This resource provides writers with tools and insights to construct the essential architecture of a Substack publication, from visual assets to post formatting.
Thanks for this article. It was very helpful and insightful. One question - is it a good practice to link previous substack articles in every new article ? Will it harm the readership ?
Is .png the best format to save images in, or is .jpg better? Also, I've noticed that the thumbnail images, the small images that show up on the "Archive" page, for example https://moviewise.substack.com/archive, seem to be pretty low resolution/fuzzy, even though when the article is viewed the main picture there is high resolution/sharp:
Thanks, but 1456 x 1048 px is too big, and would take up too much space on the page. Is it not possible to just increase the thumbnail resolution (or not compress them so much?) so that the small images on the "Archive" and "Home" pages etc. aren't blurry? The larger ones (the actual image files) on the published pages are not blurry.
What you could do is just use a different image for the "social preview" or the thumbnail then you do in the post. You can change the image in the post settings.
Hi Katie, will doing this update/change the thumbnail images displayed on a newsletter's "home" page: https://moviewise.substack.com and the "Archive" page?
Hi again Katie! Thanks for taking the time to answer, but the link you provided only mentions that this is to see "what your post will look like on social media such as Twitter." The images displayed on Twitter are much larger than the thumbnails on the Substack newsletter's "home" or "archive" pages. Also, creating new thumbnails for posts is redundant/unnecessary work (and pretty time consuming) since Substack already provides the thumbnails on newsletter's "home" or "archive" pages, it's just that the resolution is too low. Is there any way to bring this to the attention of Substack engineering? If not, then what exactly are the dimensions for the thumbnails that are displayed on a newsletter's "home" or "archive" pages? I'd hate to go through all that trouble to have the images still be compressed or truncated, and therefore still blurry.
Hi, I just clicked on 3 links that were recommended as examples of great design. The first was Fast Times which redirected me to some kind of spyware page - you should delete the link immediately. The second link was great (The Elysian) and I ended up subscribing. The third link The Phoenix looks to be a site under construction so was a poor example of what you're trying to demonstrate. Just an FYI on quality control for links in articles that will have long shelf lives. Cheers, Linda
I am trying to make my own wordmark image and am struggling with sizing. right now no matter what I do the text and image look too small. What would you suggest?
Thanks, folks! I've just hit 100 subscribers and am really excited to make the presentation better on the physical landing page. This gives me a lot to think about.
You should define these terms. They aren't obvious to everybody:
Logo: At least 256 x 256 px with a transparent background.
Email banners: Recommended 1100 x 220 px with a transparent background, but could be taller.
Cover image: At least 600 x 600 px.
Social / post preview image: We recommend at least 1456 x 1048 px, but 420 x 300 px is the minimum. 14:10 is the aspect ratio for the preview images.
It was a great session — and this is a fantastic value-packed post. Thanks for sharing.
And special thanks to Kellyn for her slides; so clean and minimal. Loved it.
Thanks for sharing this! This is very insightful! I'd like to know more about readers' behavior
sublime - inspired - divine! :)
This was very helpful, thank you!
What is recommended size for an image within a post? My home page shows the post's image as being too large to fit. Thanks.
What is the maximum file size for images (e.g art) included in the newsletter? I can't find this information anywhere.
Thanks for this article. It was very helpful and insightful. One question - is it a good practice to link previous substack articles in every new article ? Will it harm the readership ?
Good question...can we put previous links under the heading......You may also like....?
Is .png the best format to save images in, or is .jpg better? Also, I've noticed that the thumbnail images, the small images that show up on the "Archive" page, for example https://moviewise.substack.com/archive, seem to be pretty low resolution/fuzzy, even though when the article is viewed the main picture there is high resolution/sharp:
https://moviewise.substack.com/p/movie-wisdom-on-making-friends
Could someone help explain what may be wrong? Could the resolution in which the thumbnails are created be increased?
Hey there! PNG works better but both are ok.
Have you checked to make sure that your images are at least 1456 x 1048 px? We recommend at least 1456 x 1048 px to avoid blurriness.
Hi Katie,
Thanks, but 1456 x 1048 px is too big, and would take up too much space on the page. Is it not possible to just increase the thumbnail resolution (or not compress them so much?) so that the small images on the "Archive" and "Home" pages etc. aren't blurry? The larger ones (the actual image files) on the published pages are not blurry.
What you could do is just use a different image for the "social preview" or the thumbnail then you do in the post. You can change the image in the post settings.
Here's how you do that: https://support.substack.com/hc/en-us/articles/360039016992-How-do-I-edit-what-my-post-looks-like-on-social-media-
Hi Katie, will doing this update/change the thumbnail images displayed on a newsletter's "home" page: https://moviewise.substack.com and the "Archive" page?
yes!
Hi again Katie! Thanks for taking the time to answer, but the link you provided only mentions that this is to see "what your post will look like on social media such as Twitter." The images displayed on Twitter are much larger than the thumbnails on the Substack newsletter's "home" or "archive" pages. Also, creating new thumbnails for posts is redundant/unnecessary work (and pretty time consuming) since Substack already provides the thumbnails on newsletter's "home" or "archive" pages, it's just that the resolution is too low. Is there any way to bring this to the attention of Substack engineering? If not, then what exactly are the dimensions for the thumbnails that are displayed on a newsletter's "home" or "archive" pages? I'd hate to go through all that trouble to have the images still be compressed or truncated, and therefore still blurry.
Hi, I just clicked on 3 links that were recommended as examples of great design. The first was Fast Times which redirected me to some kind of spyware page - you should delete the link immediately. The second link was great (The Elysian) and I ended up subscribing. The third link The Phoenix looks to be a site under construction so was a poor example of what you're trying to demonstrate. Just an FYI on quality control for links in articles that will have long shelf lives. Cheers, Linda
Is there any guidance for image sizes on Substack Notes?
thank you for this information :
Preston Park
Better Brains
Apr 9, 2023
You should define these terms. They aren't obvious to everybody:
Logo: At least 256 x 256 px with a transparent background.
Email banners: Recommended 1100 x 220 px with a transparent background, but could be taller.
Cover image: At least 600 x 600 px.
Social / post preview image: We recommend at least 1456 x 1048 px, but 420 x 300 px is the minimum. 14:10 is the aspect ratio for the preview images.
Thanks for the in detail guide
I am trying to make my own wordmark image and am struggling with sizing. right now no matter what I do the text and image look too small. What would you suggest?
Very insightful and helpful for a beginner starting out on Substack.
Thanks, folks! I've just hit 100 subscribers and am really excited to make the presentation better on the physical landing page. This gives me a lot to think about.