Quick Fixes: Customized Buttons on Substack

Of Differentiating, Direct to Reader Engagement, and Marketing.

Are you wondering if you can customize the standard (and common) buttons on Substack? Or maybe you know that you can, but don’t know how. Then, this quick fixes post is for you.

The Basics

1. Decide which button you wish to customize.

2. Copy the link for the button - referred to as the button action in design speak.

3. Create the button by naming it whatever you choose, then associating the action copied in step 2 with it.

Let’s give it a whirl with the 'Subscribe' button.

This approach allows you to use external links to direct readers to your courses, books, pages, sections, and custom domain pages.

Here is the generic button on Substack. The color is chosen from your theme. If you wish to change the theme color, do so first before creating the button.

Pro-tip: This shortcut works for other internal Substack links too - pages, sections, tags.

The Why

Additional direct-to-reader awareness, consideration, and engagement with your brand, offers, or creative projects.

The What:

• Fun Button Name: ‘Let Me In!’

• Action: Conversion to free or paid subscriber.

The How:

• Hover over the button after you have inserted it into your post (see above button).

• Use a control-click for Macs (on Windows, use right-click on the mouse) to access the menu.

• Select ‘Copy Link Address’.

  • Alternatively, click on the button to open it in a new tab or window. Copy the link from the address bar when it opens your subscription page.

Pro-tip: The format is usually publication name/subscribe, but be sure to test the link.

1. Open the ’Button’ menu

2. Choose 'Custom'.

3. Add the name you have chosen.

4. Paste the link you copied (from step 3).

5. Select Ok. The customized button is now inserted in the post.

6. Test the link to ensure it is correct.

   1. The easy way? Use Preview→Test, to get a browser link.

   2. Copy the link and open it in a new browser tab or window to check if it works.

   3. See the how-to video below for the Test step.

Voila, you are done!

Pro-tip: If you want to know how to create special discount offers or create a promotional strategy, check the reference articles at the end of this post.

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Using External Links

Here is a custom button with a link to an external site:

The How-to Video for Creating a Custom Button

The video shows the buymeacoffee external link being created. The same process works for creating buttons for internal Substack links.

More Fun?

Here is a fun trick you can use. Take a look at the video below which also shows you how to test the links.

Link to my LinkedIn Profile. Credit Photo by Hannah Olinger on Unsplash

Every image you upload to your article can be tied to a link. I used a stock photo of a female writer to go to my LinkedIn profile (try it by clicking the image above!)

Ways to Use this Tip:

• Add your profile picture and link it to your website or LinkedIn page.

• Upload an image of your book - cover page or insert, and link to the buy page somewhere on Gumroad or Amazon.

• Insert a photo of your catalog and create a link to a page on your Substack. This is a subtle way to add more content to every post without overloading the recipient's email.

Pro-tip: Learn more about sections, tags, and pages to execute this.

Caveats

1. Add text to let readers know images are links. It is not intuitive on Substack.

2. The 'Create custom button' only takes the full website address, 'https://linkedin.com…', while the text or image link in the format bar takes both the full address or the shortened website name - 'linkedin.com/…'. Add this to the vagaries and inconsistencies list of Substack!

Found this post useful?

Articles Referenced In the Post

Substack: Beefing up the Home Page.

Substack: Adding Discount Codes to Your Subscription.

A Simple Promotion Strategy Cheat Sheet.

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