Substack has announced the next phase of its native sponsorships programme, introducing a flagship cohort of brand partners collectively investing millions of dollars into creators on the platform.

More than 100,000 publishers currently make money on Substack through its subscription model, with the top 10 collectively earning more than $100 million a year. The new sponsorships programme is designed to complement that model by connecting creators with brand partners, while preserving editorial independence and audience-first principles.

Flagship partners joining the programme include BALENCIAGA, Yahoo Scout, Whatnot, Granola, T-Mobile, Polymarket and Uber.

How the programme works

• Creators choose which brands they work with and set the creative direction, retaining full editorial independence throughout.
• Substack handles the matchmaking, infrastructure and logistics, removing the administrative burden from creators who previously had to manage outreach, negotiations and relationship management themselves.
• Partnerships are direct relationships between brands and publishers, not arbitrarily inserted advertisements.

Creator Kits

• Substack has launched Creator Kits, a new tool allowing bestsellers to create a media kit for potential brand partners and signal their interest in collaborations.
• Creator Kits serve as the entry point to an upcoming partnership platform where creators will be able to connect directly with brands investing in the Substack ecosystem.
• The tool is available today to Substack bestsellers.

For more information, visit substack.com.