How AI Helped Claudia Faith Scale to 11K Subscribers in One Year (Without Losing Her Voice)

When Claudia Faith started on Substack last year, she had zero audience. Now she’s sitting at over 11,000 subscribers, teaching writers how to grow their newsletters, build communities, and use AI tools to 10x their output, all while running a healthcare startup.I sat down with Claudia for another episode of the Substack Writers’ Salon to unpack her journey and get practical advice for writers trying to grow on the platform in 2025 and beyond.The Beginning: Finding Her PlatformClaudia’s journey into online writing started with Medium. She’d been wanting to write there for over a decade but never found the time. When her healthcare startup entered a clinical trial phase last year, she finally had the space to pursue her solopreneurship dreams.But she didn’t stay on Medium.“All the big writers and creators on Medium basically said, if you’re starting from zero right now, don’t do it here. Do it on Substack,” Claudia explained.She tried Substack, disliked it after a week or two, deleted her account, returned to Medium, only to return to Substack. This time, she figured out how to use it. And she decided to stay.The Secret to Rapid GrowthHow did she grow to 11,000 subscribers in just one year, while I’ve been on Substack on and off for three years and only reached 5,000?Claudia was honest about her advantage: “My first growth came from writing about writing. I was documenting my journey, so my target group and audience were writers who are 100% on Substack.”But there’s more to it than picking the right niche.“I really put a lot of time and energy into it. I didn’t give up the first six months, which are kind of the hardest,” she said. “I really said, okay, I’m not going to do this. I’m going to stick and just really share my own learnings, share my thoughts, share my experience, and try to be as human as possible.”Her advice? Be authentic. Share your journey. Let people in.For Claudia, the two biggest growth drivers have been:* Notes (50%)* Recommendations (50%)But she emphasized that, going forward, video and live sessions will be crucial.The Income Reality CheckIn a post published just an hour before our conversation, Claudia realized that most of her income came from Substack. And it scared her.Why? Because she felt the algorithm shift during the summer. Despite doing nothing different, her reach plummeted. It reminded her of an important truth: you can’t depend on one platform.Her income streams currently include:* Paid subscriptions (25% of income)* Coaching calls (25% of income)* Courses and digital products* AI tools she’s built* Collaborative projects like CozoraFor 2026, she’s pivoting away from one-on-one coaching (too much time linked to income) and focusing on collaborative projects and corporate AI consulting.AI: The Great EqualizerClaudia is unapologetically enthusiastic about AI. She co-founded Cozora, an AI community that brings in expert creators every week to teach practical AI workflows. At $70 per month (or $360 annually for paid subscribers to participating newsletters), it’s attracting serious learners, 60 members since launching in November.Her daily AI toolkit includes:* Claude for writing projects and templates* Gemini for image generation* Nano Banana for stunning visuals* Cursor for building AI tools with codeClaudia’s Claude projects are particularly clever. She’s created templates that analyze her past posts, then generate outlines, hooks, and structure for new content based on her style. She even built a hook generator that helps her start articles with compelling facts and insights.And those welcome messages to new subscribers? She automated them with a Chrome extension tool because manually sending messages through Substack’s slow interface became impossible at scale.The Notes StrategyClaudia’s approach to Notes is two-pronged:* Share authentic moments from her life—like attending a local Christmas market for a shelter. These posts have nothing to do with her teaching but everything to do with building trust.* Repurpose her content using an AI prompt that summarizes her posts and generates 10-15 different notes from each article.She posts 3-4 notes in the morning, then restacks her own notes in the afternoon (which takes just 30 seconds). The key is consistency without burning out.Looking Ahead to 2026Claudia’s vision for the coming year is clear:* More live sessions and video content* Building corporate AI consulting services* Growing her LinkedIn presence for B2B connections* Collaborative projects with other creatorsShe’s drawing inspiration from Kamil Banc, who successfully helps CEOs and managers implement AI workflows in their companies through assessments and implementation packages.For me, this conversation was a reminder that growth on Substack isn’t just about writing great content. It’s about:* Showing up consistently, especially in the first six months* Being genuinely yourself—vulnerabilities and all* Leveraging video to build deeper connections* Using AI strategically to work smarter, not harder* Not putting all your eggs in one platform basketThe Bottom LineClaudia Faith’s journey from zero to 11,000 subscribers proves that rapid growth is possible, even when you’re building part-time alongside other ventures. But it requires authenticity, persistence, strategic use of tools, and a willingness to show up on camera.As we head into 2026, the message is clear: the future of Substack is video, community, and authentic human connection. The writers who embrace these elements while using AI to amplify their efforts will be the ones who thrive.Want to connect with Claudia? Find her on Substack at Wonder Wealth and Level Up with AI. Or check out Cozora if you’re serious about mastering AI workflows.This conversation was part of the Substack Writer’s Salon series, where I interview creators about their journey, strategies, and lessons learned.Read and Write with Natasha is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a paid subscriber, and you will get lifetime access to some of my free courses (Worth over 300 dollars), in addition to free access to my webinars on writing. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit natashatynes.substack.com/subscribe