On Substack, you can publish from your profile and website. You can select whether you want people to view and read your posts from your profile or access a custom website.
In this guide, we’ll show you how to navigate your Substack profile so that you can publish posts, get subscribers from the Substack network, and get paid for what you create.
How do I get started?
You'll be asked to select a handle when you sign up for Substack and create a new profile. Handles are unique, making it easy for others to mention you in notes, posts, and profile sharing. Your handle will also determine your Substack profile URL: substack.com/@handle.
Your Substack profile is public and will show posts you’ve written, your notes or restacks, and things you liked and currently read on Substack.
To edit your profile, sign into your Substack account and on your profile, click “Edit profile”. You can change your profile name, handle, and bio and add social media or website links here.
If you want other users to view your posts on your profile, ensure that your Substack isn't in private mode and that you've selected to display Substacks you write on your profile.
How do I manage my Substack?
You can access your publisher dashboard on the web by clicking on the three dots on your profile and selecting “Publisher dashboard”.
On the publisher dashboard, you can do the following:
- Publish text, video, and audio posts and manage your drafts.
- Manage your subscribers (add, remove, export)
- See essential stats such as traffic and annual revenue
- Enable pledges, which allow your subscribers to pledge to become a paid subscriber if and when you turn on paid subscriptions.
- Recommend other Substacks and see who’s recommending your Substack
How do I know if people are engaging with my Substack?
Turning on notifications is a key way to get alerted on how people in the Substack network are engaging with your Substack.
Click “Publisher dashboard” on your profile and head to the Settings tab. Ensure that these settings are toggled to “On”.
- Enable comments, likes, and restacks: If this is toggled on, subscribers can like, comment on, and restack your posts.
- New free subscriber: If this is toggled on, you’ll be notified by email and see an Activity notification about new subscribers.
Examples of free subscriber notifications
- Likes and comments: You’ll be notified by email and get an Activity notification when someone likes your post or leaves a comment.
Tip: If you have the Substack App installed and notifications enabled, you’ll also receive a push notification when someone engages with your Substack, such as subscribing, liking, or re-stacking a note or commenting on a post.
How do I publish a post on my Substack?
You can publish a post directly from your profile on the web or on the Substack iOS and Android apps.
On the web, tap “New post” on your profile, and the Substack post editor will open. Learn more on how to publish a post from the web.
Tip: If you want to publish a podcast or video post, head to your publisher dashboard and select “New Post” from either the Home or Posts tabs.
Tap the plus icon on the Substack iOS app and select “Post”. The Substack mobile editor will open. Learn more on how to publish a post from the Substack app.
Can I make my Substack profile private?
At this time, you can’t disable people's ability to subscribe or follow your profile. Notes you post will be public and appear on your profile.
However, you can make your Substack posts private and they will not appear in the Posts tab on your profile.
On your Settings page, scroll to the Privacy section and slide the toggle next to "Private mode". After putting your Substack in private mode, readers will see a "This Substack is private" message on the Welcome page when they go to your custom website.
You can choose if you want your likes and what Substacks you read to be shown on your profile.
On your profile, in the Privacy section, slide the toggle next to “Show likes on profile” to the left if you want to hide what posts and notes you like on Substack.
In the Reads section, slide the toggle to the left next to the Substacks you do not want to appear on your profile's “Reads” tab.
How do I switch between my profile and my custom website?
On your Substack's Settings page, you can select how you want readers to view your Substack when they access your Substack's URL i.e. https://subdomain.substack.com.
In the Website section, select from the drop-down menu next to "Publication theme" whether your want the URL to match your Substack profile or Custom theme.
- If you select "Match profile", when viewers go to https://subdomain.substack.com, they'll see a mirror of your Substack profile.
- If you select "Custom theme", when viewers go to https://subdomain.substack.com, they'll see a full website where the advanced layouts, branding, and logos that you've selected will be on display.