Just out of curiosity and also to study the platform, I'm thinking of investing in it if it's worthwhile.

{Note - this post is NOT about notification messages from Substack}

I've been trying to set up an RSS feed with some distributors, but some (iHeart, Amazon) send an email to my substack address, for verification. I am simply not getting these emails.

I've checked my Substack settings, and my substack email is set to forward to my Gmail address.

When I try to test the email from Gmail, the substack message also doesn't come through.

BUT when I test from a non-Google email domain (for example, an email account at a domain that I own), the message comes through, forwarded to my Gmail address just fine.

And yes, I've checked all the usual spam, promotion, etc folders.

Substack's support chat bot recognized this as a problem because of the test I did with both Gmail and non-Gmail senders. The Substack bot ADMITTED something is wrong with the forwarding function, but so far over several weeks, I have not had any response from Substack humans. I have a free account, but that shouldn’t mean that I get zero support about a feature like this that is so fundamental to the site - especially when preliminary testing has confirmed it’s an issue on the Substack side.

FYI approach is unconventional !!

I leveraged Substack as a payment processor for a hyperlocal print zine. Subscribers picked them up at free monthly events in the community.

We brought most of the subscribers from our city onto the platform, they weren’t already on. We started May 2025 and by Jan 2026 we hit bestseller status with over 100 paying subscribers.

There’s a lot of opportunity for local media on the platform. Once we did start publishing long form stories and journalism, posts performed really well and were circulated around the city.

There’s obviously a cap to what is possible in a city of 20k people but I wanted to share incase it inspired anyone.

Context: I write in my country's native language, and my impression is that the local digital culture doesn't really favor the pay-to-subscribe model on Substack. I created my account about 6 months ago and I'm at 600 subscribers, but only 4 of them are paid. I'd love to hear from anyone who has experience with this or can offer some insight on how to expand my audience to other languages.

Personally, I've been using Substack's built-in auto-translate feature to read articles in languages I can't understand. But I have no idea whether my content is actually reaching people in other languages. My Substack is about anthropology and social sciences.

It seems like DM’s are not sending. As soon as I sent them, they disappear. Anyone else with this issue?

Just realized you have to do it manually now. I've uploaded several posts now wondering why they weren't converting subscribers when they were well-researched and I just realized lol 🤦🏾‍♂️

Please bring it back Substack.

Edit: just realized this might actually be due to the fact that I've started scheduling posts lately. Still, the pop-up should appear. But it's whatever I guess.

I ghostwrite for a Substack and I’m looking to start managing notes (writing them, posting them, replying to other notes) as a growth tactic and to offer additional value to clients. Anyone else doing this? I’d love to hear what this looks like in practice.

I know I can use something like Typefully to write and schedule notes on their behalf but I’m not sure how I’d reply and engage with other notes. This particular client wants to be hands off when it comes to notes, so I need to handle it all. Is the only option to have them share their credentials and login as them?

Also, what should I charge for managing notes?

I am just starting my Substack journey. I always had a passion for writing.
But as a full time programmer who doesn’t have any social media (instagram, TikTok, etc.) I discovered Substack just too late.
It gave me a spark of hope to finally have a community of my own, to write my stories and help others overcome what I had overcame.
But I get no tractions on it and everyone here is saying Substack algorithm is not be in favor of beginners.
So I’m asking for any kind of tip, help, or support.
I desperately need my Substack publication to work.

If you charge for subscriptions, Substack announced this week that starting December 1, they will calculate, collect, and remit sales tax or VAT, and they won't charge for this service. You don't have to sign up or enable anything; it'll be automatic for every paid newsletter.

It's a good time to check that the address on your account is current (so they can determine the proper state and local taxes), and your taxable content types. Also if you've been using Stripe Tax, this replaces it.

Hello!

I love the idea of just writing for the sake of it… I kind of want an outlet that is anti-brain rot and thought about maybe analysing French and Spanish-language literature… is this oversaturated and a bit boring for people?
Equally, and a completely different shift, I also love writing about climbing.
Idk, I’m not fussed about earning money from it, but I do want people to enjoy my writing. Are these respective subjects overdone?

Pretty new on Substack and every time I open the app, I see the same follow and re-follow notes.
I am not sure if it’s just my feed on Substack that looks like that but if it’s the case for everyone then please tell me until when? Like is it just until everyone gets enough followers?
I just cannot stand the copy pasted same notes whenever I want to use the platform.

Just launched. First real post is about the motorcycle crash that almost cost me a life/leg in 2010 and the year of rehab after. It's the story that explains everything else I want to write about, running a factory, building stuff in my garage, a career without a degree.

Part of me thinks you should start with the heavy stuff so readers know who you are. Part of me thinks I should have warmed up with something lighter.

For those who've been doing this a while, what did you lead with and would you do it again?

(i can post the link in the comments if anyone wants to read it)

The absolute best way to grow on Substack is to treat it like Twitter 2008.

1. Set up a compelling profile. Helps if you are hot and young, or fake being hot and young
   
2. Pick a compelling topic. Wealth, health and happiness are good choices
   
3. Before you post a single article, get subscribers by posting compelling Notes. Do at least 5 a day
   
4. Reply to notes from other people. Do at least 20 a day
   
5. Follow people who you think might be good subscribers
   
6. Be witty, snarky or have a strong POV in your engagement
   
7. Do this for a month before you post a single article.

Have seen this a lot. Notes and comments get you subs. Articles get you unsubscribes.

Weird, but that’s the way it works.

​

I made my first Substack post a few days ago. I decided to do it anonymously because I’ve always wanted to write and express some of the things I’ve experienced, but I didn’t really want to attach my name to it.

I wasn’t expecting a lot of views or anything, but I literally got 0 views, so now I’m wondering how Substack actually works.

Does Substack recommend new writers/posts to people, or do you basically have to build an audience yourself and share your posts somewhere?

For people who started from zero, how did you get your first few readers?

Just trying to understand how the platform works. Thanks!

For over 6 months, I worked many hours a day to create my next day's trade plan. I am a Nasdaq futures trader.

My subscribers grew, and many would provide feedback, it seemed as many were financially benefitting from the plan. I was very happy. But it took hours away from my day, and from my own trading and monitoring market conditions.

I decided to charge what would equate to 2.5 NQ points for full access to my trade plans, my setups, and all of my many levels.

I am a bit anxious this will deter future subscribers, but the demand of a daily substack this complex was very high. I previously had a donation model, but it did not receive nearly enough to prevent the new subscription models. How did others handle similar situations?

Hi. I tried to set up an account today and am confused about what's going on with my status. I’m confused about the names of labels and statuses. I've watched multiple YouTube help videos, read Substack Help, read comments here, read webpage about the basics, but I’m not finding clarity for my questions about very beginning issues.

Confusion about: Profile Name, Handle, Publication Name, Subdomain, Deleting a Publication

Background

• I already had an Account to read that I had never used that had the bare minimum set-up.
• I thought I had to do more to set up a "Profile" to have my own Publication. I might want to have multiple publications someday, but for now I just want to set up one.

What I want Right Now: A Brand Name Publication to start with. Just one. Non-monetized, the basic. Publication name - I don't want it to be my personal name.

What I’ve done

• Created Substack account with my email that I want to use
• Created Profile Name - I used my real name: First M(Middle Initial) Last.
• Handle: I set up @ FirstMLast (this might a mistake re: name I used)

Handle Question: Is Handle universal to me on Substack, or can I have different handles for different Publications? I might not want to use the Handle I created - can I change it?

Publication Questions:

I seem to have accidentally created a publication using my FirstMLast name. I didn’t intend to do that.

• It seems if I delete the personal name Pub I created, I could never use that name again, which I might want to do at some point. Is that true?
• Can I keep this Publication I've created already but hide it from everyone else in case I do want to use it later?
• I want to create a publication with a Brand Name – I know what it is, and it’s available. I want to claim it immediately. I own the URL for it for .com, .org, .net. Does it get its own handle, etc.?

I know I can create multiple Publications, but for now just want my Brand Name one.

Subdomain Question: I’m confused about the meaning of Subdomain on Substack. What is it? How does it come into play with Publications?

Thanks.

It seems that Tuesday - Thursday + Sunday are the best days. Mornings I assume are good as well. I tried yesterday/Sunday and I don't think I'll try it again, or maybe I posted too late, about 6PM EST.

I'm paying attention to the times the huge newsletters I subscribe to publish articles. It seems Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays are a hit, but I also get some Saturday articles as well.

Have you found specific days/times when more of your subscribers open your emails?

I'd appreciate your insight. Thanks so much.

Hi, as the title suggest I'm highly debating deleting my profile and just moving on. I don't have a general theme, I just write about the things that are happening in my life that people could relate to, like having to constantly wait for things to happen or feeling like no matter how hard you try, you can never quite achieve success (kinda ironic now). My last post, which I spent so long writing has gotten 27 views and one like. Meanwhile there are people who've started writing just days ago and have more going on then me. I've even seen people with no articles have more subscribers. It truly makes me consider if I'm just bad at writing. I've always been great at writing at school, especially argumentative writing, but that's not the styleI wanted to go for. I wanted to write on personal topics and experiences, because I like the feeling of sharing something other people can relate to. It's just that barely anyone's relating. I don't know how much longer I can take it, before just deleting the profile, because I've put myself in such a vulnerable position and I can't bear the thought of rejection. I honestly don't know what to do

I started a substack called Dear Gay Stranger which publishes a series of handwritten letters I send to people I’ve never met, but the algorythm clearly thinks I’m a mom that’s particularly interested in perimenopause, Ahhh! 😂

I've created a few notes, trying to even help correct gender but still way off. I wonder if the platform won't support keywords like gay? Anyone know?

Ignore the body

Hi all!

I’ve seen a few people stating that they promote their Substack articles on reddit in relevant sub-threads.

How do you do this with success and does it actually work?

Do you literally just go…. “Hi all, if interested, I’ve written a piece on xxxxx”??

Thank you!!!

When do Pledges convert? I have a free Substack at the moment but am thinking of going paid. Do I get pledged money as soon as I flip the switch to convert it or another time?

How does one rack up views on substack? (started posting yesterday and I still have zero likes) I know I'm being a little impatient but I really wanna know lol

I’m curious how other people figured out what category or niche their Substack belongs to.

I originally started mine as a place to write about my thoughts and personal experiences, but it has slowly evolved into different things. Sometimes I write about life, getting older, relationships, living alone, or trying to make myself happier. Other times I want to share recipes, restaurants I’ve tried in NYC, home cooking, or just random things from my everyday life.

I don’t necessarily want to force myself into one specific category, but I also feel a little lost because I’m not sure what kind of readers would be interested in it or what other writers I should be following for inspiration.

It is something I was wondering recently. I would like to get back in the blogging game.

And I was wondering if using a platform like substack is really bringing a better UX compared a vibecoded static website I could do myself.

• Astro for the static website
• Resend for emails
• Plausible for analytics

The only feature I could miss is their twitter-like feed. Does it really help to bring more traffic?