Hidden Gems in your Substack Settings
Three features you need to know about if you're just starting out
If you’re new to Substack or if you just haven’t taken the time to delve into the Settings page of your publication, I’d like to save you some time and point you to a few tools that are not immediately accessible/easy to spot at first glance. I think everyone on Substack needs to know about these regardless of what type of publication they are running.
Recommendation Blurbs on Welcome Page
When you recommend another publication, you have the option to write a short blurb explaining why. What many people don’t immediately realize is that blurbs written about your publication can be featured on your welcome page as testimonials for prospective subscribers. Here’s what it looks like (special thanks to
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So how can you feature blurbs on your own publication? This section can be tricky to find because Substack’s navigation interface is still pretty clunky. First you’ll have to go to your publications Settings page. From there, you’ll have to scroll down to the hidden branding section that lives within the website section. I just search “recommendation” in the search bar to get there - it’s better than spending fifteen minutes trying to scroll to it.
Once you’re here you can press edit and manually add or remove the blurbs you want. To see the fruits of your hard labor you can then use a similar method to search for your Welcome Page, which you will see hiding and underlined underneath the short description:
Enable previous and next post links
This is a hidden feature that I think can really be a game changer for your publication. Here’s where you can find it:
When you enable previous and next post links you will see “previous” and “next” buttons appear automatically at the bottom of your posts. This lets readers navigate through your publication in one click. Especially useful if you’re writing a serial. Here’s what it looks like once enabled:
Block AI training
Did you know that Substack has a feature to block AI using your writing to train itself? This feature is hiding under the details section of your Settings page. Turn it on to protect yourself from your future AI overlords stealing your intellectual property.
I hope these three hidden features were helpful to you. More Substack help:
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Talk soon,
Niccolò
Thanks - I didn't spot the 'previous' and 'next' option before. This was useful!
Wow, that previous and next post tip was huge. I can't believe I never noticed that before. And the cool thing is, it's apparently smart enough to skip between episodes of a serial and ignore the in-between posts that don't pertain to it, I'm guessing so long as you organize your Substack into sections. Majorly helpful for writers, and readers.