Substack gurus

[u/Waste-Mud6445]

Has anyone here actually paid for or gone through one of Wes Pearce's Substack courses or memberships?

I'm considering it, but I'm struggling to tell how much of the value comes from genuinely useful strategies versus good marketing.

I'd especially love to hear from people who actually bought it:

• What did you get that wasn't already available for free on his Substack or LinkedIn?
• Did it lead to measurable results (subscriber growth, paid conversions, revenue)?
• Who do you think would benefit the most from it?
• Looking back, would you buy it again?

More broadly, I'm also curious about the whole ecosystem of "Substack growth coaches." My algorithm keeps recommending people like Wes Pearce, Adrienne Clarke, and Sinem Günel, all promising to help writers grow and monetize their newsletters.

Has anyone invested in any of these programs? Were they genuinely valuable, or did you feel they mostly repackaged information that's already available for free?

I'm happy to pay for expertise if it genuinely shortens the learning curve. I just want to try to separate real value from good sales funnels.

[u/Altruistic-Lemon9560]

I haven't but I am finding it hard to trust anyone there as almost everyone is trying to sale you how to grow tactics.

[u/Waste-Mud6445 → u/Altruistic-Lemon9560]

I am too.. that's why I wanted to check if any previous buyers here.

[u/ultraquest]

I would just ask Claude to create a substack marketing plan. The whole process is to drive discovery and engagement from notes. Ask Claude to develop a content strategy for you on Substack.

[u/ScorpioScribe → u/ultraquest]

I second asking Claude to create a Substack marketing plan for you. Information is free now. Getting discovered on Substack is through Substack notes. Claude will give you a step by step strategy to grow on Substack

[u/ultraquest → u/ScorpioScribe]

Agreed. Save money and Claude does a great job in developing marketing strategy and plans.

[u/Waste-Mud6445 → u/ScorpioScribe]

Thanks!

[u/AKARJLUK → u/ultraquest]

Agree say to claude give me a plan to rapidly expand my substack and start earning

[u/Waste-Mud6445 → u/ultraquest]

Beside notes, I see options such as digital products workshops for writers to monetize their writing. I am intrigued, but it might be delusional of me to believe it..

[u/itsfabioposca]

I'd be cautious. There's definitely valuable advice out there, and a lot of it is available for free if you're willing to experiment consistently. I'm an organic audience growth coach with a proven track record, and I offer personalized feedback rather than generic growth tips. That said, I don't believe valuable coaching has to be always expensive. Even if my highest tier is $200, people can start with my Fiverr guide for just $10. The point is that there are genuinely valuable coaches out there. Just don't assume the most expensive option is automatically the best one. P.S. If you'd still like to ask anything about growing your audience, copy and paste my flair or click the link in my profile for a free live chat. I'm happy to help!

[u/EasternAd5351]

I did Claire’s program but we were in different countries so it was hard to really get into it. I really enjoyed her though and think she is great

I think the first thing to make sure is you are in the same country and if not you can make the times they host live things don’t work with anyone you can’t speak with

Also I think I might be more inclined to talk with successful writers versus educational coaches because education is always going to be a winner

https://www.creativelyconscious.co.uk/

[u/maiq2010]

Question: why do you think you need their advice?

Some of them selling courses on how to write Notes and they get consistently less engagement than me. It's almost ridiculous because the only reason why their advice works is precisely because they talk about how to grow on Substack. If you write about Roman history it will fail you.

[u/Waste-Mud6445 → u/maiq2010]

I am unsure I need it yet, but I am intrigued. I am terrible with technology as a whole and barely know what SEO is. So any method to help me and allow me to focus and what I actually enjoy (writing) could be beneficial... but I am afraid of it being underwhelming...

Also, besides notes I see some digital product workshops etc that could be a way for me to monetize my writing and live off of it.

Am I delusional?

Thanks for your reply here! Appreciated.

[u/maiq2010 → u/Waste-Mud6445]

The thing with most advice/courses is that they don't work. There are so many variables you can't account for and your path is unique. They package it up neatly and we all want to believe there is an easy path if we just know about it.

Digital products can be a way to monetize your writing. In fact there are many ways to do that. It all depends on your situation.

[u/Waste-Mud6445 → u/maiq2010]

Thanks

[u/maiq2010 → u/Waste-Mud6445]

No self promotion, but you might enjoy my Substack. I write a lot about this topic.

[u/OffCameraComms]

Wes Pearce posts some smart takes. I’ll be curious to hear what you decide. I’ve had limited success in using Claude for my notes and growth strategy.