Stay Creative on Substack #4

Galvanising this first chapter of the year for joyful growth here on Substack!

“Claire is a wealth of knowledge and shares so passionately and generously about the creative and writing process. I love how real and honest she is, the simple and easy to apply practices, and the excitement I get after reading her words”.

Wildly Unraveled

Hi petals,

How’s your week on Substack been? We had fun in the chat thread sharing Notes and strategy there. Come join us if you like?

Looking to enhance and add sparkle to your Substack experience and stay connected to yourself, your writing and your readers? You’re in the right place! ✨

Welcome back to ‘Stay Creative on Substack’, a seasonal post series here at

Sparkle on Substack

. These posts are LONG and they are meant to be saved and dipped into. They are mostly for those newish to Substack but seasoned folks might find some gems too.

The idea behind these posts is that they encourage you to throw away the heavy rule book and stay creative on Substack! If you want to read more posts like this, head here.

Photo by Jamie Street on Unsplash

I aim to co-curate and share tools, people and the behind the scenes magic that makes Substack what it is! ✨

These posts aren’t designed to create influence, more space for your own growth and creativity.

There’s no ‘to do’ list but I did make you a FREE PDF check list if you’d like to work through it and my ideas for setting up your space here. If you are NEW to Substack drop me a 👋🏼 in the comments and tell me what you think of it so far?

Sparkle Up Your Substack

340KB ∙ PDF file

Download

Download

On that note;

Hi!

I’m Claire and I am an Engagement Consultant, Creative and Mum to two. We live under dark skies in Northumberland, UK.

I wrote these ‘Stay Creative’ posts over on my other Substack publication

Creatively Conscious

and to cut a long story short ¹they out grew the space I made for them there and so I moved them here and made a whole magical portal for your joyful Substack growth. Substack is expansive and lots is possible here. ✨

Back in 2023, one of my lovely clients (and now my friend) called me ‘The Queen of Substack” - it made me smile and gave me a permission slip and so Sparkle on Substack was born! It’s now my part time job!

THANK YOU for all of your support, shares and Substack LOVE.

---

There are 6 parts to this post;

1. Substack Newbies

2. My Substack ‘Tip of the Week’

3. Coffee and Creativity - for depth of connection, strategy and more

4. Workshops, offers and more from me

5. What’s new on Substack from

   Substack

6. Community celebrations and shout-outs

1. Substack Newbies - are you NEW to Substack or to this space?

Substack is part blog, part mailing list, all community.

“Substack combines everything--website, blog, and newsletter with the power of the Substack network and ability to charge for subscriptionsUnlike social media, on Substack you have a direct relationship with subscribers. You own your email list and have a direct line to your readers, without intermediaries or algorithms deciding who sees your content.”. 

Katie at Substack

It’s a wonderful place to create with built for writers originally and the best thing about it - you own your own data here². You don’t have to use all the platform’s settings or even understand them.

Top Tip - Create first, faff later - that’s worked for me! If you do have a question, pop it in the comments below and I’ll do my best to help!

You might also like my ‘Stay Creative on Substack’ youtube playlist - 11 short tutorials with screen shares on creating your very own Substack Home or my FAQ post with

Russell Nohelty

Substack FAQ Collection (with added Sparkle)

2. Substack Tip of the Week 🤓

How to…

Write a recommendation blurb for another writer here.

This function is so important for growth and connection - it’s actually my favourite feature here because I’m such a community builder - I just love it! ✨

Here’s a screen shot of where to find your ‘recommendation’ blurbs and write some and a note of the url you need to get there.

The way I remember how to see this BEAUTIFUL treasure box of gems is that it’s the section above your logo… see ⤵️

I recommend setting a calendar reminder and checking in on your blurbs and writing some new ones at the start of each month. Substack doesn’t email you to notify you of new blurbs only recommendations. Recommendations are just a click of a button, blurns are like a testimonial for your work.

There are often AMAZING testimonials in there and in my opinion they work a little better than the paid subscriber notes of anticipation (although those are nice too).

Thank you

Kat River

,

Erica Perry

,

Tess Guinery

and

Suzy Walker

and the other 43 people who have written beautifully generous words about my work. 🥹 ✨💫

Go have a dig around in your settings and see what you find?

Ooo on that note I found this cool video for beginners about Substack settings from

Simon K Jones

- “when you first set up your Substack it’s a steep learning curve”;

How to figure out your Substack's settings

3. ☕️ Coffee and Creativity

Are we on Substack to write books?

💌 Aw I love this section… I want to ask - how you are feeling about your creations and project here?

When I write this section I am writing to just one of you and hoping whoever that is sees this and feels seen. ✨

How are you settling into this new year of ours? If you’re feeling ready; that’s great if you’re not; also great, we have time! I love the analogy of a whole blank page to paint our colours onto.

One of the biggest things I’ve learnt since going ‘all in’ here is to observe my feelings rather than try and bypass them. I love to go into my ‘cave’ and focus on the writing and offers I want to put out. I am cautious about how much time and how I spend time in other people’s spaces.

One of the things I’ve learnt about the way I create and my personal practise is that there are stages to it and in one of the stages I get a calling to reach out for co-creators.

I’ve been attending a ‘book writing’ club over at

Heart Leap

for months without the intention of writing a book. Just being in this space and working on my own projects was inspiration enough. What’s happened is I’ve decided to jump onto stepping stone #1 of the book I want to put out into the world.

You can read more about that here;

Ego dancing and breaking chains

Are you part of any communities here?

Do you have some communities to recommend to other readers?

If you’re feeling lost or a little unsure I’d really recommend finding your beacons, let me know if you need support with that? Write a note and tag me in?

4. Substack workshops, offers and more

Want to experiment in growing your Substack on other platforms?

1. Pre-recorded - video TUTORIAL - How to set up and encourage clicks to your Substack publication from Pinterest.

   Sophie Ingleby
   and I have been working together to enhance my presence on Pinterest. We started with my Substack tutorials back in September and we’ve expanded to other things within my content eco-system now too. You can watch our chat over here for free if you’re interested in the Pinterest Playground. I’m by no means an expert but I’ve been happy to put some energy there and there.

2. Training - Social Media Rules Don’t Apply.

   Kat River
   and I still have a handful of spots on our free training and podcast recording on Wed 17th January at 9.30am GMT. There’s no upsell - we are just both super passionate community builders. Grab your free spot here. (max 100 seats). The recording will be sent out to our members and in a few weeks the audio will be out as a podcast in a few weeks too.

Want more personalised support?

I’ve grown my Substack within Substack network to over 5000 subscribers since April 2022, I moved my mailing list here of 300 in Oct 2022. I use Substack every day it’s my pleasure and my work.

I’ve been around for lots of changes so I’ve learnt the platform in real time - I’d love to support you further in your journey to make the most of this platform as a creative.

Substack helps make my business viable in a cost of living crisis and has given me NEW and renewed hopes for creative careers everywhere!

Come join my Substack Membership Sparkles?

It’s hosted right here on Substack and I offer sooo much value to help you with Substack including twice month workshops/ coffee and creativity co-working sessions and access to MEMBERS ONLY chat for alllll your Substack questions. We are having a LOVELY time!

The price is going up at the end of the month so fair warning jump in if you fancy some Substack inspired colleagues to guide and support you this year.

5. Whats NEW From Substack and on Substack?

Goodness, where do I start. I’d really recommend subscribing to

Substack Writers

to get updates.

Here are my top 5 new shiny things with a health warning that it’s fine, you’re fine to go at your own pace here…

1. Substack Video. I recorded a test of this for you. You can watch and learn how it works here. There are a few surprises and it’s a fun mentoring chat with my colleague

   Laura Oldfield
   ;

Substack Video...a test!

2. Farrah @Substack
   talked about building community and the shift and importance of that here at a workshop I went to last year - it was a real lightbulb moment for me in how we are ‘consuming’ culture. She hosts this lovely chat if you are a paid member which I’d really recommend;

Substack Chat

In the session Farrah reminded us that Substack is growing communities and we can encourage chat in and amongst ours.

3. Sara Tasker - Me & Orla
   has a NEW podcast
   The Substack Soirée
   and a LOVELY post on crafting your welcome email;

Let's talk about welcome emails

4. 📖 - Want some tips of what/ who to read here on Substack? Here’s a handy list from The Guardian.

5. Goal setters - fancy reading some goals or add your own, here’s a ‘note’ from

   Substack Writers
   to do just that. Read some, get inspired, add yours in the reply;

6. Community Substack shout-outs and celebrations!

We’re celebrating you all wherever you are in your journey. You have time there is so much time. ✍️ 🎉

Here are some celebrations and important shares I spotted on notes travels recently;

1. Sigourney Belle
   reminds us this can be a time for rest, rooting in and taking stock… you are exactly where you are meant to be…

2. Congratulations to

   Molly Ella
   for a sustainable shift towards a paid community.

A NEW slow space for kindred spirits

3. Also to

   Beth Kempton
   on a wonderful and rich Winter Writing Sanctuary and helping lots of folks find works and a new writing home here on Substack! It was my first year taking part; I adored it and getting to know Beth.

For all Winter Writing Sanctuary folks - here's our cosy place to share on Substack

4. To

   Sarah Fay
   for her white/ orange check mark thingy (that’s over 1000 paid subs) and a lovely community invite to newbies with over 400 replies. I can’t go over there because I know I’ll get lost but it will be BRILLIANT.

5. To

   Feasts and Fables
   for being open and honest about a soulful approach to growing their newsletter and to
   Gabrielle Treanor
   on the publication of her first book and
   Jami Attenberg
   on the publication of their 9th book!

Want to guest post/ collab this year? Check out;

Neurokind Open Call 2024

Also pop over to

Jenna Duxbury

publication for creative collabs,

Loadofolbobbins

wants your stories of ‘failure’, stop by and see

Keris Fox

over at

The Ladybird Purse • Opening up about money

and if you’re a mum head to

Company of Two

to apply via short google form.

Russell Nohelty

is accepting guest writers and I think that’s all I know for now.

Anyone else offering guest post slots this year or open to collabs?

💌

New to Substack;

The Art Of Energetic Influence

by my lovely neighbour Leanne, the brilliant North East spoken word artist

KateFox

is here too. I’ve also really enjoyed chatting with

Lucy Werner

over at Hype Yourself which is a timely find for me as I look towards revisiting

Sarah Shotts

100 submissions check list in 2024. The lovely

Elin Petronella

is writing some killer articles and has some very sophisticated things to say.

Ooo and a must mention to

Alice Vincent

and

Charlotte Runcie

who have launched a new space called ‘In Haste’ - we’re all leaning in and listening….If you’ve not read Alice’s words my goodness you will adore them.

Introducing In Haste

Phewf, that’s it for today!

If you value or enjoyed this post please forward to a friend, re stack it for others to find or leave me a heart - I’d love that! 💜

See you back here for #5 in the Spring - let me know what you’d like to learn and read about next time or anyone else I should share?

If you’re a member I’ll be back in the membership chat on Mon, see you then!

Sending sparkles for your weekend ahead,

Claire x

✨

PS - We have over 200 members in our Substack Writers and Creatives Community on ‘LinkedIN’ - if you’re looking to network and connect this is the place to be!

PPS - Thank me later but you can order a wall planner for 2024 emblazoned with your word of the year here. If you don’t know yours yet, don’t worry we’ve only just got started….head over to find it out with

Susannah Conway

’s expert guidance.

1. This is a reference to my father in law - he used this phrase a lot and we’re trying to keep it alive! 😉

2. You own your email addresses and can take those with you wherever you go.