Parenting Unplugged on Sarah Wheeler's "Momspreading"
A newsletter that explores parenting with an absurd and authentic lens
Hello Bleeders!
For the latest installment of our newsletter series, I'm thrilled to feature
, the brilliant mind behind , a Substack that blends wit, wisdom, and the wonderfully weird on the topic of parenting. Sarah became a parenting expert before she became a mother, giving her a unique perspective on the nearly impossible task of raising kids without messing them up. Momspreading also offers refreshing takes on modern womanhood, relationships, and neurodiversity.I first met Sarah in
’s memoir workshop, where she was workshopping a book-in-progress related to her Substack's premise. As someone anxiously contemplating motherhood, I was eager to learn more about Momspreading and get a peek behind the curtain.In this Q&A, Sarah shares the evolution of Momspreading, her approach to editorial strategy (or lack thereof), and how her newsletter has become a cornerstone of her writing career.
What’s the basic premise and tagline of your newsletter?
SW: I call it “the inexpert endeavors of a supposed parenting expert”—that piece taps into my adventures as a parent, unraveling what I was taught as an educational psychologist and pulling out what’s actually useful. But it meanders into many other areas of interest—modern womanhood, sex and relationships, neurodiversity and disability, basketball, the underappreciated B-sides of Boyz II Men.
When and why did you start your newsletter?
SW: If you can believe it, I started it at the beginning of March 2020! I thought it was going to be about teaching and had a first post all lined up about touch in the classroom. Whelp, that fell through. Once at home with two little kids, I quickly realized that writing about parenting was more urgent for me.
Who’s your main audience?
SW: I’ve got a lot of parents, particularly mothers. But there’s all sorts of other folks up in there. I think my readers skew neurodivergent or at least a little… weird? (That is a compliment).
How is your newsletter differentiated from the other newsletters in your niche?
SW: Maybe it’s the ADHD, but I never am really just doing one thing. I think my ride-or-die readers appreciate the sprawl of topics and styles. There are lots of great parenting newsletters out there, but mine is very absurdity forward.
What’s your editorial strategy?
SW: Oh boy, editorial strategy! I guess I would say I am modeling for my readers that you can be unconventional? I used to post weekly, very religiously, for a few years. Then I just couldn’t keep up, as I started publishing more freelance work, started an “anti-parenting advice parenting-advice column” for Romper, etc. So now I really have no calendar. I hold myself to once a month, but I figure now, with the number of newsletters people subscribe to, they’d rather have quality and not quantity. I often toy with giving people more kinds of content, more often, but then I can never get it together.
How many subscribers do you have?
SW: I just checked for you, and I’m coming up on 3,000!
[Editor’s note: This series of interviews was conducted earlier this year. Momspreading now has over 3K subscribers.]
Do you offer paid memberships? If so, explain when and why you turned that on, what your subscription offering includes, the cost, how many subscribers are part of your paid community, and any takeaways from going paid.
SW: I opened up paid subscriptions in July of 2021, after a little over a year. I had just over 500 free subscribers. I still don’t have a paywall—I just am basically asking for donations to support the work. I ask for $6 a month or $60 a year, and there’s an option to be a “Superspreader” for $100 a year. I have a little over 100 paid subscribers, so about three percent, which is close to the conversion rate Substack predicts. I’m really glad I “went paid.” I felt very vulnerable doing it, but it turned out there were really no downsides, and now I make about $7,000 a year, which feels right for the time I put into it. I’ve considered making it all paid or adding more perks for paid readers, but it’s always down my to-do list.
Have you tried any other methods of monetization?
SW: I have not. Please tell me those so I can do them.
Tell us about your newsletter’s growth trajectory. What have been the most effective ways for you to promote your newsletter? Did you have any growth spurts, and what did you learn from those?
SW: It’s so interesting what gets you new readers and what doesn’t. I’m a freelance writer, and even when a piece I write is popular, I rarely get subs from there. It’s usually from another writer with a bigger platform plugging me or when I do an interview or cross-post. At this point, I get a steady stream (maybe more of a trickle) of new free sign-ups just from being recommended by other Substacks or my work existing out there on the web. More sign-ups are good, but engagement is really the goal. My open rates have gone down slightly (to regularly in the 60-70 percent range to more like 50s) as I’ve gotten more readers, and I think with all of the Substack features that suggest newsletters to you, some people sign up who aren’t really going to pay much attention. But it gives you the chance to reach more eyeballs beyond your circles.
What’s been your most popular content, and your guess as to why?
SW: Definitely the stuff I write about ADHD, like this personal essay about being diagnosed after years of studying ADHD as a professional or this silly ADHD gift guide. I think people appreciate niche content and tend to share it more.
How has your newsletter served your career as an author?
SW: It’s been invaluable, though the dollars aspect is hard to trace. I wasn’t really a writer before I had a newsletter. It’s helped me hone my skills, but I think the big impact is the connections I’ve made with writers and editors. I still have email alerts on for every subscription, so I can see who is signing up. When I saw that an editor for The Cut was reading, it gave me a warm way to introduce myself to her and pitch her (eventually with success) a story.
What’s your #1 tip for writers who want to start a newsletter?
SW: Really think about why you’re doing it and what you want to get out of it. If you need to go hard on the business and marketing side, for example, go for it, but if you’re really just trying to be creative and experiment or find your voice, don’t get caught up in needing it to be big or competitive. You can get a lot out of a few devoted folks.
What’s your #1 tip for writers trying to grow their existing newsletter?
SW: Read and support the writing of others and build your network of writers. And don’t be afraid to dick around and take risks while you’re growing.
Shout-out another writer-newsletter that you admire and enjoy consuming.
SW: Oh, there’s so much great stuff out there. I get a special joy out of
’s . ’s gives me tons of writing inspo, and ’s always reminds me of the beauty in community, plus it’s real pretty.Anything else you’d like to add?
SW: Just thinking about my newsletter this much made me feel a mix of pride and anxiety. It’s hard work to put yourself out there, but I am happy I live in a time where we can do it with so little gatekeeping!
Thank you, Sarah!
➡️ Subscribe to and check out Sarah’s podcast, Mother of it All.
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Let’s connect on social media! I’m @courtneykocak on Twitter/X and Instagram. For more, check out my website courtneykocak.com.
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