The Ultimate Guide To Growing Your Substack With Creator Collaborations

How collaborations brought us 2,500+ subscribers...

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One of the fastest ways to grow on Substack is to collaborate with other creators on the platform.

Because, unlike most social media platforms, Substack is a community.

Yes, you can take a solo approach, but growth will likely be slow and it can feel as if you’re just posting in the void most of the time.

In our journey of growing Write • Build • Scale from zero to 5,000+ subscribers, collaborating with other creators brought in at least 2,500 subscribers, so it’s safe to say collaborations played a huge role.

That’s why, in this ultimate guide, we’ll cover:

• Part 1: Newsletter Recommendations

• Part 2: Guest Posting

• Part 3: Substack Livestreams

Ready? Let’s dive straight in.

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Part 1: Newsletter Recommendations

If you’re not leveraging newsletter recommendations on Substack, you’re missing out on one of the easiest ways to grow your audience.

Seriously, this one strategy helped us gain over 2,300 new subscribers, and all we had to do was reach out to other creators asking if they wanted to swap recommendations.

If you’re not using newsletter recommendations yet, here’s how it works.

Substack lets you recommend other newsletters directly from your publication—and vice versa. When someone subscribes to a newsletter that recommends you, these new subscribers get a one-click option to subscribe to your publication as well.

In other words, swapping recommendations is a win-win for both creators. If you want to get more newsletter recommendations, here are a few key tips.

#1: Connect With Other Creators First

Don’t slide into someone’s DMs with a cold pitch asking to swap recommendations straightaway—it’s not a great look.

Instead, engage with their content first. Leave thoughtful comments, restack their Notes, and build a genuine connection.

Once you’ve established some rapport, it’s much easier (and more natural) to suggest a recommendation swap.

#2: Don’t Limit Yourself To Your Niche

You don’t need to stick strictly to publications in your exact niche.

For example, if you write about productivity, you could connect with creators in related areas like entrepreneurship or personal development.

If you write about freelancing, you might collaborate with publications that focus on remote work or personal finance.

If your Substack is about fitness, consider partnering with creators who write about personal development, productivity, or even entrepreneurship.

The key is to find some overlap in your audiences.

#3: Reach Out To Bigger Publications

Bigger creators say yes more often than you’d think. Don’t let the size of their audience intimidate you.

If you have a solid newsletter and you’re genuinely a fan of their work, many creators are open to collaborating—even if their publication is 10x the size of yours.

In short, newsletter recommendations are one of the most powerful (and underused) growth tools on Substack.

Start connecting with other creators, build relationships, and watch your subscriber count climb.

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Part 2: Guest Posting For Other Publications

Guest posting for other publications is a highly effective growth strategy.

When you write a guest post, you’re putting your work in front of an audience another creator has already built.

In other words, you can directly get yourself in front of hundreds or thousands of people who might’ve never heard of you otherwise.

If your guest post is valuable, those readers will likely check out your Substack and potentially subscribe—making it an effective strategy to reach new subscribers.

For example, I wrote a guest post for The Author Stack, which is

Russell Nohelty

’s publication. This publication has well over 47,000 subscribers, so it’s safe to say it reached a lot of new readers who hadn’t heard of Write • Build • Scale before.

But aside from bringing in new subscribers, guest posting also works like a stamp of approval. If another creator features your work, it signals to their audience that you’re someone worth listening to.

So, the more guest posts you have on respected publications, the more you’ll boost your credibility and position yourself as an authority in your niche.

If you want to start guest posting more often, here’s what I recommend.

#1: Find The Right Publications

If you’re going to invest time and energy into writing a guest post, you want to make it worthwhile, so look for creators with audiences that overlap with yours.

They don’t need to be in the exact same niche, but there should be some shared interests or overlap between their audience and your target audience.

#2: Connect With People First

Just like asking for a newsletter recommendation, it’s usually not a good approach to directly slide into someone’s DMs with a cold pitch asking for a guest post.

Instead, build a connection first (like their Notes, leave thoughtful comments, etc.) Once you’ve built a genuine connection, it’s much easier to pitch a guest post.

#3: Pitch Thoughtfully

When you approach other creators for a guest post, make it as easy as possible for them to say yes. Please don’t just approach with, “Can I write a guest post for you?”

Instead, pitch 1 - 3 specific content ideas and explain why it’s a match with their publication and how their audience would benefit from your post.

If you need a strong pitch for your guest post, feel free to use this template:

Hi [NAME],

I’ve been following your publication for a while and I’m really impressed with what you’ve done with [PUBLICATION NAME].

I’m reaching out because I have an idea for a guest post for your publication, which I believe your audience would benefit from.

[INSERT SPECIFIC CONTENT IDEA]

I think it will really help your audience to [SOLVE PROBLEM] / [ACHIEVE OUTCOME].

If you’re interested, I can have this post ready by [INSERT DATE].

Let me know what you think!

When you prepare a strong, specific pitch, it makes a huge difference. Again, make it as easy as possible for another creator to say yes to your guest post.

#4: Bring Your Best Work

Your guest post is often someone’s first impression of your writing, so make it count.

Share actionable insights, compelling stories, or valuable tips that make readers want more. Don’t hold back.

Besides, if you do a good job with your guest post, it might lead to many more guest posts with the same (or even other) publication.

#5: Think Beyond Writing

Guest posting isn’t just limited to written posts. You can also reach out to do a podcast interview, video workshop, or Substack livestream together.

(More about live streams later in this guide.)

For example.

Sinem Günel

did a video workshop together with

Veronica Llorca-Smith

on how to turn writing into a profitable business.

All in all, guest posting is one of the most effective ways to grow your audience, build credibility, and connect with other creators.

So, reach out, collaborate, and get your work in front of new readers. It’s 100% worth the effort.

Part 3: Substack Livestreams With Other Creators

Substack has recently rolled out a brand-new feature: livestreams.

And honestly, it’s a game-changer for connecting with your audience and collaborating with other creators.

Live streams offer a fresh, authentic way to engage with your audience and showcase your expertise in real-time.

But instead of just doing solo live streams, invite another creator to do a live stream together.

Not only does this make a live session way more fun, but you’ll also cross-promote each other as both of your audiences can attend the live stream.

For example,

Philip Hofmacher

and

Claudia Faith

recently did a livestream together, and both of our audiences attended the session, leading to growth for both our publications.

If you’re going to host a live stream, you want to make sure it’s engaging, valuable, and worth your audience’s time. Here’s how to nail it:

#1: Plan The Session Ahead of Time

Decide on a clear topic or theme for the live stream.

Something specific like “3 Strategies To Monetize Your Writing” will perform better than a vague “Live Q&A Session.”

Also, I like to outline key talking points for the livestream. I never over-script it (because I want it to be spontaneous), but I’m always prepared about the topic.

#2: Promote It Early

If you want more people to show up to your livestream, announce it a few days (or hours) in advance. Share the details via your Substack posts, Notes, and emails, and encourage your collaborator to do the same.

#3: Engage With Your Audience During The Stream

One of the unique features of a livestream is that you can actually interact with your audience—so keep an eye on the comments and respond to questions in real-time.

This takes a bit of practice, but it makes the livestream feel much more engaging.

#4: Add Value, Don’t Just Chat

While live streams are informal, make sure they’re packed with value. If it’s just a random chat, most people will leave the session early.

Your audience should feel like they gained something valuable from the session, which makes them more likely to join the next livestream as well.

#5: Repurpose The Live Stream

Substack automatically records your live streams and places them as a ‘draft’ in the ‘posts’ section of your publication.

So, after the session, upload the replay for subscribers who couldn’t join live and consider repurposing some of the best snippets into Notes.

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