New ways to listen to your favorite writing
Bringing writers and their work to life through voice
Today, we are excited to share new features that make audio sharing on Substack easier for writers, while improving the listening experience for subscribers.
Tools for voiceovers
Over the last few years, we’ve watched writers push the boundaries of our podcasting tools to personalize their Substack publications. Writers have published original songs, shared personal voice messages, dispatched quick updates from live events, and read posts aloud for readers.
To publish a voiceover in this way, writers previously would create a podcast and publish each voiceover post as an episode. That is no longer the case. Now, writers can easily add a personalized voiceover directly in the “new post” editor without creating a podcast.
In the editor, you’ll now see a new headphones icon on the toolbar. Use that to select “voiceover,” then choose to upload an audio file or record one of yourself (or someone else) reading the text of your post aloud. When you send the post out to subscribers, they’ll see an option to listen to your post if they wish, which they can do from email, on the web, or in the Substack iOS app.
Listen to an English voiceover by Florence H R Scott and one in Portuguese by Gaía Passarelli.
Read more: How do I add a voiceover to my Substack post?
Introducing text-to-speech
If you don’t have time to record a voiceover but want to offer your readers an audio version of a post, our new technology can help.
We are beginning to convert some writers’ text into audio automatically using text-to-speech technology. Starting today, readers using the Substack iOS app will have the ability to hear posts read aloud.
Just added: audio embeds
In addition to new voiceover tools, today we are releasing a much-requested new feature: audio embeds.
Writers can now embed multiple audio files anywhere throughout their text posts without needing to create a podcast or anchor an audio file at the top of their post.
In the “new post” editor, you’ll see a new headphones icon on the toolbar. Use that to select “audio embed,” then upload an audio file or record one and place it in the desired location in your draft. When you send the post out to subscribers, they’ll be able to tap each audio embed to listen.
See how Mary Gaitskill used an audio embed.
Read more: How do I embed an audio file in my Substack post?
We hope you’ll give these new audio tools a try, and that they help bring both you, the writer, and your work to life for an even wider audience than was possible before.
As always, please feel free to leave feedback and ideas in the comments.
We are just beginning to roll out our new text-to-speech technology. In these early days, some writers will not have access. If you’d like for your publication to be added to the beta, please fill out this form.
I was just walking the dog yesterday and a fellow dog lover came up to me, “I’m sorry I haven’t read your Substack short stories yet. It’s very hard for me to find time to read, but I love listening to audio books and podcasts.” Thanks, Substack Team, this is a very exciting innovation - I am sure my subscribers will love it!
That is so cool. I'd like to be like you. I just moved to a new neighborhood and everyone here is getting to know me as an aspiring writing. I've only shared with one neighbor so far, but now I have something new to aspire to! Thanks! :)
YES YES YES THANK YOU!! I'm SO glad I can just make narrations and not have to have it be a whole podcast episode! Or that voice-to-text can just take over YAAAY!! This whole update gave me butterflies!!
Evenflow... "Thoughts arise like Butterflies " (PJ, Ed Ved)
Be amazing! add video & use our voices!
same!!! I love that you called it narrations! I just did my first one!
It actually is a narration. When the author of a written piece reads it aloud, he/she is narrating said piece. :)
And I love that!
Yes, we all love hearing the voice of the people we read and connected with :-)
Great
What an awesome update! I've been thinking about how to use audio embeds, and now is my opportunity to try! A special shout out to any software engineers on the Substack team for this one... as a fellow software engineer I thank you and I see you 👀👀👀 but not in a wierd I'm stalking you kind of way.
Seriously! SO GREAT!
Brilliant
These features are dope! So helpful. Thank you!
Thank you so much for constantly making the life of substack writers easier. I will certainly try out the podcast- and other audio options. That said -- am I possibly the only one here who LIKES to read a piece (vs. listening to it)? Maybe that's because I'm old. I prefer real books to Kindle etc. Just curious...
Not alone. The world is noisy enough without having the voice of every writer in my head also. I prefer text for many reasons.
Not everyone has a voice built for radio, many people have vocal ticks and resonances that are terrible to listen to. Unfortunately my brain will zero in on anything that irritates it so the entire podcast message is lost because I keep focusing on their lipsmacking, nasal sounds or that one pitch that gets hit whenever they get excited.
Most people ramble when they talk or engage in idle chatter if another speaker is present. Things that simply don't interest me at all and waste my time. This rarely turns up in writing because it's obvious in writing when you are off on a tangent.
You cannot easily scan a podcast or video.
Reading has a meditative effect, it slows brainwave activity and calms the nervous system. Audio and video are distracting and stimulating adding to the unnecessary noise of life. If others like it good for them, but it's not for me. I came to substack specifically to get away from noisy formats.
Agree. Changed the audio speed slower and vocabulary
is slurred as the words, stretched, have distinctive articulation ♡
always a reader, the grief of last 6 yrs made not reading same sentence over & over impossible! Silenced mind w/zen thought and am not only reading (yay!) I'm writing & expressing thoughts too!
ps. I think we're sisters of soul & ♡
I know just what you mean, Jessica. Holding a real book has a different type of energy and I will always prefer them to the electronic kind.
I too prefer reading to listening, Jessica. And I prefer pages in my hands rather than electronic copies. That said, electronic books work very well for researching my topics. When I highlight points I want to refer back to, electronic books retain all the highlighted parts in a section at the back. Wonderful for easy perusing, and copying and pasting if need be.
And I trialled the poll feature asking my readers if they would like the option of listening to a narration of my newsletters. 90% said yes. So, I'll be learning to use the voiceover feature very soon.
I think this is sound advice. Thank you. I agree, personal preferences shouldn't limit how one publishes. I should learn voiceover too. ;)
This is wonderful as we literally just decided to do this and were trying to figure out how to make it work!
Same! I asked about this last week. I just did my first one!
HOORAY!!! Thank you! And just time time for a new song this Sunday!! 🎶
A very neeky question having spent some time with the new options...
Any chance of a "music" option in the dropdown menu, which would be the same as the audio embed player, but without the change speed button?? I hate to think how my singing will sound at an accidental x1.5 speed! Especially as it's on the left hand side where a play button would often be...
Oh yes this is interesting! Thanks for the suggestion Lail!
I am so excited about these features, thank you! I started my podcast initially as a way to make my long articles more accessible to some of my readers. I love that this is embedding accessibility options into the tools for writers.
Great new feature! Love it! Thank you, Substack!
This is outstanding and extremely timely... THANKS
This is fantastic. Thank you.
This is great! Thank you!
We thought of you and your story while building these features <3
Nice
Thank you Bailey. That means so much to me and to readers who struggle with eyesight issues.
GAMECHANGER!!! I can’t believe that all I have to do is write and now people can listen to my articles if they prefer. Try to make the case for ghost now....
Haha!
This is great. I've been thinking about the possibility of adding an audio version for each of my posts, but a podcast didn't seem a great fit. This is exactly what I need.
Agreed!
This is a fantastic development. Keep up the great improvements and enhancements. It is so easy to do. I may be go back and add the voiceover to all of my poetry.
This is great news. I appreciate the thoughtful distinction between podcasts, voiceovers, and audio embeds. It’s really smart. Thank you!
Audio Embeds!!!!! Amen! Halleluiah!
Should I attribute this to Substack's innovation and willingness to add features their users want.... or is it directly in relation to my incessant and whiny nagging? While it is likely the former, I'm taking credit. ;-)
Thanks.
Fantastic. and just in time for me - I've started serializing audio from my novel and this is just the ticket.
Love this!
I'm curious — will there ever be an option to allow an mp3 file upload option so readers can download an mp3 file (the way that they can download PDFs, .XLS, etc.)?
Great idea!
oooh good idea LOTS of mp3's here
Incredible
Been waiting for this. Thank you!
When you pointed about replacing the system of recording a podcast episode and reading the post, which most people do, and created a solution to simplify the process, this is awesome news. 😁
My goodness Substack team. Ya’ll are just killing it with new enhancements. Totally badass!
Somehow I’m not a fan of artificial text to speech. There should be an option for the publication author to disable it for their publication in their settings. There are certain articles I would like my readers to read--NOT to be read them by technology. I may be in the minority, but this is my opinion.
Our support team can help you remove this option for your readers if you send a note here: https://support.substack.com/hc/en-us/requests/new
I understand, here not into, as others "spy " and agree with you. Reading the purest form.
How to optimize the Creator tools stack to a seamless degree, one more step in the tool kit. Fantastic Summer content on Podcasting and community development via audio.
Step by step breakdowns with data on why Podcasting improves conversion rates, augments audience immersion and builds more intimate community experiences welcome.
Always watching, always reading, always listening.
Yes! Entire life! always seeds for the mind & Soul
I wonder what most of our Substack audience hopes for? Inspiration or something else? Audio is revelatory as a medium to be sure.
certainly yet, how to get all chores and creative activities squeezed in ? these speeding-ups IMO also make time fly, as do more fast cars. Yet Science proves the connector is to Iight speed, faster keeps going longer it's irony & quantum just read that through the weather channel & new show Pattrn, 1st of theirs dedicated to crisis Earth w/info that also brings Hope
I could be creating full-time on Substack and still only get 1/5 of the work done that I want to.
What does this mean? It means Substack Creators shine when they choose a Niche that they are best identified with. This could even be a cause, a movement, a perspective or an cultural narrative of ideology.
well stated Michael. soon to need octopus arms but am thoroughly enjoying the Substack platform more than any other yet involved in. Quit FB and all others, rather enjoy saying NOTHING than deal with fakery! Rejoined Twitter via here.Much handling of incoming could be 24 hr bran sponge ! All in time ♡ ♡ ♡
Sometimes living in a silo is better than living on algorithmic feeds of censorship and user and data exploitation.
Time will tell if Substack is as different as some of us hope.
Nice
Can’t wait to put it to use! Are you looking for any voices to record posts for Substack authors?
yes please what inspiration!
Text to Speech works with English only? Greetings from Italy
For now, yes! But you can post a voiceover in whatever languages you can speak into the microphone.
Hello from NY mountains ♡
This is a great update, especially the audio embed! Thank you!
This is so awesome!! I'm so happy I'm building my podcast on this app :)
How wonderful! I love how the Substack team continually improves the platform and makes it more accessible for all involved. Thank you!
Thank you! Love this and can’t wait to try it out! I’ve previously just done a couple of recorded newsletters as pods but this is fantastic! I love listening to audio versions of newsletters. 🙌🎉🎧
Can’t wait to give this a try! Thank you!
YAY!!!
This is great. I honestly needed this.
Amazing! Thank you. ♥️
Was planning to expand my Substack with audio offerings, this is timely for those next steps. Thank you!
Audio embeds! And separating audio feature from podcast creation. Nice, finally. I wonder who suggested that initially and continuously, lol.
I swear, you guys are in my brain. Absolutely love these changes. Thank you!
everything about this update is amazing!!!
Wow wow wow! Thank you for this! Can't wait to try it out.
Brilliant. Exactly what I have been waiting for!
THIS IS what I was wondering how to do last week instead of recording a podcast or having one here. Yay! Thank you.
Very cool! Can’t wait to tell my readers to listen up 😁
You guys rocks. The perfect combo of features to make texts alive! Thks!!!
This is the update I've been waiting for! I'm not sure how I'll use it yet, but I sure do appreciate having the option!
Wonderful news!!
I was thinking of creating a Telegram channel where I would upload audio files of me reading the posts, but I was going to release that to paying subscribers only. Will we have that option?
Yes, you can decide if audio is released to free or paid subscribers (and put audio embeds below the paywall)
This is great. What about the reverse? Can you create a way to easily convert audio into text?
There are lots of ways to do that now, but a seemless easy way through the substack interface would be awesome. Thanks!
We don't offer this currently, but maybe someday! We recommend using https://www.descript.com/ for transcripts of audio, if that's helpful.
YES please!
Glad to hear that this is available for people. Noticed it last night and I look forward to testing it out soon.
Indeed this is great information i recommend all try our text to speech software https://wavel.ai/solutions/realistic-text-to-speech-online/
I have used this tool and works great for me.
This is great for me! It will be a great help as. I try to grow my Substack over the coming months.
Very interesting new tools, thank you
This is a good. this is a feature I wanted. I wanted to first write out my newsletter, and then record it directly in that same place. Now I can do that! that is great. before, I needed to go into the "podcast" section. That was awkward.
This is aweome. Adding to my backlog of posts now!
Love this! Going to try it out soon!
This is awesome. The reason I came to Substack to write my musical autobiography was so that people could listen to the suondtrack of my life. Now you have made it even easier. Love the new features and will definitely be using them. You guys rock!
This is a fantastic update. I already know some of my readers listen to articles from other platforms whilst walking so this will be an excellent addition.
Can we gate these voiceovers behind a subscription? I use my voiceovers as partial "writer's commentary" for certain things, and want to make that part of a premium experience.
Yes, you can publish voiceover posts as "paid" posts for only paying subscribers.
You can also put *audio embeds* below the adjustable paywall if you want to publish a preview to free subscribers. (https://support.substack.com/hc/en-us/articles/4407989020308-How-do-I-publish-a-free-preview-of-a-paid-post-on-Substack-)
We'll build more tools for paid audio going forward as well, so stay tuned.
how can we listen it on the website/google chrome?
I really love the text-to-speech feature! Is there a way for creators to turn it off and on? It's not an option in all posts.
Which accounts on Substack are eligible for text to speech?
Substackers, I've been looking around unsuccessfully to learn what determines which posts have the triangular play icon available at the top. It appears there's no way to contact Substack, which is disappointing, so I'm posting here.
The reason I'm asking is that when the button is pressed posts appear to be read in a uniform manner across different creators. It's the same voice and it features that same intro and outro.
Any assistance you can provide would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
I loved being able to listen to substack articles for 2 years. If I had time to get comfy and read I did that, but when I'm driving or working around the house I listen. Gradually substack became my most used app and source of information, but then they changed the AI voice to one that sounds like it should be reading ghost stories to kids around a camp fire. I tried to listen, assuming I'd eventually get used to it, but I haven't and I dont think I ever will. It's extremely annoying with its exaggerated inflections that I end up turning it off, hoping to read the article when I have time. They should give people the option of selecting which AI voice they prefer. Some people have misophonia and cant tolerate listening to an annoying voice like that or they cant stay focused on the article bc the voice is so distracting
I'm excited to try out the new audio features on Substack for my https://speechtherapistislamabad.com/ project! The ability to add voiceovers directly in the post editor and use text-to-speech technology sounds fantastic . Audio embeds throughout posts will make sharing content even more engaging. Looking forward to exploring these tools!
How do I turn it off?
How can I - a subscrber - STOP the audio voiceover? I like my author's voice, NOT the voiceover. Suddenly the voiceover is all I get!
How does Substack decide which posts have the audio reader option?
How do I make my blogs able to be listened to?
Recently, the voice over feature stopped working on the mobile substack up for me. Neither me nor my readers and listeners can play the voice over file. But it is working in a browser on the computer. Has anyone encounter this problem also?
Why is audio processing taking so long for paid subscriptions?
Haha thanks! just decided to integrate this to my newsletter thanks !
Thank you for all of this. It's marvelous.
I have a Q: After publishing a post to my subscribers, I often update - extensively. I noticed the s it possible to push the new version to the "article audio" so new readers get the most up to date version?
I just recorded a voiceover for the first time. Really excited about it! (You can see how I introduced it to my readers here https://sarahrunning.substack.com/p/anything-can-happen-in-the-mountains).
Two pieces of feedback:
- I wish the record button had a pause function. As it is, you have to push play and record the whole thing without stopping (which can take a long time!). There's no way to pause and then restart in case you need a sip of water or to cough, for example.
- The recording tool -- a big square box -- takes up the lower righthand corner of my desktop screen, covering up the text I'm trying to read. I wish the recording box could be smaller and could be moved around, so that I can better see the draft post I'm reading while recording.
Thanks much.
Will the new voice over in posts publish to the major podcast players as the actual substack podcast option does? Thanks!
As a reader, I like the option of using the “Listen” feature, especially when it’s not convenient for me to read articles. I would like to have a user option for selecting a preferred voice. Hopefully that can be added as a feature within the Substack app and/or online.
Is there a reason why this feature is not available on my newsletter?
Great feature, but I’d love to select to listen to be able to listen to a male or female voice and in an accent other than American e.g. UK English
This is yuuuge.
How come this feature isn’t available yet on my newsletter?
This is great! Audio is a growing industry as it frees users from the constraints of constantly having to look at the screen. Podcasting is also intimate and allows for a deeper relationship to build with hosts and listeners.
As people resume commuting in the post pandemic world, audio will have a resurgence and this is a phenomenal add, especially since audio doesn't need to be a part of a podcast feed now.
This is why I centered by online presence on substack and started a podcast https://www.farezv.com/p/farez-for-me-podcast-ep-1-introduction as Substack provides audio hosting in addition to traditional newsletter/blog tools.
Can’t wait to try out these audio features. Specifically, I’m a newsletter-first publication, doing maybe 1-2 free interviews a month, which I used to offer as a podcast. But now I’m thinking of making those interviews audio embeds and reserving the podcast for more personal (and paid) content. Thank you again!
LOVE this new feature!!! Not quite sure yet how I'll use it, but hope to come up with something fun :)
LOVE IT
One question: would it be possible at some point to revert a "podcast" sub-newsletter back to a "newsletter", so it doesn't confuse subscribers?
Next suggestion: Guys, how about working on SEO benefits so the web version of everything we write does show up on Google searches? And it is technically possible ;-)