All the Best Tools, Experts, and Other Resources for Substack Publishers
Including a revenue estimation template and launch checklist for new publications.
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Running a Substack is simple. Building a thriving Substack business? That takes more than great writing.
You need tools. The kind that help you grow faster, look more professional, stay organized, and actually make money.
This guide pulls together the best resources I’ve found—from audience research platforms to monetization tools to hidden-gem directories. These aren’t paid promos. Just genuinely helpful tools I’ve used or bookmarked myself.
Whether you’re launching your first post or scaling to six figures, there’s something here to make your Substack life easier (and a little more fun).
Table of Contents
1. Substack Education 📗
The best way to grow faster on Substack? Learn from people who’ve already done it. This section features courses, newsletters, and blogs that break down what works, from writing and growth to monetization and mindset.
Substack Experts
If you’re serious about building a successful Substack, you don’t have to figure it out alone. Some of the best knowledge lives inside newsletters run by people who’ve already done it: growing real audiences, testing strategies, and sharing what works.
On Substack
You can also learn directly from Substack! On Substack is the official publication from the Substack team, packed with product updates, case studies, feature announcements, and smart advice straight from the source. It’s especially useful for learning how to use new tools (like referrals or video), understanding how top writers succeed, and staying ahead of what’s changing on the platform.
2. Newsletter Directories 📋
Substack publishers can submit their publications to newsletter directories to get discovered by new readers, gain backlinks that help with search engine optimization, and discover cross-collaboration and sponsorship opportunities.
3. Substack Research Tools 🔬
Substack publishers can use research tools to choose popular topics and find promotional opportunities.
reletter
reletter is a search engine that aggregates data from millions of newsletters, including Substack newsletters. Although it’s a paid tool, it’s great for researching competitors and identifying potential partners.
StackEngagement
StackEngagement can be used to quickly pull subscriber, engagement, and revenue estimates for any Substack. I noticed a few issues, so proceed with caution.
It seems to think every publication has only 23 posts.
Revenue estimates are low, even according to the assumptions the tool claims to make.
Despite those issues, I still wanted to share it since it may improve over time!
Substack Map
Substack Map allows you to search Substacks to see how they connect to other publications through recommendations. Although publications with custom domains are not included, it’s fun to explore and can help you find cross-collaboration opportunities.
SubstackTools
SubstackTools is a simple utility that helps you track and explore Substack publications by analyzing follower counts across Notes, Chat, and the Web. It’s especially useful for spotting fast-growing newsletters, comparing follower trends, or just satisfying your curiosity about how other writers are performing. If you want to keep a pulse on what’s working in the Substack ecosystem, this tool makes it easy.
Google Trends
Google Trends uses Google search data to show how search interest in a topic has changed over time. It’s a great place to get a high-level view of what’s trending in different places around the world, including how popular a topic is now and whether it’s increasing or decreasing in popularity.
Google Search Console
Google Search Console is a free tool for managing search engine performance (aka your ability to rank highly and receive traffic from Google searches). You can use it to optimize your content based on keyword performance, make sure Google can read your website correctly, ensure you don’t have any penalties preventing you from showing up in search engines, and much more.
4. Substack Content Creation Tools ✏️
Tools to help authors develop ideas and create content that attracts traffic and engagement, and drives conversions.