Substack Growth Mastermind, a new weekly live program on the publishing platform Substack, is shifting the paradigm of online creator events from passive observation to active participation. Co-hosts Amy Chang and John Toomey, along with program producer Soani Gunawan, have designed each session as a working opportunity for attendees to gain followers, subscribers, and even clients. The program is not formally associated with Substack itself but leverages its features to build community and growth.
The initiative addresses a common frustration: most Substack Lives are passive experiences where viewers watch experts converse without any chance to create or build during the session. "We noticed that most Substack Lives are a passive experience for people in the Chat," says Gunawan. "We wanted to improve upon that by making each Live a working opportunity for attendees to gain followers, subscribers, and in some cases clients." 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."
Each week, the program announces the latest SuperStacker Prizes, recognizing members who contributed the best Notes, Articles, Comments, or Restacks from the previous week. This encourages superior performance of mini-skills that are often overlooked but 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 around the most insightful contributions.
At least one audience Note 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 later posted to the program's social media and website. Submissions that can serve as prompts for AI tools like 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, visit theheroaward.net.
The most insightful contributions from attendees are added to a draft press release before the program ends, giving participants a chance to 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. Occasionally, Substack Superstars are invited as guests, and evocative sentences from their Notes and Articles are used as AI prompts for 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," 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 that offers participants ways to achieve significant growth before the next program, where their achievements will be celebrated. A SuperStacker prize will be awarded to creators who help another writer reach Bestseller status.
To join the program, visit https://substack.com/@growbyhelpingothers. To apply as a participant or guest, write to admin@aibrainstormcreator.net. 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.
