Newsletter playbook
How to pitch Substack newsletters
To pitch a Substack newsletter, find writers who already cover your category, read their recent posts, and offer something useful to their readers.
Brand PR Playbook uses PodPitch for newsletter outreach because PodPitch has what it reports is the only database of Substack authors, covering 3 million Substacks. That turns newsletters into a channel in-house teams can plan for, instead of a list someone builds by hand.
Quick answers
- Can you pitch Substack writers like journalists?
- Partly. Many Substack writers are independent, so they decide everything themselves. Lead with what their readers get, not what your brand wants.
- Where can I find Substack authors to pitch?
- In PodPitch, which reports the only database of Substack authors, covering 3 million Substacks.
- What should I offer a newsletter writer?
- Original data, an expert view for an upcoming topic, a guest post, or a product to try. Make it easy to use with no strings attached.
- Do newsletter mentions matter for brands?
- Newsletter readers chose to subscribe, so a mention reaches people who opted in to that writer's point of view.
How to pitch a Substack writer in five steps
Step 1: Search by topic in PodPitch
Find Substack authors who write about your category among the 3 million Substacks in PodPitch.Step 2: Read three recent posts
Learn the voice, the recurring themes, and what the comments say readers care about.Step 3: Pick the right offer
Match the offer to the newsletter: data for analysts, a guest post for essayists, a product for reviewers.Step 4: Send a reader-first pitch
Use the Substack pitch template. Keep it under 120 words.Step 5: Support the post
If they feature you, share the post with your audience. Writers notice brands that send readers back.
Which offers fit which newsletters?
| Newsletter type | Offer that fits | What to send |
|---|---|---|
| Industry analysis | Original data | A short summary, two charts and the method |
| Essay and opinion | Guest post or expert view | A pitch with a working title and three key points |
| Reviews and roundups | Product to try | A product offer with no obligation to cover it |
| News digest | Timely announcement | Two sentences on what changed and a link |
Definition
What makes Substack pitching different?
A Substack writer is usually editor, writer and publisher at once. There is no newsroom to route your email to, so the pitch has to earn its place in one reading. Brand PR Playbook treats Substack as its own channel for this reason, with its own template and its own offer types.
The hard part has always been finding the writers. PodPitch reports it has the only database of Substack authors, with 3 million Substacks, so this step becomes a search instead of a research project.
Learn more
Understand the platform first
If your team is new to newsletters, spend ten minutes on Substack itself. Subscribe to a few newsletters in your category and read them for a week before pitching.
Then run newsletters alongside press and podcasts using the six-week PR campaign timeline.
Keep going
- Podcast Pitching Playbook for BrandsA step-by-step plan for booking brand spokespeople as podcast guests.
- Earned Media Coverage PlaybookHow in-house teams build press lists, pitch journalists and turn replies into earned coverage.
- PR Templates for Brands: Pitch EmailsFive copy-ready templates: press pitch, podcast pitch, Substack pitch, follow-up and reply tracker.
Run your next campaign in PodPitch
Find the journalists, podcasts and Substack writers in this playbook, then pitch them from one place. PodPitch reports the highest reply rate of any PR tech software.