Russell and I have taken quite different approaches to building our Substack publication. I have 11,000 subscribers and over 400 paid across two publications. At the time of writing my paid conversion is 5% on Sparkle.

Substack tell us 3-5% conversion is average with 1% also being normal and 10% being high.

When you know this you can really start to work out what YOUR Substack can be for you if you decide to monetise. It’s obvious to me lots of my readers are here just to lean in and be part of the community and I love that. There are also a small percentage who are getting to know us before they join the membership. There are over 400 new people arriving here every single month consistently. That’s A LOT of people.

Russell has almost 70,000 subscribers across 5 publications with over 800 paid. Russell’s Substack earns him $15700 annually in gross annualised revenue. When we met a year ago he had around 20k readers here.

My Substack publications earns me over $50k annually in gross annualised revenue. It’s also a ‘funnel’ and bill board for my other work.

I run a membership model with video classes on both my publications. Russell does not offer classes (usually) and focusses on lengthy articles and e-books for his paid supporters.

You’re SO welcome to join us at our Secrets of Bestsellers class this Autumn

Our SPECIAL one off class is for anyone who;

• Is curious about monetising their Substack and how it fits with their eco-system.

• Is shaping a goal to get to and stay a Substack bestseller (101, 1001 or tens of thousands of paid subs).

• Has some time to work on their Substacks. From an hour a week to longer.

In the class we will take your question in advance AND live around monetising your Substack publication.

We’ll share our own stories, methods and success stories from those we’ve worked with too.

Russell doesn’t usually do classes this way so I’m over the moon we get to do this as an act of service for the community.

MASTERCLASS OVERVIEW

Secrets of Substack Bestseller’s Class (Duration two hours)

We cover;

1. Your Substack Content

• Low touchpoint vs high touchpoint publications (including audio/ video/ founding memberships). 2

• Variations in how you gate your content/ bespoke conversion content

• Running a limited-time launch

• Content Bundling/ Webinars or Live Q&A Sessions

• Special Offers/ coupons/ Ways to productise your offerings

• Irresistible Lead Magnets 

• Building a smart Email Funnel (welcome emails and off platform)

2. Understanding Growth

• The growth to monetisation power curve

• Growth within the Substack app v email.

3. Adverts, Fans and Affiliates

• Paid Advertising

• Partnerships/ personalised outreach

• Affiliate Marketing

• Feedback and Growth Loops

4. Social Proof

• Leveraging Social Proof

• Collaboration

AND your questions and our answers live on the call. ☎️

✨

This masterclass is designed for writers who want to build their audience and convert free subscribers into paid supporters on Substack, aiming for at least 101 paid subscribers and onto earning a portion of their living through Substack subscriptions. The session will cover essential strategies, from branding to leveraging special offers, and will provide actionable steps to help participants reach their goals.