What are Substack-funded gifts?

Substack-funded gifts are complimentary 1-month gift subscriptions to your publication that are redeemable in the app and are fully paid for by Substack. Publications can manage their participation in Substack-funded gift campaigns via their publication Settings

Note: This feature is only available to certain publications at this time. Subscribe to our company blog for future updates. 

How does it work?

During select campaign periods, Substack will offer eligible free subscribers a 1-month gift subscription to your publication, redeemable in the app and paid for by Substack. 

Eligible free subscribers will be notified of the limited-time offer via a targeted email sent from Substack.

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Clicking the “Claim gift” button in the campaign email opens a new browser window, directing users to the app store so they can install the Substack app and claim their gift subscription. Once they install the Substack app, they will be prompted to verify their phone number to unlock the gift. If users are not logged in to Substack when they click “Claim gift”, they will be prompted to enter their email address before being directed to the app store.

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Note: Free subscribers who qualify for a Substack-funded gift subscription have shown high engagement with your publication, are not already paid subscribers, and do not have the Substack app installed on their device. Only eligible free subscribers will receive a campaign email from Substack or a mobile web banner when they visit your publication.

Once the gift subscription is claimed in the Substack app, users will have free access to your paid subscription benefits for 30 days (starting from when the gift was claimed) – fully funded by Substack.

When the gift subscription is ending, the gift recipient will receive a reminder email with the opportunity to purchase a paid subscription plan to your publication.

FAQs

Is the email sent from my email or Substack? 

The email is sent from Substack. 

What happens if a user unsubscribes from this email?
Because the email is sent from Substack, anyone who unsubscribes from the email will be unsubscribing from Substack marketing emails. They will not be unsubscribing from your publication.

When will I receive money from Substack?

Substack will directly pay for each trial successfully claimed through the app, with payouts sent via Stripe within a few weeks after the campaign ends. Reimbursement for gift subscriptions will depend on the monthly subscription fee for your publication, with Substack's 10% fee subtracted from the total. 

Note: Substack reserves the right to terminate the campaign or deny access to the promotion if we detect abuse.

What are the countries supported by this program?

  • AU - Australia
  • CA - Canada
  • US - United States

How do I turn off Substack-funded gifts?

Substack-funded gifts will be enabled by default on for all publications. To disable this feature, head to your publication's Settings page. Slide the toggle next to “Enable gifts from Substack”. A gray toggle indicates that the feature has been disabled. 

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