In an era where newsletter creators struggle to stand out, a new weekly live program called Substack Growth Mastermind is taking a different approach: instead of passively watching experts, participants actively build their audiences during the session itself. The program, hosted by Amy Chang and John Toomey, is not formally associated with Substack but uses the platform to help writers grow their reach through simple, repeated actions.
According to producer Soani Gunawan, most Substack Lives are a passive experience. "Typically they watch one or two experts talking to each other," Gunawan says. "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." Co-host Amy Chang adds, "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."
The program employs several interactive methods. Each week, the latest SuperStacker Prizes are announced, recognizing 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, then like, comment, and restack others' Notes during the live session, sparking lively discussions.
At least one Note from an audience member becomes the 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 address one of the UN's 169 Sustainability Indicators can earn a Hero Award. For more details, see theheroaward.net.
The most insightful contributions are added to a draft press release before the program ends, so attendees 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 plan to incubate and nurture other writers who want to mount similar live programs. "We find that live video is the best way to get a potential audience to know, like, and trust you," Chang says. "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 offering participants ways to build significant growth before the next program, during which their achievement will be celebrated. A SuperStacker prize will be offered to creators who help another writer reach Bestseller status. To join, 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.
