Substack Live Podcast

Sarah Fay
  • 4.2 (5)
  • Careers
  • Updated Daily

Your weekly behind-the-scenes look at what’s happening and working on Substack—with the platform’s leading Growth Strategist, Sarah Fay. The only podcast that helps you stay ahead of the curve as Substack changes and changes again and again, so you can use it to fuel your creative, professional, and financial life. Plus, conversations with the best writers and creators who came to Substack early and made the platform great to show you how to create and, yes, monetize, not by gaming a platform but by bringing your amazing work to the world and making the world a better place in doing so. www.substackwritersatwork.com

  1. 22h ago

    Dispatch #3: What Substack subscribers want in the AI era

    The highest earners on Substack aren't debating whether to use AI. They're asking a better question: how to stay valuable in a world that's full of it. I spent a day in New York in a room with some of the biggest names on the platform, and the words that kept surfacing weren't the ones the growth-advice economy sells. No one said hacks. No one said viral. What they talked about was fun, taste, and the person behind the words. This episode covers: *Why the era of giving your best work away for free may be over. *Which skills are about to gain value on Substack, and which are about to lose it. *Why slow, steady growth is the only kind with substance. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.substackwritersatwork.com/subscribe

    9 min

  2. May 5

    The Minimalist's Guide to Substack: The Magic of the Golden Nugget Post

    Welcome to our new series for paid subscribers: “The Minimalist’s Guide to Substack.” Declutter your Substack brain and life, so you can actually grow in what is an increasingly crowded Substack landscape. The biggest mistake I see on Substack is people making it way too complicated. Principle #1: Post when you have something worth sending. Each post should pass two tests: Is this something people need right now? Is this something they could get from ChatGPT? Enter the Golden Nugget post. It's an easy, short post you can create when you don't have time for a full, high-quality post. A gift—a book, a song—something that doesn't ask readers to do anything. A full post, not a Note, that comes from a genuine desire to share one thing that means something to you right now. No call to action, no questions for comments. Don't make readers do any work. But a Nugget post isn't about you. It's a gift to your readers—something they can absorb without much effort. The Nugget gives you and your readers breathing room while maintaining connection. Join SW@W Book a Substack Strategy 1:1 with me This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.substackwritersatwork.com/subscribe

    20 min

  3. Apr 4

    The Million Dollar Question: Do Substack Followers Really Become Subscribers?

    This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.substackwritersatwork.com Nearly 250 paid subscribers came to the monthly paid-subscriber live with Seth Werkheiser of SOCIAL MEDIA ESCAPE CLUB. » I love when we all get to be together. Seth walked us through a 4-step approach to Notes that converts, pulls you out of your comfort zone by showing you how to engage with others, and stops you from feeling like you’re just posting into the void. Listen for more and if you aren't a paid subscriber to Substack Writers at Work, become one: www.substackwritersatwork.com

    5 min
  4. Write Openings That People Open

    Mar 2

    Write Openings That People Open

    How your Substack posts land in your reader's inbox matters more than you think. In this live, I walk through what your subscribers actually see when your post arrives, how to find out where you're being read (email, app, or web), and why creating a familiar, consistent post structure is more important now than ever. I also cover what's working with images, why stock photos can devalue your writing, and how to think about your opening lines so readers actually want to stay. https://www.substackwritersatwork.com/ This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.substackwritersatwork.com/subscribe

    42 min
  5. Become an exceptional bestseller with Simon Haisell

    Jan 27

    Become an exceptional bestseller with Simon Haisell

    This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.substackwritersatwork.com/subscribe

    44 min

  6. Jan 27

    3 Home Remedies for Substack Writer’s Block

    Part of the Substack Writer at Work Series. In 2026, I’ll be giving paid subscribers and Premier members a taste of the writing guidance I use with my students at Northwestern and my Craft of Writing on Substack course. Today, we dive into Substack writer's block, a unique but common ailment. Substack writer’s block looks like not posting—or posting lifelessly. Or giving up entirely. There are a lot of dead Substacks: Many as a result of “writer’s block.” SW@W homepage » Thank you for being part of the best community on Substack! Please share Substack Writers at Work and invite others to join us for real, long-term Substack growth. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.substackwritersatwork.com/subscribe

    14 min
  7. Live Substack Notes Writing Workshop

    Jan 14

    Live Substack Notes Writing Workshop

    This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.substackwritersatwork.com Navigating SW@W: SW@W homepage | Premier Membership homepage | 2026 Notes Boost Challenge | Paid/Premier Chat | 2026 Substack Pathway | Upcoming courses & Intensives | Substack Essentials Workshop library | Archive | Index | Guidance on Notes, Growth, Revenue, Writing on Substack, Serialization

    2 min
  8. Self-promotion for people who hate self-promotion

    12/09/2025

    Self-promotion for people who hate self-promotion

    Maya C. Popa and I talk about self-promotion for the self-promotion averse. Find out why self-promotion is all about bravely falling backward into a ball pit and why we can blame our dislike of it on the Modernists, Roland Barthes, and the Iowa Writers Workshop. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.substackwritersatwork.com/subscribe

    1h 3m
See All (31)

Ratings & Reviews

4.2
out of 5
5 Ratings

About

Your weekly behind-the-scenes look at what’s happening and working on Substack—with the platform’s leading Growth Strategist, Sarah Fay. The only podcast that helps you stay ahead of the curve as Substack changes and changes again and again, so you can use it to fuel your creative, professional, and financial life. Plus, conversations with the best writers and creators who came to Substack early and made the platform great to show you how to create and, yes, monetize, not by gaming a platform but by bringing your amazing work to the world and making the world a better place in doing so. www.substackwritersatwork.com

Information

  • Creator
    Sarah Fay
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    31
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Writers at Work LLC
  • Show Website
    Substack Live Podcast

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