Using Substack with Buffer
Substack Notes are one of the best ways for writers to reach new readers on Substack, and like most short-form formats, they reward consistency. With Buffer, you can schedule Notes with your other channels and see which ones bring in new subscribers. Learn more about Substack in our resources library, or connect your account with the steps below.
:::info Substack is available on all of our current Buffer plans, including the Free plan. On a Legacy plan? Get in touch with us at hello@buffer.com to discuss your options! :::
These features are available for Substack
- Publishing: Yes (Substack Notes)
- Insights: Yes
- Engagement: No
How Substack works with Buffer
Buffer publishes Substack Notes, the short-form posts that appear in the Substack feed and app. Here's a quick overview of what that covers:
- Automatic publishing. Schedule a Note in Buffer and we'll publish it to Substack for you at the time you choose. There's no mobile notification step.
- Notes only. Buffer doesn't publish long-form Substack posts or newsletter issues. You'll keep writing and scheduling those in Substack's own editor.
- Top-level Notes only. Buffer can't publish replies to other Notes or restack existing content.
:::tip Tip: Want to promote your newsletter posts too? Add your Substack's RSS feed to Buffer, and your published posts will be ready to share across your other channels, or as a Note weeks later. Learn how in Using content feeds in Buffer. :::
Connecting and refreshing your Substack channel
Head to your Channels area to connect your Substack account: click your profile avatar in the bottom left of your dashboard, then choose Channels.
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Select Substack from the list of channels.
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You'll be taken to Substack. Log in if you're prompted to.
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Review the permissions and click to authorize Buffer.
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You'll be brought back to Buffer, where your Substack channel is now connected.
You can connect multiple Substack accounts to Buffer. To make sure Buffer connects the right one, log in to that Substack account in another browser tab before you start the steps above.
To see a step-by-step guide and troubleshooting steps, check out the article Connecting your channels to Buffer.
Refreshing a Substack channel
Buffer keeps your Substack connection active in the background, so you shouldn't need to refresh it during normal use, even if you go a while without posting. If Buffer loses permission to post (for example, if Buffer's access is removed from your Substack account), your channel will show that it needs a refresh, and scheduled Notes won't publish until it's reconnected.
To refresh your channel, check out the article Refreshing a channel in Buffer.
Notes you've already published on Substack
When you connect your Substack channel, Buffer imports your 100 most recent Notes so you can see their stats in Insights. After that, Buffer keeps picking up new Notes you publish directly on Substack.
:::info Note: Imported Notes are read-only in Buffer. You can't edit, delete, duplicate, or set them to repeat from Buffer. :::
Scheduling Substack Notes
Check out the good-to-knows below to see how scheduling works for Substack.
- Scheduling Notes (web): Check out our step-by-step guide to scheduling posts on any channel, or read the Substack-specific details below.
- Scheduling Notes (mobile): Need help scheduling Notes on the Buffer mobile app? Check out our guide to scheduling posts on the Buffer mobile app.
- Character limit: 10,000 characters per Note, the most generous of any channel we support. Links count toward the limit in full. Learn more about character limits for each social network here.
- What a Note needs: Each Note needs text, an attachment, or both. A Note can't be empty.
- Attachments: A Note can include images or GIFs, a link, or a video. These can't be combined, so choose one type per Note. See the media specifications below for limits.
- Link previews: When you add a link, Substack creates the preview card (title, description, and image) itself. The preview you see in Buffer's composer is the one Substack will publish.
- Tagging / mentions: Not supported. You can type an @handle, but it will publish as plain text rather than linking to that account.
- Hashtags: Hashtags publish as plain text on Substack and won't link to anything.
- Text formatting: Rich text (bold, italics, bullet lists, and so on) isn't supported. Notes publish as plain text.
- Threads: Not supported. Each Note publishes as a single, top-level Note.
- AI content disclosure: Not supported for Substack.
- Daily posting limit: 100 Notes per channel per 24 hours. Learn more about daily posting limits here.
Editing and deleting Notes
Substack doesn't allow Notes to be edited once they're published, so it's worth double-checking your text, images, and link before you schedule.
- Scheduled Notes haven't been sent to Substack yet, so you can edit them in Buffer as often as you like.
- Published Notes are read-only in Buffer and can't be deleted from Buffer. To take one down, delete it in Substack.
:::tip For ideas on what to post, check out our guide: How to Use Substack :::
Media specifications for Substack
:::info Note: Documents and PDFs can't be attached to Substack Notes. :::
Engaging with Substack Notes
Buffer's Community feature isn't available for Substack yet, because Substack doesn't currently allow tools like Buffer to read or post replies. To reply to comments on your Notes, head to Substack directly.
Substack analytics
We can post all day, but the real excitement comes when seeing how our posts land. Insights gives you a quick view of your Substack performance right inside Buffer, including how many free and paid subscribers each Note brought in.
There are two places to check your Substack stats:
- For a quick view of an individual Note's stats, head to the Publish tab, then the Sent tab.
- For a full performance view, select your Substack channel in the left sidebar, then click Insights beneath the channel name.
From your Substack Insights dashboard, you can:
- Get a Summary of your recent performance, including Notes posted, reactions, comments, restacks, impressions, reach, shares, and free and paid subscriptions, compared against a previous period.
- Sort your Performance per Post table by reactions, comments, restacks, or impressions to spot your best-performing Notes.
- Get AI-powered Takeaways based on what's been working.
:::info Notes
- When you first connect a Substack channel, Buffer imports your 100 most recent Notes, then picks up new Notes you publish on Substack daily.
- If your numbers look different from what you see natively on Substack, see Why your data in Buffer Insights might look different from native analytics. :::
Substack error library
We don't currently have an error library for Substack. Feel free to email our Customer Advocates at hello@buffer.com for help with posting or anything else!
FAQ
Can I schedule long-form Substack posts or newsletter issues with Buffer?
Not at this time. Substack only lets tools like Buffer publish Notes, so posts and newsletter issues are scheduled in Substack's own editor. To share your published posts to your other channels, add your Substack's RSS feed in Using content feeds in Buffer.
Why can't I edit a Note after it's published?
Substack doesn't allow published Notes to be edited by any outside tool, including Buffer. You can edit a Note as many times as you like while it's scheduled. Once it's live, you can delete it in Substack and publish a corrected version.
Can I post the same Note to my other channels?
Yes! Select your Substack channel along with any other channels in the composer, then customize each version if you'd like it to read differently. Keep in mind each channel's own limits. For example, a 10,000-character Note will need trimming for X or Threads.
Why does my new Note show a dash instead of stats?
Substack calculates some metrics (Impressions, Reach, Shares, and subscriptions) periodically rather than instantly. The dash means Substack hasn't shared those numbers yet. Check back later and they'll fill in.
Can I schedule Substack Notes through Buffer's API or MCP server?
Yes. Substack Notes can be created, scheduled, and measured through Buffer's API and MCP server, just like our other channels. Learn more in Connecting Buffer to automation tools and AI assistants.
:::info Do you have a Substack feature suggestion? We'd love for you to submit or upvote it here on our feature suggestions board. :::