In a departure from typical passive livestreams where experts lecture while viewers watch, Substack Growth Mastermind is launching a weekly live program that turns audience members into active participants in growing each other's publications. The initiative, led by co-hosts Amy Chang and John Toomey, aims to harness swarm intelligence to help writers increase their reach.
"We noticed that most Substack Lives are a passive experience for people in the Chat," says program producer Soani 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." The program is not formally associated with Substack itself, but operates on the platform.
During each session, participants submit their own Notes—short posts—which are then liked, commented on, and restacked by other creators in real time. This reciprocal engagement is designed to boost visibility for all involved. "Building in public during a Live is not only effective, but it's a fun social occasion," adds Chang. The hosts also announce SuperStacker Prizes for the best Notes, Articles, Comments, or Restacks from the previous week, incentivizing high-quality contributions.
A key feature is a group mind mapping session using Ayoa.com, where at least one audience-submitted Note becomes the central topic. Participants collaboratively build the mind map, which is later shared on social media and the program's 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. More details are available at theheroaward.net.
The most insightful contributions are also added to a draft press release before the program ends, giving attendees a chance to see their writing referenced by news publications within days. If time permits, the hosts conduct a mini-audit of an audience member's Substack publication to identify growth opportunities.
Occasionally, Substack Superstars are invited as guests, and evocative sentences from their Notes and Articles are used as AI prompts for the group mind maps. Looking ahead, 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. "We want to build and promote a Substacker Live Network."
Future plans include a weekly challenge to help participants achieve significant growth before the next program, where their achievements will be celebrated. A SuperStacker prize will be offered to creators who help another writer reach Bestseller status. The initiative could signal a shift toward more collaborative and interactive audience-building strategies on Substack, potentially benefiting writers who struggle to gain traction alone. To join, visit https://substack.com/@growbyhelpingothers. To apply as a participant or guest, write to admin@aibrainstormcreator.net. For more about Substack, visit substack.com.
