How to Be Featured by Substack
And become a better writer in the process
I’ve been asked a lot about this lately. Many, many Substack writers want to be featured on and noticed by —and why not? It can lead to a serious boost in subscribers and the sense that our work has value.
But how does Substack choose the Substacks they feature?
I dug around to find out. This entailed speaking with the amazing folks at Substack; studying the Substacks that have been chosen; and listening to this excellent podcast with Hannah Ray, Substack’s storytelling lead and curator.
As any curator will tell you, such choices are an art, not a science.
We writers desperately want there to be a formula—not just for this but for writing a bestseller, getting published in mainstream media outlets, and landing an agent. There isn’t one. In the best cases, there are guidelines; in others, there are very rough guides.
And that’s what I love about Substack.
Success seems to depend on a writer being all of the following:
wholly yourself and finding out who you are on this platform—which is pretty much all I teach on Substack Writers at Work,
someone who produces your best writing, and
someone who explores topics of interest deeply.
It’s also important to remember that the people at Substack aren’t gatekeepers; they’re always on the lookout for new talent to highlight.
This post is for those who don’t have time to listen to the whole podcast with Hannah and want more guidance than what’s offered.
Below are 14 keys to being featured on Substack:
5 things you can do as outlined by Substack
6 things I did to be featured on both my Substacks
3 things to remember
Note: Substack Reads isn’t the only way to be featured. Many Substacks are featured on the Homepage or in roundups.
Substack Writers at Work is the only place to get expert information so you don’t spend years flailing around, trying to figure out the platform. If you aren’t a paid subscriber, become one to get the guidance you need to succeed on Substack. Don’t do it alone or by cobbling together information. You, your work, and your Substack are worth it.
5 things you can do to be featured (per Substack)
Take us to a place no other Substack does, i.e., have a narrow focus and explore that focus in-depth in a singular way.
Aim for the highest quality, i.e., revise and revise again, refine, edit, make sure darlings have been killed.