Substack is launching lists today, giving readers a way to save curated groups of creators and follow their posts and Notes in chronological order. Readers can also assemble their own selections, with each list getting a dedicated feed of activity from the creators included. The feature expands Substack’s recommendations system, with the company putting lists in more visible positions, especially within its app.
Saving a list also means its curator can change which publishers contribute to the reader’s feed: adding a publisher brings that publisher’s subsequent material into the feeds of people who saved it. Those entries carry an annotation identifying the list behind their appearance. A saved list therefore follows the curator’s additions, alongside providing access to the work of the creators already selected.
Substack says recommendations remain free, with creators paying nothing for inclusion on a list. The company presents the feature as a way for readers to find writers, podcasters and other publishers through recommendations from creators they already follow and trust. For people making those selections, Substack also provides figures showing the traffic their list has directed to each featured writer.
The starting point for creating a list is the recommendations dashboard, where curators can choose publications and supply a title and description for their collection. They can also explain individual choices through short blurbs attached to the publications they include. Visitors opening the list see those publications alongside the curator’s explanations, giving each recommendation space for a specific reason behind the selection.
The Activity tab brings together posts from the publications on a list in chronological order, while the list’s activity feed also includes Notes from featured creators. Readers can save a collection or distribute it through Notes, where the shared list takes the form of a card. Each collection also gets a link that allows people to share it outside Substack.
Early examples include Jasmine Sun’s selection of publishers she reads to follow AI and a collection of Swedish writers assembled by Louise Lundberg. Writer Kate Bowler has also curated a list centered on maintaining curiosity about people despite disappointment. Substack says lists are intended to make recommendations more personal and specific while helping creators introduce their audiences to other people’s work.
