What is the SUBSTACK QUEST?


I called it a QUEST and not a “course” for a reason. 

You don’t just learn. You do. 

This QUEST has two elements - Strategy and Implementation Workbook, so that you take the RIGHT STEPS in the RIGHT ORDER to make strategic decisions for your Substack and implement them step by step. They are split in 6 core strategic domains, starting with a Mindset intensive session: 
  • Mindset of Achiever
  • Positioning Strategy
  • Product Strategy
  • Content Strategy
  • Growth Strategy
  • Monetization Strategy
  • Retention Strategy
  • Substack Blueprint
And in the Blueprint you have it all, ready to implement. 

It's your entire Substack game plan. It has the exact same strategies I use:
for 15+ years in my 9-5 to grow millions of paid subscriptions (you won't find these from ANY other strategist on Substack, as most never stepped in a board room selling 7-figure deals to frowning CEOs)
to grow my own newsletter business. Took it from zero to $5k/month and growing. No external audience (email or social media following).
for my work with coaching clients

And it’s adapted for ANY newsletter:
  • free newsletter
  • paid newsletter

And ANY type:
  • fiction
  • non-fiction

And ANY stage:
  • beginner
  • advanced
  • and anything in between

This QUEST has strategies that you can apply to ANY BUSINESS. I extracted them from the 15+ years of my experience, turning around multi-million companies from negative to positive double-digit growth. Twice. 

This is no theory. This is not just my experience writing online for an year. 
This is the type of business top tier ultra successful business leaders do. 

So I’m confident to say that NO OTHER online “guru” or mentor or strategist will give you these. 

You don't need to be an expert or have tons of experience. You just need to be you. 

I've got all of the rest covered.

The ONLY prerequisite: you approach this as a business. Not a hobby.

The Problem?


Most people who want to build an online writing business approach it from the wrong angle:
They don’t build a newsletter, or
They start building one without clarity what to sell 

And so they end up failing at earning decent money from their writing because they lack an email list. 

Or they find themselves investing tons of time and effort in building an audience that doesn’t buy. 
This QUEST will give you the exact strategies and a workbook with 40+ templates to implement them so that you start selling from day 1.


Why you need a newsletter?


Simple: you own your audience. Not like any other “audience” you can build:
On LinkedIn - you can’t access the email addresses of your subscribers
On Medium - you also can’t access the email addresses of your subscribers
On Social media - you don’t even have subscribers, you have only followers, and an algorithm that decides how and when you can reach them  


Why you need to know what to sell first? 


In fact, I believe you have to start selling from day one. Few reasons:
If you build a free newsletter, you’ll attract mostly people who expect free content. 
If you don’t know what you’ll sell, even worse: the people you attract might be the wrong people - those who won’t need your product or offer in the future. 

My approach: start with a clear offer. Then build your free list and start selling. And I break all this down in the QUEST into clear and easy baby steps.  

The most common questions I hear (and how to deal with them):
I don’t have anything to sell, or
I don’t feel comfortable selling, or
What if I do sell but they don’t buy? 

In the QUEST you’ll find a clear path how to build your first offer to sell. I’m walking you through the best ways I use in my 9-5 - the same ways huge corporations like Google use. 

And you don’t have to “sell” in order to sell. You’ll never have to say “buy my product” and you’ll still earn enough money to build your freedom. I’ll show you the exact sales tactics I use when I negotiate million dollar deals with frowning CEOs. 

I’ve adapted these tactics for selling digital products, high-ticket services and subscriptions and that’s how I grew to $5k/month in less than a year. 

Here’s my Stripe account screenshot, one year after I started:







You’ll enjoy selling and your buyers will love buying from you. You’re in good hands. 
See what people say about the QUEST:

review for Substack Quest

Why choose Substack? 


1:You grow organically FAST
There's no other place right now with THAT level of discoverability. Substack has a social media called Notes, which helps you grow your list fast. I’m growing with 300 to 900 new subscribers every month. On Medium? I was able to grow with 60 for more than 6 months…And social media? I don’t have 4 hours per day to attract people who won’t convert anyway. 
2:Substack is helping you convert subscribers to paid
The features on the platform helping you grow your paid list are countless. Substack works for you. It's because of the business model: Substack takes 10% of your paid subscription revenues. When you make more money, Substack makes more money. That's not the case on places like Medium where you're in conflict of interest with the platform.
Substack is the ONLY platform online where you can build an engaged email subscriber list ORGANICALLY, with no advertising investments! And it's FREE, not like Kit or Beehiv. 
3. The conversion rates are skyrocketing
I’m currently converting at 7,2% free to paid subscribers. I’ve seen people convert at 10%, 18% and even above 20%! People on Substack are ready to pay you if you have a good offer. It’s not like any other platform I’ve seen. 

Substack IS THE PLACE to be, if you want to build an online business that's scalable to 7-figures.
Not a joke!
Here's what other newsletters are earning for 2024:



review for Substack Quest
And there are so many others earning 6 figures.
The thing is they are not the EXCEPTION.
They are the RULE.
If you're doing less than that, you're underperforming!
Emails are the ONLY true assets if you want to grow a creator business online. Not followers, not readers. Subscribers!
On Substack you accumulate a list of fans, which will buy from you.
Organically.
No need to pay for ads or sponsorships.
No lead magnets!
No more slow growth!
Think about it: you only need 1000 people paying you $5/month to earn $5000 monthly! That's a full-time income!

Why take the QUEST?


1. Proven strategies from top tier organizations
With all its unique benefits, Substack is not an easy platform. This QUEST is your shortcut. 
You have to build a business, not just write. Most people get this wrong, treat it like Medium and start building an audience without a clue how to monetize it.
Only to realize they have built the wrong audience. 
One that doesn't buy. You don't want that. 


This QUEST is your insurance you won’t get there. 


You’ve got PROVEN strategies and implementation tactics - not just tested online, they’re from huge corporations running paid subscription businesses. Not just online businesses, but companies with physical presence operating 25k+ employees and 40 million paid subscription customers. You won't find these strategies and tactics anywhere else. Some of my paid members adapt them to other businesses and they work.


2. Backed by data and technology 


My Substack sells at 7.2% free-to-paid conversion rate, which I don't see many people achieve. I used data analysis, AI (the right way) and an automation, which helps me sell while I sleep. It's all inside the QUEST.


3. Unique approach 


While everyone else is taking a side on the "free or paid newsletter" debate, I'm taking the best of both worlds. I'm doing both in one. And I'll show you exactly how you will do it too. 


I’m a product, marketing and sales native, and I love what I do. I have different thinking and I easily find new ways to monetize. In the Mindset of Achiever domain of the QUEST I’m transferring all that knowledge to you.

Here’s what other product experts say about me:


review for Substack Quest

Why Now?

The platform is maturing, growth will soon slow down like every other social media platform. 
When I started back in 2024 I needed to post just one Note per day and talk to roughly five people in order to grow with 3-10 new subscribers per day. 

Now? 


New people who are coming on the platform report much slower growth. And so they need to post and to engage much more. 

Next year? 


It will be even slower. And slower. 
So there is not better time to start than NOW. 


After completing this QUEST, you will:


👉 Have clarity about your strategy and the tactics

👉 Have the AI tools, workflows, systems, and an entire workbook to implement them

👉 Have gained the confidence that you know what you’re doing on Substack

And if you have implemented everything consistently, within 3-6 months, you should see tangible results:

👉 Have at least 1000 monetizable subscribers

👉 Have earned your first couple of hundred dollars

👉Have a growing conversion rate, approaching or (why not even) exceeding 5%.


What’s Inside the QUEST?


👉 7 Strategic Domains: Mindset of Achiever, Positioning, Product, Content, Growth, Monetization, and Retention Strategy


👉 7 Workbooks for each domain with 40+ Templates, Techniques, Checklists, Mini Challenges and Experiences to streamline your implementation process


👉 A Blueprint for Your High Converting Substack


👉 5 Self-Assessments to identify your starting point and track progress


👉 3 BONUS Case Studies and 2 BONUS Workshops on AI Sales and Automations

Each domain has a dedicated strategy section and an implementation workbook with all of the tactics, tools and templates you need:

#1 Mindset of Achiever - Build growth mindset and set yourself to deliver highest results, with limited resources the fastest way possible - the exact mindset which helped me build a 5-figure online business on the side in 11 months, and how to develop it. Workbook. 

#2 Positioning Strategy - It’s all about the niche, topic, audience, your content pillars and your unique angle - all the messy stuff most people can’t clearly define. When you nail that part down, everything becomes much easier. BONUS: Brand positioning and how to build a personal brand. Workbook. 

#3 Product Strategy - Build your irresistible paid offer - research, define, price, validate, present, and launch your Substack. This also includes setting-up your Substack for a high conversion rate, and scheduling your ongoing process of analysis and optimization. BONUS CASE STUDY: A walk-though my 10-Day Crash Course Freebie that doubled my paid subscribers growth. BONUS: My Offer Stack for AI & Substack. BONUS: Your Substack Growth Game Plan & How to Set-up for High Conversion Rate. Workbook. 

#4 Content Strategy - Define your content pillars, build your content funnel so you don’t burn yourself out trying to figure out what to offer next. Includes repurposing, repackaging, email templates, your content map and value creation delivery plan. Workbook. 

#5 Growth Strategy - Strategies to grow your free subscribers on autopilot. Breakdown of growth tactics for each Substack acquisition channel. Use of external sources for growth like social media and paid ads. Mistakes to avoid. Analyze data and optimize for acquisition, conversion and retention. Workbook. 

#6 Monetisation Strategy - Grow your paid subscribers, monetize your free subscribers, strategies to further monetize: cross-sell, and up-sell loyal buyers. Key KPIs to measure. Mistakes to avoid. Key strategies corporate companies use (and most writers don’t). Launch your Substack. BONUS: The High-Converting Sales Page Checklist. BONUS CASE STUDY: How I Became a Substack Bestseller in 3 Months and Turned it into a $5k/month Side Business. BONUS WORKSHOP: My exact System of how I launched an online business and grew it to >$5k/month using AI. BONUS CASE STUDY: The Substack-Kit Automation That Helped Me Double My Paid Subscribers Growth (and Why Anyone Should Use That Even with a Free Newsletter). Workbook. 

#7 Retention Strategy - How to optimize for retention from day one (because after one year it’s already too late). Key KPIs to measure. Mistakes to avoid. Key strategies corporate companies use (and most writers don't). Workbook. 

#8 The Complete Substack Blueprint - here we bring everything together into one single strategy and implementation workbook with 40+ Templates, Techniques, Checklists, Mini Challenges and Experiences

You get LIFETIME ACCESS to all of the above strategies and implementation tactics, with ALL my regular updates in the future. 

PLUS:

My personal support in all your implementation. I’m here to help, just DM me in Substack chat or email me. I personally answer all your questions. 

You’ve got ALL you need for your business - to grow on Substack and beyond, to automate and scale to 6 figures (at least). 


This QUEST will pay for itself at least 10 times within the first months after implementation. 






review for Substack Quest

A Sneak Peek at What's Inside the QUEST


  Kick Off
Available in days
days after you enroll
  Mindset of Achiever
Available in days
days after you enroll
  Positioning Strategy
Available in days
days after you enroll
  Product Strategy
Available in days
days after you enroll
  Content Strategy
Available in days
days after you enroll
  Growth Strategy
Available in days
days after you enroll
  Monetisation Strategy
Available in days
days after you enroll
  Retention Strategy
Available in days
days after you enroll
  The Complete Substack Blueprint
Available in days
days after you enroll
  What's Next?
Available in days
days after you enroll

Why trust me?

Hi, I'm Yana and I'm a Substack Bestseller with one of the highest conversion rates on Substack.

I make a consistent $5k/month from my paid newsletter business and growing.

I work just 2 hours per day to support it, on the side of my 9-5 job.

I'm a senior leader of product owners, also a Chartered Marketer with a Masters degrees in Marketing and Finance. I love tech and use AI a lot. I also study Python programming.

I live data and I use my decades of knowledge and experience in building and selling subscriptions to consumers and businesses in the big tech to build and scale my business on the side.

Now I'm helping more than 400 hundred of writers and creators to build their newsletter strategies, grow and monetize their audiences faster using my AI tools and automations.

People who actively use my tools have their Notes go viral frequently, gaining hundreds of new subscribers.

Most committed paid and VIP members get paid subscribers faster, some even in the first month after joining.

Some grew to more than 20k and even 50k subscribers in months using my strategies.

My methods work, here’s a proof:

400+ paid subscribers can't be wrong, here's what they say:



review for Substack Quest

100 % Results or Money Back Guarantee


Look, I'm confident this works.

It will pay for itself MULTIPLE TIMES within the first 3-6 months.


I know because I made I know because I earned $6,935 in my first 6 months from Substack and the offers on Gumroad I made to the same audience.


I also see similar results with people who work with me, so I’m confident I can make this work for you.


If this QUEST doesn’t pay for itself, I’ll make sure it does.
When you implement all the strategies and the tactics the way I give them in the workbook, you should not only earn back your investment, you should earn at least 10 times more on top 

Here’s my promise:
-> If you follow the tactics step by step…
-> Use the tolls, templates, and do the work consistently…
-> And still don’t see a clear return within 3 to 6 months…

You can write to me, and I’ll personally jump on a 1:1 call with you for free.

We’ll walk through what you’ve tried, troubleshoot what’s missing, and if I see that you implemented everything and it still didn’t work for you, I’ll refund you in full.

No fine print. No questions asked.

Just results, or your money back.

I don’t want your money if this doesn’t help you grow.

But I believe, with everything in me, that it will. Because I see it working for me and many others in my Unplugged community.


Questions People Often Ask Me about the QUEST


How long will the full Quest take to complete?

I'm an honest and direct person. I won't tell you it will happen overnight. Or in a month.

If you're just starting on Substack, it will roughly take you about 6 months to gain enough confidence that you know what you’re doing on Substack.

But Substack is a long game. You might need to revisit it along the way on your Substack journey.

You might need to take this QUEST many times.

It’s all about doing the things. Test, evaluate, adapt. That’s how you find your best way to grow on Substack.


How Did this Quest Come to Life?

Following the high demand in the Unplugged Community I started working on this project back in November.

I wanted it to be different. To not fall into the traps of courses, coaching programs, and other popular formats in the creator industry. So it took me a while.

But now it’s ready.

It’s the cornerstone of the Unplugged publication and the core of my entire online business. It’s a one-stop-shop for a newsletter business growth.

Will the Quest be updated?

YES! Regularly!

And NOT ONLY!

I will add to the Quest new content regularly. It’s a kind of a living growth experience.

You’ll be informed about any new additions or updates.


When does the QUEST start?

It’s an on-demand experience. Take it when you’re ready. All paid members have access to it - you can start it whenever you’re ready.

It’s a Quest, meaning it’s structured in a step-by-step basis. First domain comes in the following days, and you have about a week to contemplate on it and implement whatever changes are necessary from you to make.

Once completed, you’ll have access for as long as you keep your paid subscription. It is an on-demand Quest, you can take it at your own pace. 


Do I need to have a Substack already?

Nope. You can start from zero.


This QUEST is beginner-friendly and those who’ve been active on the platform but haven’t gotten results yet. You’ll get guidance from the ground up.

Keep in mind: to gain monetizable subscribers you need at least to know what you want to sell in the future to your subscribers. That’s what this QUEST helps solve from day 1. 


What if I already have a Substack?

Amazing. You’re ahead.


This QUEST will help you automate and scale, and start attracting more subscribers and sales. Use it to optimize your conversion rates and scale. 


What if I don’t have any audience at all?

Perfect. That’s why I added the VIRAL Notes Writer System - to help grow one. Use it when the time comes - I’ll tell you in the QUEST. 


Many of the viral Notes in this system came from writers with tiny lists and no followers.


You’ll get my engagement strategy for zero-audience writers, and yes, it works.


Do I need to be a “good writer” for this to work?

Define a "good writer" ;)

To me it's a constant improvement process. I wouldn't call myself a "good writer".

You need a clear message that solves a painful problem. And write as you talk. 


Do I need to pay for ChatGPT to use the custom GPT?

Nope. You can use the Viral Notes Writer GPT as well as all of the other GPTs in the TOOLBOX with a free ChatGPT account.


Only if you want to train your own custom GPTs will you need a paid plan, and I’ll show you exactly how.



Is this QUEST only about Substack?

It’s built around Substack, but the strategies, tactics, skills, templates, and GPTs can be adapted to ANY BUSINESS. 

The Notes growth tactics can also work on:

✔ X / Twitter

✔ LinkedIn

✔ BlueSky

✔ Or wherever you write short-form content

You’ll also get some powerful prompts help you use the GPT for X, BlueSky and LinkedIn.


How much time does this take each day?

Writing your emails should take about an hour or less. 

Engaging on the platform should take roughly 30 minutes. 

Writing and posting Notes is just 15 minutes a day.

Total: less than 2 hours/day


No, really!

This system is designed for people who are busy, balancing a full-time job (like me), or simply done with the content grind.

Keep in mind: if you're new and you don't have an audience yet, in the beginning you'll probably need some extra time to stay active on the platform and engage with other people.



How long do I have access?

Forever.


And yes, any time I update the GPTs and strategies based on Substack’s algorithm, you’ll get all updates for free.


What if this doesn't work for me?

I'll personally help you to get it done.


Plus, I offer a Results or Money-Back Guarantee: if you implement the strategies and the tactics fully and don’t see results within 3–6 months, you can reach out to me.


I’ll jump on a free 1:1 call with you, and if I confirm the system wasn’t a fit, I’ll refund you in full.


No questions asked.


But AI writes low quality…

Look, AI is no longer optional for business. It’s not either or…If you don’t use it, you’re already behind. 

And about quality? 

I like to put it like this: "Shitty input = shitty output."

Yes, AI writes low quality, but ONLY if you don’t use it properly. 

I’m learning python programming and AI, on my way to graduating as a full stack python programmer. I’m also a product marketing and sales professional. I use AI every day, and I deep dive. I’m not just writing prompts and giving them to you. I implement, test and prove AI strategies, that bring real results visible in your bank account.

I don’t use AI to write instead of me. I automate my writing with AI. It's a huge difference. And in this course I show you how you can do that too. 

You can start using this system immediately without having to invest the time and effort to figure out AI like I did. 



Time to take the best decision for your future YOU