StretchLearn Course

Build a Substack People Actually Pay For

Position a narrow niche, build a free-to-paid funnel that converts, and grow through recommendations, referrals, and Notes.

Beginner9 hrSelf PacedRegistered

Course Overview

What this course is designed to develop

Learn how to launch, grow, and convert a Substack newsletter into recurring income. You will define a narrow positioning angle, build a free-to-paid funnel with a paywall and welcome sequence that actually converts, and engineer growth through the Substack recommendation network, referral program, and Notes. The course ends with the pricing, retention, and reporting systems that turn a list into predictable monthly revenue.

Learning Outcomes

What the learner should be able to understand, build, or execute.

01

Define a narrow Substack positioning angle and one-line promise before publishing issue one

02

Build a free-to-paid funnel with a paywall split, welcome sequence, and paid-tier offer that converts

03

Grow subscribers through the recommendation network, referral program, and cross-posts using real benchmarks

04

Run a Substack Notes content engine that compounds list growth without daily burnout

05

Set founding-member, monthly, and annual pricing and reduce churn with a save-and-pause playbook

06

Track open rate, paid-conversion rate, churn, and ARPU to forecast monthly recurring revenue

Curriculum Preview

Inside the curriculum: a structured path from fundamentals to execution.

Preview the course structure, see how the modules build on one another, and understand the path this program is designed to take you through.

Module 1

Module 1: Positioning a Substack People Pay For

Most newsletters stall because the angle is too broad for anyone to feel it is for them. You will pick a narrow position, write a one-line promise, and design a publication people choose over the noise.

3 lessons
The Niche-of-One Positioning AngleContent · 45 min
Preview Enabled
Validating Demand Before You PublishContent · 45 min
LMS Access
Setting Up the Publication for GrowthContent · 45 min
LMS Access
Module 2

Module 2: The Free-to-Paid Funnel

A growing free list is worthless without a path to revenue. You will design the paywall, welcome sequence, and paid offer that turn readers into subscribers.

3 lessons
Designing the Free and Paid SplitContent · 45 min
LMS Access
The Welcome Sequence That ConvertsContent · 45 min
LMS Access
Building the Paid Offer and PricingContent · 45 min
LMS Access
Module 3

Module 3: Growth Engines: Recommendations, Referrals, and Cross-Posts

You will turn Substack's native network and your readers into a compounding subscriber-acquisition machine using levers that cost nothing.

3 lessons
Winning the Recommendation NetworkContent · 45 min
LMS Access
Turning Readers into Recruiters with ReferralsContent · 45 min
LMS Access
Cross-Posts, Guesting, and Off-Platform ChannelsContent · 45 min
LMS Access
Module 4

Module 4: Notes, Retention, and Revenue Systems

Sustained growth comes from a content engine you can maintain and a base you keep. You will master Substack Notes, churn reduction, and the metrics that forecast revenue.

3 lessons
A Substack Notes Content EngineContent · 45 min
LMS Access
Reducing Churn and Keeping SubscribersContent · 45 min
LMS Access
Metrics, Reporting, and Forecasting RevenueContent · 45 min
LMS Access

Built for Application

A complete learning path, not a one-off inspiration hit.

This program is designed around progression: focused lessons, structured modules, applied resources, assessments, and a course rhythm that turns information into usable capability.

substacknewsletter growthcreator monetizationpaid subscriptionsfree to paid funnelsubstack notesreferral programemail marketing