Featured Launches Find Substacks So PR Professionals Can Find and Pitch Substack Writers by Topic

Analysis of the 38,746 publications in the new database finds 733 with 100,000 or more subscribers, and nearly half launched in 2024 or later

SCOTTSDALE, AZ, UNITED STATES, October 20, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Featured, the AI co-pilot for PR, today launched Find Substacks, a database of 38,746 Substack publications (as of October 2026) that PR professionals can search by topic in plain language. Each result shows the publication’s subscriber count, follower count, the year it launched, whether the writer accepts DM requests on Substack with a link to the writer’s profile, and the writer’s linked social accounts. Clicking Draft Pitch produces a starting draft that the user edits before sending, and results download as a CSV. No login or setup is required to run a first search.

The launch follows a shift in where industry coverage comes from. Substack passed 5 million paid subscriptions in March 2025, and Muck Rack’s State of Journalism 2026 survey found that 37% of journalists now publish independently under their own name or brand. Media databases have added newsletter writers in response, but finding the right Substack for a story has still meant checking publications one at a time.

“The easiest way to get ignored by a newsletter writer is to treat 38,000 publications as a list to blast,” said Brett Farmiloe, founder and CEO of Featured. “The right way is to find the three that already cover your subject and write to them like a reader. Find Substacks is built for the second approach. Relevance over volume is the whole product.”

What the data shows about 38,746 Substack publications

Featured analyzed the publications in the Find Substacks database as of October 2026. The full method and tables are published at featured.com/press/research/the-state-of-substack-for-pr.

- 90.8% of the publications accept DM requests on Substack, meaning the writer has not limited direct messages to paid subscribers.
- 77.7% link at least one social media account, led by Instagram (46.5%) and X (43.5%).
- The median publication has 4,000 free subscribers. 24.5% have 10,000 or more, and 733 have 100,000 or more.
- 57.5% offer paid subscriptions, and 19.9% carry a Substack bestseller badge for 100 or more paying subscribers.
- 47.7% launched in 2024 or later, and 2025 was the largest launch year at 21.3%.
- Among the 18,899 publications with a topic tag, the largest categories are politics and policy (8.3%), technology (8.0%), education (6.9%), business and strategy (6.2%), books and writing (5.4%), startups and venture capital (5.3%), media and journalism (5.3%), and finance and investing (5.1%). A publication can carry more than one topic, so topic shares add to more than 100%.

“Nearly half of these publications are less than three years old,” Farmiloe added. “A writer who launched in 2025 is building a source list right now. The pitch that wins is the one that reads their last three posts and offers something those posts were missing.”

Find Substacks is available now on featured.com.

About Featured

Featured is the AI co-pilot for PR, a platform that helps PR professionals and subject-matter experts land media placements, build brand authority, and grow AI visibility. The company owns and operates HARO (Help a Reporter Out) and Connectively as standalone products within its portfolio. Learn more at featured.com.

Brett Farmiloe
Featured.com
+1 602-910-1214
brett@featured.com
Visit us on social media:
LinkedIn
YouTube
X