Turning Wit into Revenue: A Substack Success Story by Fatima Zehra

Turning Wit into Revenue: A Substack Success Story

Fatima Zehra

Verified

Completed work

Review

Email Marketer

Marketing Strategist

Email Marketing Designer

Notion

Substack

Lifestyle

The Brief

Mary Jo Eustace—best-selling author, award-winning TV host, and all-around powerhouse—wanted to launch a Substack dedicated to embracing aging with humor, honesty, and insight. Her goal was to create a space where women could engage in real, unfiltered conversations about getting older, swapping shame for laughter and wisdom.

The challenge? Turning this engaging and deeply personal concept into a structured, profitable newsletter while keeping the tone light, witty, and accessible.

The Strategy

Rather than just setting up a newsletter, I designed a full go-to-market strategy, ensuring that Mary Jo’s Substack was well-positioned, reader-friendly, and optimized for paid subscriptions.

Here’s how I helped bring her vision to life:

1. Optimized Branding & Layout

The visual and structural elements needed to match the tone of her writing—warm, inviting, and effortlessly sharp. I:

Refined the branding to ensure a polished yet relatable feel, reflecting her signature wit.

Optimized the layout for clarity and engagement, ensuring easy navigation and a seamless reading experience.

Structured the homepage to immediately communicate the value of subscribing, using humor and personality to draw readers in.

Substack Icon

Substack Colour Palette

2. About Page & Positioning Strategy

Since Substack is flooded with generic newsletters, we needed to ensure Mary Jo’s stood out as both unique and valuable. I:

Crafted an About page that was equal parts informative and engaging, blending humor with a clear reader promise.

Positioned the newsletter as an honest, refreshing take on aging—not a guide, not a self-help space, but a conversation.

Created messaging that resonated with her target audience: women who want to age boldly, not quietly.

3. Welcome Email & Onboarding Strategy

The first email after sign-up is crucial for setting the tone and converting readers to paid subscribers. I:

Designed a welcome email that felt personal, witty, and inviting, making readers feel like they had just pulled up a chair to a great conversation.

Encouraged deeper engagement by linking to key past posts, ensuring new subscribers had an immediate sense of what they signed up for.

Introduced the paid tier benefits in a natural, lighthearted way, planting the seed for future conversions.

4. Paid Subscription Model & Growth Strategy

Rather than just turning on paid subscriptions and hoping for the best, we:

Strategically structured the paid tiers to ensure that they felt worth it—offering exclusive content that felt like an inside joke between friends.

Set up payment integration and optimized pricing, ensuring accessibility while still positioning the newsletter as a premium experience.

Framed the paid content in a way that focused on connection and humor, making it feel like a no-brainer for fans of Mary Jo’s writing.

5. Welcome Pop-Up & Reader Funnel Optimization

To maximize conversions, I:

Designed a non-intrusive but compelling welcome pop-up, encouraging new readers to sign up without feeling pressured.

Made sure every entry point—homepage, email, and post footers—reinforced the paid tier benefits, without making it feel like a sales pitch.

Provided launch and content pacing recommendations, ensuring long-term sustainability.

The Impact

🚀 Secured $500+ in annual paid subscriptions at launch, proving that an optimized Substack can generate immediate revenue.

📈 Strong engagement on welcome emails and high conversion rates, showing that the onboarding sequence was highly effective.

💡 A well-structured foundation for long-term growth, giving Mary Jo a clear roadmap to scale her audience and increase subscriptions.

Key Takeaways

1. A Substack Needs a Strong Personality to Stand Out

In a crowded digital space, Mary Jo’s sharp, humorous voice became her biggest asset—and we made sure it was front and center in every touchpoint.

2. Paid Subscriptions Work When They Feel Like an Invitation

Rather than “selling” memberships, we framed the paid tier as a backstage pass to the best parts of the conversation, making readers feel included, not marketed to.

3. A Great Substack Experience Starts with the First Interaction

From the About page to the welcome email, we optimized every detail to ensure that readers felt engaged and valued from the moment they subscribed.

Conclusion

This project proved that great storytelling, a strong voice, and a well-structured Substack strategy can lead to real, immediate revenue results. By refining branding, optimizing messaging, and crafting a compelling paid experience, we turned a simple newsletter into a thriving, engaging space that readers were eager to support.

For a real look at the magic in action, visit Mary Jo Eustace’s Substack.

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What the client had to say

It was an absolute pleasure from start to finish. Incredibly accountable, professional and beautifully creative she is a great collaborator and one I will continue to use. Fatima is a must for your next creative project!

Mary Jo Eustace

Apr 11, 2024, Client

Completed work

Posted Feb 19, 2025

Helped Mary Jo Eustace launch & optimize her Substack, refining branding, messaging, and paid tiers—securing $500+ in subscriptions within first week of launch.

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Timeline

Mar 13, 2024 - Apr 11, 2024