What Substack is and what you can do with it

Substack is a platform for publishing a newsletter that readers subscribe to by email. You write posts, set them to go out on a schedule you choose, and Substack handles sending them to everyone who signed up. Readers can subscribe for free, or you can charge them a monthly or annual fee for paid posts. Substack keeps a percentage of revenue from paid subscriptions — currently 10% — and you keep the rest.

The platform is designed to be simple: you don't need to know how to code, manage a mailing list, or set up payment processing yourself. Substack does all of that. You focus on writing and building an audience. The trade-off is that you're publishing on Substack's platform under their terms, not on your own website.

Key Takeaways

  • You create a Substack account with an email address, choose a publication name, and start writing — no technical setup required.
  • Substack handles email delivery, subscriber management, and payment processing for paid subscriptions automatically.
  • Free posts reach all subscribers; paid posts are only visible to people who pay, and you can mix both types on the same publication.
  • Substack takes 10% of revenue from paid subscriptions, and you receive the rest through Stripe or another connected payment processor.
  • Your publication lives at a Substack URL (like yourname.substack.com) unless you connect your own domain name.

Setting up your account and choosing a name

Go to substack.com and click "get your free guide" or "Sign up". You'll enter an email address and password. Substack will send you a confirmation email — click the link to verify your address. This email becomes your login, so use one you check regularly.

Next, you'll choose a publication name. This is the title of your newsletter — something like "The Weekly Gardener" or "Tech Notes from Sarah". The name appears in subscriber inboxes and on your publication page. You can change it later, but doing it right the first time is cleaner. Substack will suggest a URL based on your name (like theweeklygardener.substack.com), but you can edit it to something shorter or different. The URL is what people visit to find your newsletter and subscribe.

You'll also write a brief description of what your newsletter is about. This shows up on your public page and helps people decide whether to subscribe. Keep it clear and honest — "Daily thoughts on gardening, plants, and outdoor living" works better than something vague.

Writing and publishing your first post

Once your account is set up, you'll land on the editor. Click "New post" to start writing. The editor is a simple text box with basic formatting options: bold, italic, links, headings, and the ability to embed images or video. You don't need to know HTML or markdown — just write and format as you go.

At the top of the post, add a title. Below that, write your content. You can save drafts as you work — Substack saves automatically every few seconds. When you're ready, you have two choices: publish immediately, or schedule it to go out at a specific date and time. Most people schedule posts to arrive in subscriber inboxes at a consistent day and time each week.

Before you publish, decide whether this post is free or paid. Free posts go to everyone on your list. Paid posts only show up for subscribers who are paying. You can have both on the same publication — for example, one free post per week and one paid post for paying subscribers. When you're ready, click "Publish" or "Schedule", and Substack sends it out to your subscribers' inboxes.

Managing subscribers and building your audience

When someone visits your publication page, they see a box to enter their email and subscribe. Substack collects those addresses and keeps them in your subscriber list. You can see how many free and paid subscribers you have, and export the list of email addresses if you ever leave the platform.

Substack shows you basic stats for each post: how many people opened it, how many clicked links, and how many paid subscribers you gained from it. These numbers help you understand what your audience responds to. You can also see which posts drove the most new subscriptions.

To grow your audience, you share your publication link on social media, in your email signature, or anywhere else you have a presence. Some people cross-post their Substack content to Twitter, LinkedIn, or their blog, with a link back to the full post on Substack. Others mention their newsletter in podcasts or interviews. Substack itself doesn't promote your newsletter — you're responsible for getting people to find it.

Setting up payments if you want paid subscriptions

If you want to charge for some or all of your posts, you'll need to connect a payment processor. Substack uses Stripe, which handles credit card payments. To set this up, go to your publication settings and look for "Payments" or "Billing". Click to connect Stripe, and you'll be guided through Stripe's signup process. You'll need to provide your name, address, and bank account information so Stripe can deposit your earnings.

Once Stripe is connected, you can set prices for paid posts. You decide the monthly or annual price — Substack doesn't set a minimum or maximum. When someone subscribes to a paid tier, Stripe charges their card, and the money goes to your bank account minus Substack's 10% cut and Stripe's payment processing fee (usually around 2.2% plus $0.30 per transaction).

You can offer multiple paid tiers if you want — for example, a $5/month tier and a $15/month tier with different content. Or you can have just one. It's entirely up to you. Subscribers can cancel anytime, and Substack handles refunds according to their policy.

Connecting your own domain name

By default, your publication lives at yourname.substack.com. If you own a domain name (like yourname.com), you can point it to your Substack publication so it appears as yourname.com instead. This is optional and doesn't change how Substack works — it's purely cosmetic.

To do this, you'll need access to your domain registrar's DNS settings. Go to your Substack publication settings, find "Custom domain", and follow the instructions to add DNS records. The process varies slightly depending on your registrar (GoDaddy, Namecheap, Google Domains, etc.), but Substack provides specific records to add. Once the DNS records are in place, it usually takes a few hours for the change to take effect.

Understanding Substack's terms and what you own

When you publish on Substack, you own the content you write. Substack doesn't claim ownership of your posts or your subscriber list. However, you're publishing on their platform under their terms of service. If Substack shuts down, changes its policies, or removes your publication, you lose access to the platform — though you can export your subscriber list and content before that happens.

Substack's business model depends on taking a cut of paid subscription revenue. They also have policies against certain content — hate speech, harassment, and illegal activity are prohibited. If your publication violates these policies, Substack can remove it. For most people writing newsletters, this isn't a concern, but it's worth reading their terms if you're planning something unusual.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need my own domain name to use Substack?

No. Your publication works fine at yourname.substack.com without one. A custom domain is optional and mainly for branding — it doesn't change how the newsletter functions or how people subscribe.

Can I import subscribers from another email list?

Yes. If you have a list from another platform, you can upload a CSV file of email addresses to Substack. Go to your settings, find "Subscribers", and look for the import option. Substack will add them as free subscribers, and they'll receive your next post.

What happens to my newsletter if I stop paying?

If you have paid subscribers, you need to keep your Stripe account active to receive their payments. If you disconnect Stripe or let your account lapse, new paid subscriptions won't work. Your free posts will still publish, but paid posts won't be accessible. You can always reconnect later.

Can I write posts in advance and schedule them all at once?

Yes. You can write multiple posts, save them as drafts, and then schedule each one to publish on a specific date and time. This lets you batch your writing and have posts go out on a regular schedule without writing every week.

How do I know if people are reading my newsletter?

Substack shows you open rates (what percentage of subscribers opened each post), click rates (how many clicked links), and subscriber growth (how many new people subscribed after each post). You can see these stats for each post in your analytics dashboard.