Substack is having a moment, but not everyone is thriving. In this deeply honest episode, Claire Venus and Russell Nohelty dig into what’s actually working on Substack in 2025, what’s changed, and how it fits into a larger creative business ecosystem.
This isn’t a “growth hack” chat. It’s a clear-eyed look at:
What’s broken in creator culture
What’s confusing about Substack as a platform
And what still works if you approach it with clarity, systems, and community
🧠 Key Lessons from the Episode:
1. Substack is one channel—not the whole system
Claire and Russell emphasize that Substack should be part of a broader strategy—not your only strategy. It’s a tool that shines when it complements other efforts like events, collaborations, and direct sales.
“You can’t expect Substack to do all the heavy lifting. It works best when it’s integrated.” —Claire
2. Collaboration drives visibility
They revisit their own collaboration (including co-writing How to Build a World-Class Substack) as a major catalyst for both growth and resilience—proof that momentum compounds when creators combine audiences and skills intentionally.
3. Substack Notes = Social, Not Sales
The episode gets real about Notes: it’s a useful tool for presence and light interaction, but it’s not a reliable direct sales channel. It’s closer to social media than it is to a monetization engine.
“Notes is great for connection—but it’s not where the money comes from. That still takes real content, relationships, and offers.” —Russell
4. Business chaos is part of growth
VAT nightmares, exploding tech stacks, unexpected breakdowns—it’s all in there. But these moments of chaos helped both hosts refine what they actually wanted from their platforms, including Substack.
“I nearly walked away. But that breakdown brought so much clarity.” —Claire
5. Succeeding on Substack through collaboration
You and Claire discuss how your collaboration (starting with the Substack book) led to shared momentum, credibility, and audience crossover. Claire even notes that many of her paid subscribers came from the energy created through those collabs.
“Substack grew because of that—it grew because of our connection, because of people like Jason who amplified it.”
6. The importance of clarity in audience and positioning
Claire talks about how defining her audience ("creative business owners trying to reach the next income tier") helped her stabilize her messaging and offerings. That’s directly tied to sustainable Substack growth.
“Now I'm much clearer that I'm serving creative business owners... not just writers.”
7. Burnout and rebuilding as a growth catalyst
You both discuss how moments of total burnout—especially surrounding business complexity (like VAT or course structures)—led to a deeper realignment with what your platforms were for. That realignment fueled more strategic growth, including through Substack.
8. Substack as a central, stabilizing platform
It’s clear that Substack isn’t mentioned as a silver bullet, but as a platform where clarity, connection, and consistency pay off, especially when used for community-building and collaborative projects.
🚀 If You’re Trying to Grow on Substack, Start Here:
Define your ecosystem role (Are you a Desert? A Tundra? Something else?)
Treat Substack as your hub, not your whole machine
Use Notes to build light connections—but focus your energy on the newsletter itself
Collaborate early and often—growth is exponential when you share momentum
Be willing to burn it down and rebuild with intention
💬 Favorite Quote:
“This year’s been wild. The swings are bigger—the wins, and the meltdowns. But the platform is stronger too, if you use it right.” —Russell
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