A business model that works for creators
On subscriptions, sponsorships, and learning from our customers
Today we’re introducing the next phase of Substack’s native sponsorships program, with an inaugural cohort of flagship partners who are collectively investing millions of dollars into creators on Substack. If you are a Substack bestseller who is interested in participating and shaping the program, you can publish your Creator Kit now.
The deal most of the internet offers creators goes something like this: We’ll give you reach if you give us your audience. Perform for the algorithm. Hope for a minority share of a platform’s own revenue, or figure out the money part yourself. Build your following on our platform, under our rules, subject to our priorities—and if any of that changes, good luck.
Most creators accept this deal because they feel like they have no choice. The platforms are where the audiences are. And over time, the system shapes you. You learn to make things the algorithm rewards instead of things you believe in.
Substack is built on a different theory: Give publishers a direct connection to the people who believe in them. Let people pay for the work they value.
We know that model works. Now more than 100,000 publishers make money on Substack through the subscription model. The top 10 collectively make more than $100 million a year, while tens of millions of subscribers across the network give creators the opportunity to build both audience and business in one place.
At the same time, some of the most successful creators have been finding ways to expand their business and better serve their community by partnering with organizations that help them offer more perks, invest more deeply in their editorial, and introduce new features for subscribers.
Emily Sundberg’s sponsored letter with Hinge ranked as Feed Me’s fourth-most-engaged letter in 2024. She wrote about this herself that year: advertisements on Feed Me, done right, are not compromising her audience-first model.
Lenny Rachitsky built his own Product Pass—a collection of complementary product access and trials to companies like Granola, valued at more than $30,000 and offered as a perk to his Annual and Insider subscribers.
Dwarkesh Patel reimagined one of his most-read essays and brought it to life as a video.
Ochuko Akpovbovbo collaborated with a design partner to unveil a redesign for her publication, as seen on .
These creators, along with their independent agents and managers, handled this work themselves. They had to figure out the outreach, negotiate the terms, manage the relationships, and handle the logistics, on top of the work of showing up for their subscribers.
Making something great is hard enough. We want to help make the rest easy.
Substack’s native sponsorships program makes great partnerships simple. We’re excited to work with our flagship partners, including Yahoo Scout, Whatnot, Granola, Balenciaga, T-Mobile, Polymarket, and Uber. These forward-thinking brands recognize that some of the most interesting conversations happening on the internet are driven by writers and creators on Substack. They’ll be building with, and investing millions of dollars in, the creators who choose to participate
These are not arbitrarily inserted ads. They are direct partnerships between brands and publishers who have already built robust audience-first businesses.
Creators choose who they work with. They set the creative direction. They keep full editorial independence. Our job is to take care of what they shouldn’t have to—the matchmaking, the infrastructure, the logistics—so they can stay focused on the work.
To help these publishers control their experience with sponsorship-related revenue, we’ve built Creator Kits, a new tool for creating a media kit for potential brand partners, available today to bestsellers. By publishing your Creator Kit, you can let us know you’re interested in brand collaborations. It is also your entry point into what’s coming next: a partnership platform where you will be able to connect directly with brands investing in the Substack creator ecosystem.
Learn More: How do I set up a Creator Kit on Substack?
Subscriptions are the ultimate proof point of an audience-first media business. Sponsorships, when correctly aligned, can amplify the value of the direct relationship between publisher and audience, creating a stronger foundation for a growing business and community.
Other platforms have built a model that rewards performance. We’re building one that rewards trust.
The system should serve the people who use it, not the other way around. For creators, that means helping you make money doing the work you believe in.
Substack bestsellers, you can publish your Creator Kit today to signal your interest in brand collaborations and the forthcoming partnership platform launch. If you haven’t built your paid subscription base yet, here are some resources that can help you on your way.
As we build tools that make creator-brand partnerships easier and more effective, interested brands and agencies can learn more and connect with us here.