A new weekly live program on the publishing platform Substack is turning audience participation into a growth engine for newsletter creators. Substack Growth Mastermind, co-hosted by Amy Chang and John Toomey, invites creators to help each other grow their publications through simple, repeated actions proven to increase a writer's reach. The program is not formally associated with Substack itself.
"We noticed that most Substack Lives are a passive experience for people in the Chat," says program producer Soani Gunawan. "Typically they watch one or two experts talking to each other. The content might be valuable or not, but it's strictly a hands-off experience; there is no opportunity for participants to build or create during the session itself. We wanted to improve upon that by making each Live a working opportunity for attendees to gain followers, subscribers, and in some cases clients."
Each week, the program announces the latest SuperStacker Prizes, often with winners present in the Chat. These awards recognize platform members who contributed the best Notes, Articles, Comments, or Restacks the previous week, encouraging superior performance of mini-skills that are invaluable for creator growth. Audience members also submit their own Notes in the Chat, then like, comment, and restack those of other creators during the live session, leading to lively discussions of the most insightful Notes.
At least one Note presented by an audience member is used as a central topic for a group mind mapping session using Ayoa.com. Everyone in the Chat can comment on and add to the mind map, which is then posted to the program's social media and website. Submissions that can be used as a main prompt for a Claude Artifact, GPT, Gemini Gem, or Perplexity Space, and that address one of the UN's 169 Sustainability Indicators, can earn a Hero Award. More information about the Hero Award is available at theheroaward.net.
The most insightful contributions of attendees are added to a draft press release before the end of the program, so that in a few days participants can see their writing referenced by news publications. If time allows, the hosts conduct a mini-audit of an audience member's Substack publication to identify areas that can be modified to ensure future growth. Sometimes Substack Superstars are invited as guests; evocative sentences from their Notes and Articles are then used as AI prompts for the group mind maps.
"Building in public during a Live is not only effective, but it's a fun social occasion, which allows members to see how fulfilling creating on Substack can be," adds Chang.
The producers are planning to incubate and nurture other writers who'd like to mount their own similar live programs. "We find that live video is the best way to get a potential audience to know, like, and trust you," says Chang. "And the way we do it makes it fun. So we want to support as many people as possible to conduct these types of shows for their own subscribers and clients. We want to build and promote a Substacker Live Network."
Future plans include a weekly challenge, which will offer participants ways to build significant growth before the next week's program, during which their achievement will be celebrated by all. A SuperStacker prize will be offered to creators who help another writer reach Bestseller status.
For creators seeking to grow their newsletters, Substack Growth Mastermind offers a collaborative alternative to passive viewing. To join, visit https://substack.com/@growbyhelpingothers. To learn more about Substack, visit substack.com.
