We talk a lot about “getting” subscribers but almost nothing about keeping them. 

Many of us are on Substack to connect with our readers and build a loyal readership. Substack allows us to do that in a way no other platform does: speak to them directly via email, reach them on the web and the app, and gather them together via discussion threads and the chat (and Notes). 

But there are so many undiscussed ways to use these and all the tools at our disposal. 

This workshop shows you how you to

  • get to know your subscribers better, 

  • strengthen your relationship with them, and

  • connect them with each other. 

What we’ll cover it all:

  • How to lead rather than beg for participation from a community 

  • Understanding what your subscribers want 

  • The true art of the discussion thread, especially when you don’t have 100,000 subscribers

  • How to create prompts that give your subscribers purpose rather than pro forma what-did-you-think questions that feel like throwaways

  • How to nurture your new subscribers via email (email, not posts)

  • The art of the Welcome email and the cancellation and renewal email

  • How to offer your subscribers bonuses that are genuine and authentic, not gimmicky  



What qualifies me to teach this workshop?

(You should ask this of everyone you work with!)

The guidance I give you is based directly on the advice Substack gave me. No marketing tricks. No gimmicks. 

I also share with you my experience as 

  • the creator of two bestselling, featured Substack publications (Writers at Work with Sarah Fay and Cured: The Memoir); 
  • an author at HarperCollins; 
  • a member of Substack’s Product Lab; 
  • a former advisory editor at The Paris Review; and 
  • a creative writing professor at Northwestern University.


No one else has the relationship with Substack that I do and specializes in the unique nature of the platform, how it can be used to earn an income, and how it complements traditional publishing and all aspects of a writer’s career.

For more, visit www.sarahfay.org and follow me on Instagram @sarahfayauthor (though IG is mostly my cats, who get tens of thousands of views).