Starts September 22 · 10 seats
Make Your Substack Pay You Challenge
Readers but no revenue? In 30 days, your Substack is built to convert:
a message strangers get in five seconds, a front door that turns them into
subscribers, and a paywall and an offer that turn subscribers into money.
Built on your real Substack, with me checking every piece.
Doors close September 21.
Substack Bestseller
Top 50 Substack Business Pub
The problem was never your writing
You’re doing the polishing work
when the setup is what’s missing
01
You publish and nothing happens
No new subscribers, no replies. It feels like shouting into an empty room.
02
You've redone your About page three times
And your bio, and your welcome. Still no sign it's working.
03
Someone said "I'd pay for this"
And there was nowhere to pay. The reader was ready. Your Substack had no door.
04
Everyone else is getting paid
You watch other people announce paid subscribers and wonder what they know that you don't.
It's not a talent problem. It's a conversion problem. Every reader who was ready walked past a gap in your setup. We close the gaps, in order, in thirty days.
What changes, week by week
Everything you need. Nothing you don’t.
Week 1 · Clarity
One sentence decides everything.
You write what your Substack is for in the next 90 days — audience, income, or authority. Everything else gets built on top of it, and by Friday you can say it out loud without cringing.
Week 2 · The front door
Your front door, rebuilt.
Home page, About, bio and welcome email rebuilt around that sentence. A stranger understands what they get in five seconds, subscribes, and is told what to read first.
Week 3 · The money
Somewhere to pay you.
The paywall goes on, priced right. The offer exists. The next time a reader says "I'd pay for this," there is somewhere to pay.
Week 4 · The engine
A plan for day 31.
Notes that send strangers into the path you just built, and your 90-Day Post-Program Roadmap, so day 31 has a plan.
How it happens
One task a day, on your real Substack. Four live coaching calls where your pages are on my screen and we fix them together (replays included). My systems and my exact settings. Every piece checked by me before you move to the next one.
Come ready to work
This program is focused on the architecture and messaging that convert — not a from-scratch strategy course. Come knowing who your Substack is for, what it's about, and what you're offering.
Brand new with just an idea? You're welcome, and you'll have extra work to do to catch up. I'll be honest with you about that the whole way.
What it costs
$297 doesn't buy a course. It buys a different October: a Substack that knows what it's for, a front door that converts, and a paywall and an offer that get paid. One hour with me one-to-one costs more than this. This is ten of us for a month.
Make Your Substack Pay You Challenge
$297
Ten seats total.
Doors close when the ten seats fill.
Before you talk yourself out of it
The three things you’re probably thinking
One task a day, done on your real Substack. Nothing to apply later.
Who's teaching this
Carrie Loranger
I'm Carrie Loranger. I've helped hundreds of writers set up, grow, and hit the bestseller list — build real offers, and go from zero to hundreds, even thousands, of paid subscribers. I've done it on my own Substack too.
Substack Bestseller
Named a Top 50 Substack Business Publication
Helped hundreds of writers grow and hit the bestseller list
Students who started at zero now have hundreds, even thousands, of paid subscribers
18 years in marketing
WHAT PEOPLE SAY
"By Day 14 I had my first offer built and priced. By Day 28 I had my first sale. The worksheets made it impossible to get stuck."
Katie R. · $2,000 in the first 60 days
"I kept waiting to "have enough subscribers." Carrie showed me the subscribers I already had were enough. I just needed the system."
Sebastian S. · Launched with 287 subscribers
"The community made the difference. Carrie looked at my homepage and offer, and told me exactly what to fix."
Traci E. · 4 revenue streams in 90 days
"Carrie is extremely knowledgeable about what she does, and generous in sharing it. Her advice and support definitely helped me achieve bestseller status on Substack."
Sam Illingworth · Substack bestseller
"I purchased Carrie's four-session starter package, and I am so happy I did. She did a great job walking me through how to build what I was envisioning. I would highly recommend Carrie!"
Ryan Catherwood
"I supported your work because of how clearly you break down systems without hype."
Jennie
Ten seats, a few times a year
I cap this at ten so I can look at
every person’s real work myself
When they’re full, they’re full, and the next round is months out.
There are no refunds. If you're not sure it's a fit, message me before
you buy — I'd rather help you decide than take your money and let you down.
Questions
Everything else
you’re wondering
How is this different from your 1:1 Setup Sprint?
The Sprint is my deeper 1:1 — fully customized to you, and it covers everything: podcast setup, coaching, strategy, the works. This program is focused on one thing, in a group: the conversion architecture and messaging that turn readers into paid subscribers. Want the full custom build? The Sprint is that. This is the focused, faster path to conversions.
What if I haven't started my Substack yet?
You're welcome, but come ready with your idea, who it's for, and what it's for. Starting from scratch means extra work on your end, and I'll be honest with you about that.
Do I need to be techy?
No. I walk you through everything inside the editor, live, click by click.
What if I miss a live call?
Every call is recorded. You get the replay the same day, along with the lesson.
How much time each day?
One short lesson and one clear task. Most days, done before your coffee's cold.
Is this only for Substack creators?
The program is optimized for Substack but the revenue architecture works on any newsletter platform. If you're on ConvertKit, Beehiiv, Ghost, or anything else, the strategy and worksheets still apply. Some Substack-specific tutorials (homepage setup, sections, etc.) may not apply to your platform.
What happens after day 30?
You leave with your 90-Day Post-Program Roadmap, which maps your next quarter so you know exactly what to do after the cohort ends. The challenge community stays open to you.
When does it start?
Registration opens Tuesday, September 15. Doors close Sunday, September 21, or when the tenth seat goes. Day one is Tuesday, September 22
I write about several things. Do I need to pick a niche first?
No. What you need is one sentence about what the publication is for, and that's week one. Mixing stories with useful posts is how some of the best Substacks work.
Grab one of the
ten seats
Thirty days from now you'll have a different Substack, or the same one.
That part is decided today, not on day 30.
$297 · Ten seats · Doors close September 21.
Carrie Loranger
Substack strategist · Turn your expertise into a portfolio of paychecks