How to Grow Your Substack: 3 Case Studies from the Substack Premier Membership
Wisdom from 3 Substack Writers at Work
The three Substack writers and creators below are part of the Premier Membership.
They know and strategize based on their Substack DNA, even if they’re still in the process of finding it. (Find out more about what it means to know your Substack DNA below.)
They’ve gone all in on the membership and aren’t drowning in recycled Substack “tips” and AI-generated noise.
They’re paving their own paths for long-term, engaged (real) growth in the Premier Membership.
1. THE GRIEVING PLACE by Dina Bell-Laroche
Bio:
Grief Doula | Published Author | Certified Thanatologist | Humanitarian | Leadership Coach | Speaker
Short description:
A brave space for the bereaved and the broken-hearted to feel safe, seen, and supported.
About page:
I love the way Dina’s About page starts so boldly and clearly tells us exactly what her Substack is about: “Welcome to this brave space. This is where we come together to explore topics that make others uncomfortable.”
Dina lost her younger sister, Tracy. As she says in her About Me section, “I’m a Grief Doula. Hard earned. I’ve come to this space after suffering through a life-altering loss.” Boom. Subscribe.
Paid offer:
Dina tested and tried many things to create a paid offer that works with her busy schedule because Substack is not her full-time job, including one that felt right from the beginning: Thanatology Thursday, a weekly video or written post that “helps normalize, not pathologize what happens to us when life goes sideways.”
What did Substack feel like before you joined the Membership? When I first joined Substack, I felt lost and overwhelmed. Learning new platforms normally come easy for me but Substack felt different.
What have you gained most from the Premier Membership? Because Substack is changing so rapidly, having Sarah to lean on helps me avoid getting distracted with the ‘noise’ and stay focused on what matters most: ensuring The Grieving Place is a safe refuge for those seeking grief wisdom.
What’s the one thing that really sparked your growth? Being a part of the membership which attracts like-hearted people who care about mental health, spirituality, and wellness. The Notes Boost Challenge initiated a lot more interest in my work.”
“Like-hearted” is the best way to describe those of you in Substack Writers at Work. No question.
2. THE HABIT OF ART by Kelcey Ervick
Substack DNA:
Handwritten letters (with wonky drawings!) about my constant quest to understand how and why we make art and tell stories—and what gets in our way. Created by a writer/professor who started drawing.
About page:
Oh, my goodness. Kelcey’s About page is so, so good. It’s voice, my friends. All voice—and voice (as those of you who’ve taken my writing courses and intensives know) is everything in writing on Substack (and anywhere) in 2025.
This: “I’ve been writing for a lot of years. I got a PhD in it. I’m a professor of it. I’ve published multiple books of literary fiction and nonfiction. But several years ago, I started drawing every day, and it changed everything. How I look at the world, how I SEE the world, how I think, how I write, how I teach, how I draw. It also led to getting an agent and publisher for my graphic memoir, The Keeper.”
So good. I hear her. I know her. I want to subscribe. I want to pay to subscribe.
What did Substack feel like before you joined? Substack felt like a popular, crowded tourist attraction and I felt like one of hundreds of tourists being herded through—sweating, snapping blurry photos through a glass case. Working with Sarah Fay was like getting an after-hours, behind-the-scenes, private tour!
What have you gained most from the Premier Membership? Sarah 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).
What advice would you give someone struggling to grow, just starting out, or getting discouraged on Substack? I’m always thinking about two things: the READER and the STORY. That’s why I begin all my posts with ‘Dear Reader’—to remind me that I’m writing to communicate to someone else, not merely to ‘express myself.’”
3. WRITER-ISH by Darien Gee
Bio:
International bestselling author, published in 11 languages. Award-winning micro prose author, editor, teacher. Poetry Society of America fellow.
Substack DNA:
I help writers experiment with micro prose as a bridge between genres and forms of storytelling, transforming observations and small moments into compelling 300-word narratives.
Offering value:
Darien is a brilliant teacher and writer. She could have offered her own writing and taught in just about any genre and it would have been high quality. But she (I think I made her) home in on what no one else was doing: teaching microprose.
Everyone who wants to tell stories on Notes (or simply become a better storyteller) must subscribe to Darien. Microprose is many things, but having the muscle to write small will make you a much better writer.
“Value” is a word that gets thrown around a lot, but that’s what is on Substack: What are you offering that no one else can and how is your Substack entirely you?(And not entirely or mostly AI, we hope.)
Accepting that making money on Substack isn’t easy:
Darien has been amazing at channeling her gifts and expertise to Substack. She’s also very savvy, incredibly disciplined, and discerning. She isn’t taking advice from everyone and has worked hard to make Substack enjoyable and doable. (My note to her from our last session was, “Do less. Make Substack work for you.”)
What made you join the Membership? As a published author who also launched and sold a food blog based on one of my novels, I know the value of finding the expert in the room and learning from them. When I found Sarah, I knew she’d help me navigate Substack far better than I could on my own. I committed to three months to see what was possible. Three months became six, then a year.
What have you gained most? 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 writers and creators. I’ve met and befriended a few of my literary heroes.
What advice would you give someone who’s struggling to grow, just starting out, or getting totally discouraged on Substack? Give yourself permission to experiment and play—I wasn’t solid on my WHY when I started, so I tried what I knew (my existing newsletter format) and evolved from there.
Substack is a marathon, not a sprint.
How do I join the Substack Premier Membership?
Get on the waitlist here to be the first to hear when the doors open.
Wait, what is your “Substack DNA”?
Your Substack DNA is the core of what makes your Substack you and the architecture you need to create based on that.
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.
The Substack the framework I’ve built based on years of pattern recognition across 1000+ private clients and case studies and tens of thousands of Substack Writers at Work—knowledge you can’t get anywhere else.
Love love love Darien Gee’s Substack!
I love Writer-ish. Thanks for sharing the other newsletters.