How to Add a Link to Your Substack Profile

Substack links are added in two different places: use substack.com/profile/edit for social or website links on your personal profile, and use Publication Settings > Website > Homepage links for links on your newsletter’s public homepage. The two surfaces are separate, so adding a URL to one does not add it to the other.

Last verified August 2026.

How do I add a link to my Substack profile?

Your personal profile is the reader-facing identity page associated with your name in comments, Notes, and bylines. To add a link:

1. Go to substack.com/profile/edit, or select your avatar and then Edit profile.
2. Scroll past Name, Handle, and Bio to Social links.
3. Add the URLs for your social accounts or personal website.
4. Select Save.

Substack’s profile documentation identifies the personal profile as the place to link social handles so readers can find you elsewhere (Substack, verified August 2026). Substack does not identify a separate charge for adding these ordinary profile links in that documentation.

How do I add links to my Substack publication homepage?

A publication homepage belongs to the newsletter rather than to your personal identity. To add homepage links:

1. Open your publication’s Settings page.
2. Select Website in the dashboard.
3. Find Homepage links.
4. Add the URLs you want displayed on the publication’s public front page.

Substack’s documented path for publication links is Settings > Website > Homepage links (Substack Help, verified August 2026). The same documentation does not identify a fee for adding ordinary Homepage links.

Homepage links appear on the publication’s public front page, not on your personal profile. Use this surface for destinations that should be visible to visitors browsing the newsletter itself.

Can I use my own custom domain instead of a substack.com URL?

Yes, but connecting a custom domain is separate from adding a clickable profile or Homepage link. Substack charges a one-time $50 USD fee to connect a custom domain to a publication through its Website settings (Substack Help, verified August 2026).

A custom domain replaces the publication’s substack.com address with a branded domain; it does not add a link to your personal profile. Ordinary profile and Homepage links do not require the custom-domain purchase.

Which Substack link option should I use?

Choose the setting according to where readers should encounter the link:

Where should the link actually point?

Choose a destination that matches the link’s location and your reader’s likely intent:

• Personal profile: your website, portfolio, social account, or a single page collecting your main destinations.
• Publication homepage: a resource, service, community, or offer relevant to that newsletter’s audience.
• Custom domain: the publication itself under a branded web address.

Keep the destination focused. One clear next step is generally easier to understand than an unrelated list of feeds and offers. For a broader framework, see what creators should put in their link in bio. If the destination has a commercial purpose, how to monetize your link in bio explains how to choose and price the offer behind it.

Does adding a link change how Substack pays you?

No. An ordinary outbound link is a navigation destination; it does not alter your Substack subscription settings or subscriber payouts. For details about the subscription model, see Substack’s fees and how much Substack writers actually make.

A linked external service may have its own payment terms, so review those terms separately before directing readers to a paid offer.

What should the link point to before I add it?

Before editing either Substack setting, confirm three things:

1. Purpose: Decide whether readers should view information, contact you, support a project, or purchase something.
2. Relevance: Match the destination to either your personal identity or the publication’s subject.
3. Clarity: Make sure the destination immediately explains what readers can do next.

One optional destination is a FanBell page for paid private questions, tips, shoutouts, or project support. FanBell has no follower minimum, is free to start, and charges a 12% platform fee only when a reader pays (pricing, verified August 2026).

Frequently asked questions

What’s the difference between my Substack profile and my publication homepage?

Your profile is tied to your personal Substack identity and includes Social links edited at substack.com/profile/edit (Substack, verified August 2026). Your publication homepage belongs to the newsletter, and its links are managed under Settings > Website > Homepage links (Substack Help, verified August 2026).

Adding a URL to one surface does not add it to the other.

How many links can I add to my Substack profile?

Substack’s cited profile and Homepage-link documentation explains how to add links but does not state a single combined numerical limit across both surfaces (Substack; Substack Help, verified August 2026). Add only the most relevant destinations so readers can quickly choose where to go.

Do I have to pay to add a link on Substack?

Substack’s documentation does not list a fee for ordinary personal-profile social links or publication Homepage links (Substack; Substack Help, verified August 2026).

The separate custom-domain option costs a one-time $50 USD fee and changes the publication’s web address rather than adding an ordinary clickable link (Substack Help, verified August 2026).

Where should a Substack writer point a profile link?

A profile link should lead to the writer’s most relevant personal destination, such as a website, portfolio, social account, contact page, or focused reader-support page. Publication-specific resources generally belong in the separate Homepage links area.

How can I get started?

FanBell has no follower minimum or monthly fee, is free to start, and applies a 12% platform fee only when a reader pays (pricing, verified August 2026).

Create your free FanBell page and add it to your Substack profile or homepage today.