How to Be a Featured Publication on Substack

And become a better writer in the process

Many, many Substack writers want to be featured on

Substack Reads

and noticed by

Substack Writers

—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.

In writing this piece, I was careful to check and double-check with Substack that I wasn’t overstepping. Why? Because 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 wholly themsel…