You publish a newsletter on Substack for your organization. Your subscribers read it. Then what? The content sits silent while social media keeps moving. FeedMansion can use that source in two ways: ghost writers can turn each Substack post into automatic drafts, and Remix can help you create AI drafts in your voice.
Finding your Substack RSS feed
Substack generates an RSS feed for every publication. You don't need to enable it in settings. It's available by default.
The direct URL method
Your Substack RSS feed follows a simple pattern. Add /feed to your publication URL:
https://[your-publication].substack.com/feed
Replace [your-publication] with your actual Substack publication name.
Examples:
- If your publication is at
newsroom.substack.com, your RSS feed is athttps://newsroom.substack.com/feed - If your publication is at
substack.com/@username, your RSS feed is athttps://username.substack.com/feed
Finding your publication URL
Not sure of your publication URL? Here's how to find it:
- Log in to your Substack account
- Go to your Publication dashboard
- Look at the address bar in your browser
- Copy everything before
.substack.com
That's your publication name. Add /feed to the end and you have your RSS feed URL.
Custom domains
If your Substack publication uses a custom domain, your RSS feed is still available at your Substack URL:
https://[your-publication].substack.com/feed
The custom domain redirects to Substack, but the RSS feed always lives on the substack.com domain. Use the Substack URL when connecting to FeedMansion.
Verifying your RSS feed
Paste your RSS feed URL into a browser. You should see XML content with your posts listed. If you see an error or a blank page, the URL might be incorrect.
What if the feed is empty? A new Substack publication with no posts yet will show an empty RSS feed. Once you publish your first post, it will appear in the feed within a few minutes.
Connecting Substack to FeedMansion
Once you have your RSS feed URL, adding it to FeedMansion takes seconds.
Step 1: Open Manage
In FeedMansion, open Manage in the left sidebar.
Step 2: Add your RSS feed
Click Add Source and paste your Substack RSS feed URL:
https://[your-publication].substack.com/feed
FeedMansion detects the feed type automatically and fetches your latest posts.
You can manage all your sources later under Manage > Sources.
Step 3: Link to a ghost writer
After adding the feed, link it to a ghost writer if you want drafts generated automatically when you publish new newsletters.
You can link the same feed to multiple ghost writers. Each ghost writer uses a different format template, so you can maintain different formats for different platforms.
If you prefer a user-directed AI workflow, the same connected source is also available in Remix once your brand voice is set.
What gets imported
FeedMansion imports the following from your Substack RSS feed:
- Post title and content
- Publication date
- Author name
- Post URL for linking back
Your ghost writers use this content to create platform-specific drafts. They never publish without your approval. You review every draft before it goes live.
Content types
Substack RSS feeds include:
- Newsletter posts - standard posts you publish
- Podcast episodes - if you host a podcast on Substack, episodes appear in the feed
- Public posts - posts available to all readers
Note: Substack RSS does not include comments, likes, or restacks. Your ghost writers create drafts based on post content only, not engagement metrics.
Paywalled content
Substack allows you to put some posts behind a paywall for paid subscribers. Here's how that works with RSS:
- Paywalled posts do appear in your RSS feed
- They show only an excerpt or preview, not the full content
- The feed includes a note that the post is for paid subscribers
- A link directs readers to your Substack publication, where they can subscribe
Your ghost writers will still create drafts for paywalled posts. The drafts will reflect the preview content available in the feed. Use these drafts to let your wider audience know about content they can access by subscribing to your newsletter.
Sync frequency
FeedMansion checks your RSS feed automatically. You don't need to refresh manually. New posts appear in your drafts within an hour of publishing on Substack.
Need to sync immediately? Open the feed in Manage > Sources and click Refresh Feed.
Best practices
Write social-friendly headlines
Your ghost writers work from your headlines. Clear, specific headlines create better drafts.
Good: "Annual Conference Registration Now Open" Less clear: "Update on Registration"
Use Substack post excerpts
Substack allows you to add excerpts to your posts. Your ghost writers use these to create accurate, on-brand posts. The excerpt field is in the post editor settings.
Good excerpts are specific and highlight what readers will learn.
Share paywalled content appropriately
When you publish paywalled posts, your ghost writers create drafts based on the preview. Use these drafts to let your wider social audience know new content is available, and direct interested readers to your Substack publication to subscribe.
The social post links to your newsletter, where readers can subscribe to access paywalled content. Free posts link directly to the full article.
Images in Substack posts
Substack does not have a dedicated "featured image" field. Instead, posts use the first image uploaded in the post content.
FeedMansion can attach images to your drafts when:
- Your post includes at least one image
- The image is publicly accessible
If your Substack post has no images, your ghost writers will create text-only drafts. Consider adding at least one image to your posts if you want visual content on social platforms.
Plan your workflow
A simple workflow works best:
- Write and publish your newsletter on Substack
- Wait for ghost writers to generate drafts (within an hour)
- Review and approve drafts on your phone or desktop
- Approved drafts publish at your scheduled time
No need to switch contexts. Your newsletter workflow stays in Substack. Your social posting happens in FeedMansion.
Troubleshooting
Feed not updating
If new posts don't appear in FeedMansion:
- Check that your post is Published, not just draft status
- Open the feed in Manage > Sources and click Refresh Feed
- Verify the RSS feed URL is correct
- Paste the URL into a browser to confirm the feed loads
Wrong content appearing
If drafts don't match your newsletter content:
- Open the feed in Manage > Sources to see what FeedMansion imported
- Check that the correct RSS feed URL is connected
- Ensure you're looking at the right Substack publication (you may have multiple)
Paywalled posts showing limited content
This is expected behavior. Paywalled posts in Substack's RSS feed include only excerpts or previews, not the full text. Your ghost writers create drafts based on this preview content.
If you want to promote the full content, consider:
- Publishing a public teaser post alongside your paid post
- Using the draft to highlight the value of subscribing
- Directing readers to your Substack publication to subscribe
Feed URL not working
If FeedMansion can't fetch your feed:
- Paste the URL into a browser. You should see XML content with your posts.
- Check that the URL ends with
/feed - Verify your publication name is correct (the part before
.substack.com) - Ensure your Substack publication is public, not private
Multiple publications
If you write for more than one Substack publication, each has its own RSS feed. Add each feed separately to FeedMansion if you want to import content from all of them.
Check that you're using the correct publication name for each feed.
Need more help? Check Substack's official RSS documentation or reach out to us at hello@feedmansion.com.