12 Hidden Substack Features That Most People Miss
Most creators set up their newsletter in 20 minutes and never go back. Here are 12 features you're probably not using that could be generating revenue right now.
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Last month, while scrolling through my Substack analytics, something caught my eye. Under the "Traffic sources" tab, I saw entries I'd never noticed before.
Claude: 24 visitors, three subscribers. Perplexity: 9 visitors, three subscribers. ChatGPT: 3 visitors, one subscriber.
I stared at my screen for a minute. Were AI platforms sending me subscribers? How was that even possible?
I conducted an investigation and concluded that my tagging system, SEO optimizations, and keyword strategies were finally paying off. I had been quietly ranking in AI search results for about a month. People were asking Claude and ChatGPT questions about newsletter monetization, and my posts were appearing in their responses.
That discovery sent me down a rabbit hole. I started digging through every corner of my Substack settings, testing features I'd been using for months and some I hadn’t paid much attention to. What I found didn’t surprise me , because it’s what I’ve been saying for months:
Substack isn't just an email platform. It's a business operating system disguised as a newsletter tool.
However, most creators, including myself for far too long, treat it like a basic email platform.
What I learned during my in-depth exploration of the features and review of other creator pages is that most people are not using some key features that help convert subscribers and generate revenue.
The Hidden Revenue Problem
Substack offers dozens of features designed to help creators earn more money, increase visibility, and convert visitors into subscribers. But most creators rush through the initial setup and never return to their settings to explore what's possible.
The cost of this oversight is significant. Every day your Substack runs on default settings, you're missing:
Revenue from visitors who can't find your offers
Subscribers from people who can't navigate your content
Search traffic because your content isn't optimized
Conversion opportunities from a poor homepage setup
Authority building from scattered social proof
It took me months of trial and error to optimize these settings. Most creators never will.