Does my brand need to be on Substack?
What connects Ireland Fashion Week, the hottest new restaurant and a range of leading global make-up products?
They are all building their brand on Substack, the publishing network of essays, articles and newsletters with over 5 million paid global subscribers. Originally positioned around independent writers monetising essays and newsletters, its contributors now span across the cultural divide from the pop star Charli XCX to the author Margaret Atwood. In the last 12 months, a new wave of brands and organisations have flocked to the platform, establishing it as a high-trust growth channel for building direct relationships with their audience.
Brands are approaching Substack through three main strategies;
Branded Newsletters: The Brand Substack Directory, a live catalogue tracking how brands are using the platform show the increase in brands creating branded pages and newsletters. The directory shows how sectors like beauty, hospitality, fashion and wellness are most visible, reflecting the 65% ratio of female readership on the platform. Recent brands joining Substack include Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop, TikTok and Balenciaga. Brands creating their own branded publications through Substack have customised aesthetics and a strong editorial point of view. Before brands jump straight into this exciting new world, there’s a hint of caution. Substack has even started pushing back on brands creating branded pages if they’re likely to simply replicate existing newsletter content. Substack Head of Lifestyle Carrie Marks even recently told brands “to do something different, a bit more intimate and conversational”.
Founder or CEO-led publications: Increasingly popular for corporate communications, CEO’s are also using Substack as a furtive space. CEO’s and founders are using the site to explain business decisions, respond to industry news, tell personal anecdotes and largely communicate their worldview to a growing and engaged audience. The CEO of MyFitnessPal Mike Fisher is one popular test case, running his channel called ‘Fish Food for Thought’ with almost 9k members where he regularly publishes articles and chats freely with his subscribers.
Paid Sponsorships: Far away from formulaic banner ads found on traditional newsletters, brands are also showing up on Substack as genuine editorial partners. Integrations which live seamlessly within the content itself, the format is stretching to include co-authored pieces, brand recommendations and founder interviews woven into an established writer’s existing voice. Popular sponsorships in the areas of tech, finance, health and food are popular here where established voices with large followings are plenty.
While this type of brand-activity and innovation has mostly been targeted to a US audience, we’re increasingly seeing Irish and UK companies invest in building their Substack community. Restaurant Ómós, the new venture from chef Cuan Greene in County Laois runs a polished editorial publication with weekly content around food and provenance that’s grown to over 4,000 subscribers. Similarly, UK comparison site Bionic publishes a fortnightly newsletter called ‘The Backbone’, aimed specifically at SME owners on topics like energy costs, insurance, cybersecurity etc.
Public sector and regulatory bodies are also finding their way into the Substack world too. The NHS have built internal communities within the organisation across research and data and data science, while economist John Earwarker’s 2026 interview series on his channel included video interviews with board members from the Civil Aviation Authority, Ofgem, the National Audit Office and the Northern Ireland Utility Regulator, a deep-dive series examining what’s coming next across topics like energy, water and rail regulation.
What’s clear is that Substack has entered the Irish mainstream media conversation.
Last month RTÉ described the platform as a “major player in the changing media landscape”. Writers such as Conor Fitzgerald and Eoghan O’Sullivan are building thousands of followers based around Irish-focused newsletters, while in the political realm leaders like Simon Harris regularly posts to his constituent audience. And while Substack’s Irish audience of readers and subscribers isn’t publicly available, there’s mounting evidence of the site’s impact among Ireland’s highly digitally-engaged consumers. However, like all media publishers in recent times, Substack hasn’t been completely free from controversy either. In Feb 2026, The Guardian investigated how the site makes money from hosting far-right newsletters.
For Irish brands and organisations, the opportunity for Substack is to create compelling editorial content that solves a communications challenge. Irish corporate, CEO, public-sector and regulatory usage has been relatively underdeveloped on the site. For public bodies, Substack is a way to reach engaged citizens and stakeholders with deeper context and longer word count than social media allows.
But launching your own branded channel takes a serious editorial proposition to establish yourself. Our tip is dip your toe in the water by partnering with established Irish Substack writers before expanding onto your own publication.
For more advisory on developing your corporate or brand Substack strategy, reach out to dylan.newe@drury.ie, Head of Digital at Drury.
