Leaderboards bring the Substack ecosystem to life by helping writers and creators find new peers, potential collaborators, and inspiration. Audiences, meanwhile, can browse the leaderboard to discover compelling new voices.
To explore a specific scene on Substack, such as sports, business, fiction, or politics, readers can click on category tabs at the top of their Home page on the Substack app. In each category tab, you can see two types of leaderboards: Rising and Top Bestseller as well as a feed of notes and posts specific to that category.
- Rising – This view highlights the fastest-growing publications within a category, based on paid subscription growth. This tab helps newer and emerging writers and creators get discovered by surfacing what’s trending across Substack.
- Top Bestseller – This view highlights the highest-earning publications in their category, ranked by Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR). It recognizes the consistent effort, quality, and subscriber loyalty required to build a sustainable, high-revenue business on Substack.
How do I get on a leaderboard?
Publications featured in the “Rising” tab are selected based on recent momentum in paid subscriptions within their category. This growth can be driven by a variety of factors—such as viral posts, popular Notes, or overall increases in reader engagement.
A publication can appear in both the “Rising” and “Top Bestseller” views within a single category. It can also appear in a category leaderboard and the “New Bestseller” board simultaneously. However, a publication can only be listed in one category at a time.
"Rising" leaderboards update every few hours and "Top Bestseller" leaderboards update daily.
You'll receive a notification when your publication appears on a leaderboard, with a link to view your ranking.
How can I find leaderboards for specific countries?
At Substack Around the World, you can select from more than 50 countries to see the top publications and posts in that country.
Top posts are based on readers in a specific country and top publications are based on the location of the publication or author.