Substack Growth Mastermind, an independent weekly live program on the publishing platform Substack, is changing the way creators engage with live content by transforming passive viewing into active participation. Co-hosts Amy Chang and John Toomey lead sessions designed to help newsletter writers grow their audiences through simple, repeated actions proven to increase reach. The program is not formally associated with Substack itself but operates within its ecosystem.
According to program producer Soani Gunawan, most Substack Lives are passive experiences where participants watch experts converse without any opportunity to build or create during the session. “We wanted to improve upon that by making each Live a working opportunity for attendees to gain followers, subscribers, and in some cases clients,” Gunawan said. Chang adds that “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.”
Each weekly show features several interactive components. The latest SuperStacker Prizes are announced, recognizing platform members who contributed the best Notes, Articles, Comments, or Restacks the previous week. This encourages superior performance of these mini-skills, which are invaluable for creator growth. Audience members also submit their own Notes in the Chat and 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 participants can see their writing referenced by news publications within days. If time allows, the hosts conduct a mini-audit of an audience member’s Substack publication to identify areas for future growth. Sometimes Substack Superstars are invited as guests, and evocative sentences from their Notes and Articles are used as AI prompts for the group mind maps.
The producers of Substack Growth Mastermind plan to incubate and nurture other writers who want 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,” Chang said. “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 that 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 more information, visit https://substack.com/@growbyhelpingothers. To learn more about Substack, visit substack.com. Substack Growth Mastermind exists to help newsletter and blog creators build their presence through the power of swarm intelligence.
