Write your short description and bio

Your short description

Your short description needs to give us a window into your Substack.

It often appears on the welcome page, which is the first page that people who aren’t subscribed to your Substack see. You can think of it as the email grab that comes up on most websites, so the description of your Substack should be intriguing and enticing.

Your short description should be ~ 26 words (so it’s easy to take in because people are moving fast) and encapsulate your Substack’s DNA, i.e., your unique perspective on the topics you write on. This is just a guideline in terms of word count.
Make it about what you do for your reader, i.e., how we benefit t by reading your Substack.
If you’re having trouble or to get started, try this prompt:
- Write your short description in six words
  - Now, ask yourself, What do I mean by that?
  - Write it down.
  - Then ask yourself again: What do I mean by that?
- Test it on someone who knows nothing about your Substack: What do they think your Substack is about given your short description?
And here are a few frameworks to try:
I help people ________.
For people who are/want/need _________
Where we come together to __________ (d0 something)
Where you ________ (do something)

You’ll fill in your short description on your publication dashboard > Settings > Publication Description at the top of the page.

SHORT DESCRIPTION EXAMPLES:

Your bio

Your bio is perhaps the most important descriptor on Substack. It needs to do double duty. It needs to be a short version of your short description and also tell us who you are—all in a very small space.

Your bio should be less than 26 words—otherwise it gets cut off:

It should tell us a bit about you, who you help or what your Substack does for people, and intrigue us without being vague.
Some people like to make it punchy and easily scannable.
To find your short bio, go to your avatar in the upper right-hand corner of your page > Settings from the dropdown menu (not settings on the navigation bar) > Profile > Edit > Bio

BIO EXAMPLES:

This one from Seth Workheiser does a lot of work. It says who he helps. If you’re writing essays that might not feel natural, in which case you don’t have to do that.

Mine doesn’t say who I help and probably should, so I’m going to go change that now, but it’s punchy, it’s quick, and scannable.

This one from Andrea Gibson is long but amazing: