213: How (and why) to treat Substack like a business (featuring Yana G.Y.)

➡️ My 1K Daily Writing Challenge - a 30-day email course designed to get you writing 1,000 words a day, every day - is here! Grab it now at 50% off.

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Season 2, episode 13 is here!

In this episode, I chat to

Yana G.Y.

about how and why to treat Substack like a business and generate real, sustainable income on the platform.

You’ll learn:

• Why treating your Substack like a real business changes everything

• How Yana hit a 6% conversion rate (and keeps it steady)

• The overlooked channel on Substack that converts better than email

• What a smart 20-day automation can do for your paid signups

• Why selling transformation beats listing features every time

• The subtle power of monthly challenges to drive retention and growth

• How to actually use AI without sounding like everyone else

• A simple system for turning audience insights into paid content ideas

• Why branding isn't optional if you want to be memorable

• The retention mindset shift that most creators overlook

• The one thing most writers are scared to do, and why it’s the key to income

Make sure to subscribe to Yana’s publication

Unplugged by Yana G.Y.

before you go.

And if you enjoyed this, you should definitely check this out, too. 👇

If you’ve been putting off your first product because it feels too complicated, this will help.

In this free webinar,

Derek Hughes

walks you through the approach he used to launch 6 products in a year. No overwhelm. Just clear steps and smart shortcuts to get you going fast.

Ready? 👇

Want to work with me to grow your audience and generate more income? Here’s how.

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Go deeper:

• 212: Start and Grow on Substack

• The #1 habit that changed my entire writing career

• 10 things I'd do differently if I started over as a writer

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What’s next?

I’m ready and waiting to support you in the next stages of your creator journey. Here’s how I can help:

1. Start Your Podcast on Substack: A complete course guiding you from concept to launch, based on everything I’ve learned so far during my own podcasting journey. Learn to plan, brand, record, edit, publish, and promote your podcast while building an audience. Perfect for creators eager to share their voice with the world!

2. Sustainable Scalable Social Strategy: This 6-part, online, self-driven course will guide you through the same process I used to develop a strategy for my social media management. When you finish, you’ll have a sustainable social strategy in place that will help you scale your business properly.

3. One-To-One Coaching: Live coaching sessions over Zoom plus a full video audit of your Substack publication. Ideal for those who want to grow their online presence, identify their key strengths, and develop a long-term business strategy. Upgrade to Sustaining Membership for full access.

4. Promote to 21,000+ readers: Get yourself in front of a highly-engaged online audience via email, podcast and social media.

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