Writing online can feel like shouting into the void or slipping into self-promotion. In this conversation with Grant Herbel of The Writer’s Calling on Substack, we explore a different way: seeing writing as worship, serving readers rather than chasing numbers, and using Substack’s features to build a real, engaged community.
If you’ve wondered whether Substack is worth your time, how to grow there without “platform panic,” or how to think Christianly about promotion and audience-building, this episode will steady and encourage you.
⏱ Timestamps (major sections)
00:00 – Welcome & Introductions
Cara opens the episode (laryngitis and all!) and introduces Grant, his family, and life in southern Missouri.
04:20 – Grant’s Writing Journey & Spiritual Renewal
False starts with blogging, ghostwriting, and copywriting—and how a deeper experience of the gospel reshaped his desire to write and what he writes about.
13:10 – From the Shallows to the Depths of Knowing God
Grant unpacks his tagline, “Journey from the shallows into the depths of knowing God,” and how he structures his writing to take readers on a transformative journey.
20:45 – Platform, Ego, and Writing as Worship
The tension every Christian writer feels: Is this selfish? Am I building me or serving the Lord? Grant shares how The Storied Life and Ephesians 1 reframed identity, calling, and promotion.
31:30 – What Is Substack (Really) & How Notes Work
Grant explains Substack as a blog–newsletter hybrid, why he moved from traditional blogging, and how the Notes feature became the main driver of his subscriber growth.
40:40 – Using Substack to Build True Community
Comments, Notes, and Chat: how Grant uses each for genuine connection, vulnerability, and one-another encouragement among Christian writers.
50:15 – Paid Subscriptions, Value, and Serving Readers
How Grant thinks about free vs. paid content, using paid options as support rather than a hard paywall, and the tension of “how much do I put behind a gate?”
58:30 – Should You Move from WordPress to Substack? + SEO Questions
Live Q&A: Is Substack only for writers? What about other niches? How discoverable is it? Does it work if your audience isn’t primarily writers?
1:08:10 – Final Encouragement & Where to Find Grant
Cara and Grant wrap up with a word of encouragement for writers who feel torn between faithfulness and platform-building.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
Why your “failed” blogs and abandoned projects aren’t wasted in God’s hands
How a secure identity in Christ can free you to write boldly without making writing your identity
What makes Substack unique for writers who want depth, not just clicks.
How Substack Notes can become a top-of-funnel way to meet new readers
Practical ways to host a community using comments and Chat
Healthy ways to think about paid subscriptions and monetizing your writing
🔗 Find Grant on Substack:
thewriterscalling.substack.com
If this conversation encouraged you, like, subscribe, and share it with a writer friend who’s trying to navigate calling, community, and platform with a clear conscience before the Lord.
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