Here's what summit attendees are saying...
Hint: It was a good day. ⚡️
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⏪ Last time, I shared an interview Nika Talbot invited me to. That's here.
⏩ Today, highlights from what was an *incredible* Content Spark Summit.
You may have heard 👀, this week I hosted The Content Spark Summit, and it was SO GOOD!
It was a full-day event focused on rising above the noise, elevating what you create and sparking meaningful connection with your content. ⚡️
Fourteen incredible speakers covered everything from understanding the importance of engagement to fostering genuine connection and leveraging your unique expertise and experience—and SO much more.
You can still grab an all-access pass and replay it all for a year!
And the creative Substackers who joined in live—especially for those live afterparty Q&As—were LOVING it. (Not pictured: My squeals of delight when comments like these popped up!)
Attendees (almost 500 of you!!) left with new ideas; actionable steps to upgrade how they show up; strategies for earning attention, trust and connection; and generally feeling excited about going all in on a content strategy they can’t wait to show up for. ⚡️
So this month, my content REPORT is breaking its usual format of highlighting content I found worthy of a digital dog-ear to instead report on my favorite summit takeaways.
⚡️ It’s up to us to build belonging.
In a panel with Dr. Kelly Flanagan, Russell Nohelty and Elin Petronella, we covered:
The difference between building a community and growing an audience.
Key characteristics of true community.
What they’ve found to work well to build belonging.
Advice for leading with vulnerability.
How to balance online community with offline relationships.
What they’d do if starting a Substack tomorrow.
Takeaway: It’s a crowded world online but we’re not merely after attention—we’re building something more meaningful.
⚡️ You can stay creative and grow while you’re asleep.
In this keynote, Claire Venus shares her experience with Substack, focusing on staying creative, engaging with the platform and building a community here. She offers insights on nervous system regulation online, Substack as social media and the tools for growth.
⚡️ Newsroom practices can help you level-up your solo content.
In an interview with husband-and-wife duo Robert Draper and Kirsten Powers (their first-ever joint interview!), we cover:
Making the shift from traditional media to Substack.
What it’s like to work in the newsroom at The New York Times.
Tactics that best translate to publishing your own work and keeping people hooked.
How to approach ideating for Substack.
How to stay ahead of the curve and build intrigue around your writing.
Maintaining accuracy and credibility even as a team of one.
Crafting headlines that inform and intrigue.
⚡️ There’s three keys to succeed on Substack.
In this keynote, Sarah Fay shared the desires, problems and mistakes we all face, plus the three keys to finding success and prompts to workshop yours.
Takeaway: As a creator on Substack, you have to decide what your primary focus is going to be: an engaged readership, earning an income or growing a platform. Then you can optimize for success.
⚡️ It takes guts to write with instinct.
In an interview with Amanda B. Hinton, we cover:
How to define the role of an editor.
What makes for really good writing.
How to write from your gut.
How to know when a piece is ready for publication.
Caring for your reader along the way.
Advice for editing your own work.
What to do when you get stuck.
⚡️ There are creative ways to hype yourself on a budget.
In this keynote, Lucy Werner hands over 21 alternative ways to get yourself and your work out there in a way that feels good.
Takeaway: Self-promotion doesn’t have to be awful or awkward.
⚡️ Your expertise can become engaging content.
In an interview with Kate Eskuri, DNP, we cover:
How to think about translating expertise into content.
How to build connection through your writing.
How Substack fits into an overall creative business strategy.
The shift in connection to community here.
What it’s like to gain momentum in your writing.
How things have shifted over time and across platforms.
⚡️ You can create a content strategy you can’t wait to show up for.
In my keynote, I share the five Cs of content strategy—Conversation, Conviction, Competency, Consistency and Confidence—to help you define the conversation you’re meant to lead.
Takeaway: Providing valuable content isn't about having all the answers, but rather about leading with curiosity.
⚡️ Finding an audience can often mean finding yourself.
In this keynote, Keeley Rees and Sara Tasker - Me & Orla talk about the need to be brave and overcome perfectionism to share our creativity with the world, how to embrace our humanness as a unique advantage in a world increasingly dominated by AI, and why we as writers need to focus on building a community based on shared values and leading with heart rather than relying on strategies and hacks.
⚡️ Self-care includes nourishing your creativity.
In an interview with Alex Elle, we cover:
How self-care contributes to your overall fulfillment as a creative.
Practices for maintaining mental and emotional well-being while writing.
How writing is healing.
Navigating self-doubt as a creator.
Steps to cultivate a greater sense of self-worth and acceptance.
How to foster supportive relationships online and off.
Like I said, What. A. Summit. ⚡️ Thank you, thank you to every one of you who came to the party. ⚡️
For more:
💌 Subscribe to The Content Brief and get my Content Idea Bank and set-up tutorial free.
🎉 Join the club for help simplifying your content (including access to the Quarterly Content Planning Party!).
📩 Forward this to a creative friend who could use a roadmap to showing up consistently (with intention), too.
Thank you! I pour a lot of love into this space and I hope you can feel it. It wouldn’t be the same without YOU! 🫶
Loved it all! Such a great summit. Thank you 🥰
Thanks for putting all this together (and hosting), Christin! It was a very informative series of interviews/presentations.