% off! Thank you for being amazing.
Your access code is at the bottom of this post.
Doors close tomorrow 10/3 at midnight CT
No strategy in the world will help you attract engaged subscribers and earn an income without knowing your Substack DNA.
In this 3-hour intensive, I’ll take you through my proprietary method to find yours.
You’ll walk away from this intensive confident and with a Substack that’s clear and compellingly obvious why people should must subscribe to it.
Itinerary
100% interactive.
Get work done.
You’ll leave confident and clear about your Substack and why people should and will subscribe.
Plus an About page, short description, title, and bio that set you apart from personalized feedback so you know they’re resonating with other people.
Friday, 10/10
12 - 3 PM CT
12-12:15 PM CT Welcome + Discovering your talents, gifts, and/or expertise
12:15-12:45 Finding your Substack DNA, the core, what makes your Substack different from any other
12:45-1:15 Personalized feedback
1:15-1:30 Break
1:30-2 Communicating what makes your Substack unique + my proven template to revamp your About page so people actually read it and create a scroll-stopping short description
2-2:20 You’re so much more interesting than you think you are + my proven bio template
2:20-2:30 Title test
2:30-2:50 How to use your Substack DNA on Notes
2:50-3 Wrap up and what’s next
*all times are CT
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is this for?
Substack writers and creators at all stages, those with no experience and those who’ve been on the platform for years.
Will the replay be available?
Yes, within 24 hours of the intensive, but to get your money’s worth, I highly recommend attending live.
Can I get a refund if I don’t feel like it was helpful?
If you do the work and don’t see transformation, I’ll make it right.
Will I get personal feedback from Sarah?
No, but you will get feedback based on her customized direction. You can also schedule a 1:1 Substack Strategy Intensive.
Isn’t this just more Substack information?
No. This is the step most Substacks skip. It takes deep work and the process I created to go beyond topics, tricks, categories, and niches.
Isn’t this just another scam on how to make money on Substack?
No. It’s the deep work others don’t do, a proven method that leads to opportunities on and beyond Substack.
When we first met, David Roberts wrote about culture and literature.
Not compelling.
So many people are doing that.
We drilled down into who he is, what has shaped his views and approach to those topics. For him, it was culture through the lens of generational wealth.
Setting himself apart triggered his growth from 400 subscribers to 4000 a year later.
He’s now at over 7000.
Doors close 10/3 at midnight CT
This is the same process I reserve for my private clients
Kate Hill increased her revenue from $21,000 to $26,000 in just 6 weeks.
Jeannine Ouellete’s paid subscriptions (at $50/year) increased from 560 to 953 in 70 days.
*Limited space available
✨ “Sarah is brilliant and knows Substack inside out. But she also listens deeply and gets to know you and your goals for your newsletter, both short and long term. She respects what’s already working for you, even if it goes against conventional wisdom. That was crucial in my case, and a big part of how 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
✨ “Sarah takes her in-depth knowledge of how Substack works and truly personalizes her advice. She is able to home in on not only where you can improve your content, but how. Each time I talk to her, I leave with a unique and actionable insight to make my Substack better for my subscribers, in a way that is also very reasonable and do-able for my mental health. Sarah is a true expert who I admire and would recommend to anyone trying to find their voice here on Substack, whether it’s purely for writing for yourself or kickstarting a business.”—Evelyn Skye, Creative. Inspired. Happy.
✨ “I cannot overemphasise what a pleasure it’s been to work with Sarah. I dilly-dallied about booking in with you for quite a while, wondering if I ‘deserved’ to make such an investment. I’m so thrilled I went for it! I feel so much more confident than when I started, with a clearer idea of not only what I’m writing about, but also my very identity.” —Emma Vivian, Attempts at Optimism
✨ “Sarah paid for herself before we met. What she does is so valuable. I feel like Substack has been the easiest, funnest way to make money. It’s all because of Sarah.” —Cassidy Frost, Dedicate Your Life to Music
✨ “Before I signed up with Sarah, I was clueless about how my posts were landing on Substack. Sarah taught me things that have been invaluable. 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
✨ “Within 24 hours of executing Sarah’s suggestions, my subscription base expanded to include countless new readers who not only pressed the ‘subscribe’ button but also took the time to engage with the material and write encouraging and insightful comments on the posts. Sarah helped me see a more holistic, comprehensive vision of my work on Substack. She provided clear, actionable steps to bring this expanded vision into reality.” —Kimberly Warner, Unfixed
✨ “Although I am a seasoned entrepreneur and writer, I knew I needed help to navigate this new environment. Sarah has been my guide and my wing-women throughout. She is an amazing person to brainstorm ideas with, and has the knowledge and experience with Substack I needed. Working with Sarah helped me develop a clear and impactful strategy to support my plans.” —Lisa-Marie Cabrelli, Call for Heroines
✨ “If you want to refine, clarify and expand your Substack — Sarah is an expert coach, sounding board, and cheerleader all in one! She has a sharp eye, tons of practical advice, real insight and examples to inspire. She helped me see my newsletter with renewed clarity and gusto!” —Madeleine Dore, On Things
✨ “More than worth the money. Sarah has an amazing ability to draw clarity out of confusion. Our meeting saved me weeks of dithering and probably going off on the wrong path.” —Joyce Wycoff, Voices of the Hopeful
✨ “Our one-on-one sessions have been an invaluable resource in bringing my best work to Substack in a smart and professional way.” —Mary Roblyn, Writer Interrupted
✨ “I recommend her know-how plus her positive, cheerful, encouraging attitude!” —Anna Schott, She’s Gone Chilaquiles
✨ “The most valuable part of working together was how Sarah infused me with confidence and a belief that I belonged on Substack and had something valuable to contribute.” —Elizabeth Coleman, Elizabeth.Ink
✨ “Seeing Sarah really supported my commitment to my Substack. She gave suggestions that helped me unify and clarify what I was doing, and make that easily understandable to a potential audience. She worked with me on my terms and goals, not a uniform set of ideas about what success means.” —Katie Cowan, The Living Library
✨ “First—Sarah is warm and kind and knowledgeable. She offers a clear and concise orientation that is a GAME CHANGER. Her and her resources helped me to understand where to focus my attention.” —Kristin Kaye, Write Your World Awake
✨ “My original goal when I first started working with Sarah was way, WAY smaller than what I’ve achieved. She’s shown me how much more is possible.” —Tiffany Chu, The Untangling
✨ “Sarah has decades of experience and insider knowledge of what it takes to make a Substack newsletter work. Since working with her I’ve revamped my entire newsletter and started seeing results in just a few days with a large increase in subscribers.” —Leon MacFayden, Trauma to Strength
✨ “What I appreciate the most is that Sarah made me feel seen. Within a very short time, she detected the missing elements that I should’ve injected and highlighted in Substack. I highly recommend meeting her one-on-one. You’ll stop wasting your time and energy on what doesn’t contribute to your goal, and focus 100% on what does.” —Louisa Wah, Lily Pond
✨ “For the first time since I started writing on Substack a year ago, I have a clear vision about the future of my newsletter. Her feedback is so high-quality. Now I have clarity about what I’m doing, and thanks to Sarah, a practical hands-on plan to execute it, I know exactly how to focus my energy every week.” —Shaina Read, Kindling