sales-substack

What this skill does

# Substack Platform Help

## Step 1 — Gather context

If `references/learnings.md` exists, read it first for accumulated platform knowledge.

Ask the user:

1. **What area of Substack do you need help with?**
   - A) Publishing — editor, scheduling, sections, podcast
   - B) Monetization — paid subscriptions, pricing, founding members
   - C) Growth — discovery network, Notes, recommendations, referrals
   - D) Migration — moving to or from Substack
   - E) Automation / integration — connecting Substack to other tools
   - F) Design / branding — custom domain, styling, embeds
   - G) Something else — describe it

2. **What's your current situation?**
   - A) Haven't launched yet — evaluating Substack
   - B) Free newsletter — considering adding paid tier
   - C) Already have paid subscribers — optimizing
   - D) Want to leave Substack — considering alternatives

Skip-ahead rule: if the user's prompt already contains enough context, skip to Step 2.

## Step 2 — Route or answer directly

| If the question is about... | Route to... |
|---|---|
| Newsletter monetization strategy (not Substack-specific) | `/sales-newsletter [question]` |
| Growing subscriber list | `/sales-audience-growth [question]` |
| Email deliverability / SPF / DKIM | `/sales-deliverability [question]` |
| Migrating to Ghost | `/sales-ghost migrate from Substack` |
| Migrating to Beehiiv | `/sales-beehiiv migrate from Substack` |
| Migrating to Buttondown | `/sales-buttondown migrate from Substack` |
| SEO strategy beyond Substack | `/sales-seo [question]` |
| Sponsorship marketplace | `/sales-paved [question]` |
| Referral programs (SparkLoop doesn't support Substack) | Handle here — explain workarounds |

If the question is Substack-specific, continue to Step 3.

## Step 3 — Substack platform reference

**Read `references/platform-guide.md`** for the full platform reference — capabilities, pricing, data model, integration workarounds, code examples.

Answer the user's question using only the relevant section. Don't dump the full reference.

## Step 4 — Actionable guidance

Focus on the user's specific situation using what you know about Substack's strengths and constraints.

**Stay-or-go framework:**
- Stay if: audience is small (<5K), you value simplicity, discovery network matters, you don't need automation or design control
- Migrate if: revenue exceeds ~$1K/mo (10% fee becomes expensive), you need SEO, you need API/automation, you need full branding control
- Hybrid: use Substack for discovery + free content, pipe subscribers to a dedicated ESP for monetization

If you discover a gotcha, workaround, or tip not covered in `references/learnings.md`, append it there.

## Gotchas

> *Best-effort from research — review these, especially items about plan-gated features and integration gotchas that may be outdated.*

1. **10% fee compounds with Stripe** — total take is ~13-16% of gross revenue (10% Substack + 2.9% + $0.30 Stripe + 0.5% Stripe Billing). At $10K/yr revenue, that's ~$1,300-$1,600 in fees.
2. **No official API for publishers** — you cannot programmatically manage posts, subscribers, or analytics. The "Developer API" only queries public profiles by LinkedIn handle.
3. **No native Zapier or Make integration** — automation requires Gmail-based workarounds (parse Substack notification emails).
4. **SEO is structurally weak** — no meta description control, no schema markup, limited URL structure, no sitemap customization. Posts struggle to rank for competitive keywords.
5. **SparkLoop doesn't support Substack** — you cannot use SparkLoop referral programs or paid recommendations.
6. **No email design control** — templates are fixed. You cannot change layout, fonts, or add custom HTML blocks for sponsor placements.
7. **Annual pricing lock-in** — founding member discounts are permanent. Set them carefully because you cannot raise the price for existing founding members.
8. **Custom domain limitations** — you can use a custom domain for your publication, but emails still come from Substack's domain (not your own).

## Related skills

- `/sales-newsletter` — Newsletter monetization strategy — paid subscriptions, sponsorships, ad sales, premium tiers, pricing
- `/sales-audience-growth` — Growing your subscriber list — lead magnets, cross-promotion, referral programs
- `/sales-ghost` — Ghost platform help — publishing, newsletters, memberships, Stripe, API, migration
- `/sales-beehiiv` — Beehiiv platform help — publishing, growth, monetization, ad network, API
- `/sales-buttondown` — Buttondown platform help — newsletter publishing, paid subscriptions, Markdown, API
- `/sales-kit` — Kit platform help — email marketing, automations, Commerce, Creator Recommendations
- `/sales-paved` — Paved — newsletter sponsorship marketplace, Ad Network
- `/sales-sparkloop` — SparkLoop — newsletter referral programs, paid recommendations (note: does NOT support Substack)
- `/sales-deliverability` — Email deliverability — SPF, DKIM, DMARC, inbox placement
- `/sales-seo` — SEO strategy — keyword research, technical audits, content optimization
- `/sales-do` — Not sure which skill to use? The router matches any sales objective to the right skill. Install: `npx skills add sales-skills/sales --skill sales-do`

## Examples

### Example 1: Fee analysis
**User says**: "I'm making $2K/month on Substack — should I switch to Ghost or Beehiiv?"
**Skill does**: Calculates current fee impact (~$260-$320/mo lost to fees), compares Ghost (0% fee, self-hosted or $29/mo Ghost(Pro)) and Beehiiv (0% fee, Scale plan $43/mo), weighs migration risk vs savings
**Result**: Clear cost comparison with migration recommendation based on user's technical comfort

### Example 2: Automation workaround
**User says**: "How do I automatically add my Substack subscribers to Kit?"
**Skill does**: Reads platform-guide.md for integration workarounds, explains Gmail notification parsing + Zapier method, notes the Google Workspace requirement, suggests RSS feed alternative for content sync
**Result**: Working automation pipeline despite Substack's lack of native integrations

### Example 3: SEO improvement
**User says**: "My Substack articles get zero Google traffic"
**Skill does**: Explains Substack's structural SEO limitations, recommends custom domain setup, suggests cross-posting strategy (publish on Substack for discovery, canonical version on own blog for SEO), provides meta title optimization tips within Substack's constraints
**Result**: Actionable SEO strategy that works within Substack's limitations

## Troubleshooting

### Paid subscribers not converting
**Symptom**: Free-to-paid conversion rate below 1%
**Cause**: Paid value proposition not differentiated enough, or paywall placed on wrong content
**Solution**: Keep core insights free (shareable for growth). Paywall depth — original research, templates, data, community access. Tease premium content in free posts for 2-4 weeks before launching paid tier. Offer founding member pricing (30-50% off) to early adopters.

### Emails landing in spam or promotions tab
**Symptom**: Subscribers report not receiving posts, or posts end up in Gmail Promotions tab
**Cause**: Substack's shared sending infrastructure, too many links in posts, promotional language in subject lines
**Solution**: Ask subscribers to move your email to Primary tab and add to contacts. Reduce links per post (heavy linking is a spam signal). Avoid "free," "discount," "limited time" in subject lines. Substack handles SPF/DKIM — you cannot configure these yourself.

### Discovery network not driving growth
**Symptom**: Recommendations and Notes aren't bringing new subscribers
**Cause**: Not actively participating in Notes, not using cross-recommendations, publication not categorized well
**Solution**: Post 3-5 Notes per week engaging with other writers. Enable recommendations and actively recommend aligned publications (they often reciprocate). Ensure your publication has clear categories and a compelling About pa