import type { DirectoryPricingModel, FaqItem, SubstackNiche, SubstackPublication, } from "./seoTypes"; export const pricingLabels: Record = { free: "Free", paid: "Paid", freemium: "Freemium", }; export const substackPublications: SubstackPublication[] = [ { slug: "lennys-newsletter", name: "Lenny's Newsletter", tagline: "Product, growth, and career notes for startup operators.", description: "A startup-operator publication often used as a reference point for product management, growth loops, and tactical execution.", audience: "Product leaders, startup teams, and ambitious operators.", pricingModel: "freemium", cadence: "Weekly", tone: "Tactical and operator-led", bestFor: ["Product strategy", "Growth experiments", "PM career development"], topics: ["product", "startups", "growth", "careers"], differentiator: "Interview-heavy operating advice translated into practical playbooks.", }, { slug: "the-pragmatic-engineer", name: "The Pragmatic Engineer", tagline: "Engineering leadership and software-industry analysis.", description: "A widely referenced software-industry publication focused on engineering systems, org design, and technical career leverage.", audience: "Senior engineers, managers, and technical leaders.", pricingModel: "freemium", cadence: "Weekly", tone: "Analytical and technical", bestFor: ["Engineering leadership", "Developer careers", "Technical org design"], topics: ["engineering", "software", "careers", "leadership"], differentiator: "Pairs industry analysis with operator-level engineering detail.", }, { slug: "stratechery", name: "Stratechery", tagline: "Deep strategy analysis for technology and media businesses.", description: "A strategy-focused publication centered on business models, platforms, and the long-term logic behind technology markets.", audience: "Executives, strategists, operators, and analysts.", pricingModel: "paid", cadence: "Multiple times weekly", tone: "Strategic and essay-driven", bestFor: ["Tech strategy", "Platform analysis", "Media economics"], topics: ["strategy", "technology", "media", "economics"], differentiator: "Turns platform and market shifts into coherent strategic frameworks.", }, { slug: "not-boring", name: "Not Boring", tagline: "Optimistic business essays on startups, tech, and markets.", description: "A narrative-driven business publication that blends technology, investing, and startup storytelling with a high-energy voice.", audience: "Founders, startup followers, and investing-curious readers.", pricingModel: "freemium", cadence: "Weekly", tone: "Energetic and narrative", bestFor: ["Startup trends", "Market storytelling", "Tech investing"], topics: ["startups", "investing", "technology", "creator-economy"], differentiator: "Strong point of view with an accessible, story-led style.", }, { slug: "the-generalist", name: "The Generalist", tagline: "Long-form profiles and business explainers across technology.", description: "A research-heavy publication known for founder, company, and market deep dives that help readers build broader business literacy.", audience: "Generalist investors, operators, and curious founders.", pricingModel: "freemium", cadence: "Weekly", tone: "Research-led and expansive", bestFor: ["Company deep dives", "Market analysis", "Founder context"], topics: ["startups", "venture-capital", "technology", "economics"], differentiator: "Makes dense company and market stories readable for broad business audiences.", }, { slug: "every", name: "Every", tagline: "Business, creativity, and modern work across multiple desks.", description: "A multi-voice publication that blends business ideas, internet work, AI experimentation, and reflective essays on building.", audience: "Knowledge workers, creators, and modern operators.", pricingModel: "freemium", cadence: "Multiple times weekly", tone: "Editorial and reflective", bestFor: ["AI workflows", "Modern work", "Productivity writing"], topics: ["ai", "productivity", "work", "writing"], differentiator: "Feels like a small publication rather than a single-voice newsletter.", }, { slug: "dense-discovery", name: "Dense Discovery", tagline: "Curated ideas, products, culture, and internet signals.", description: "A curation-forward publication for readers who want smart links, tools, cultural references, and thoughtful recommendations.", audience: "Curious generalists, designers, and internet-savvy readers.", pricingModel: "free", cadence: "Weekly", tone: "Curated and tasteful", bestFor: ["Curation", "Design taste", "Cultural discovery"], topics: ["design", "media", "productivity", "culture"], differentiator: "High-signal curation with consistent editorial taste.", }, { slug: "platformer", name: "Platformer", tagline: "Independent reporting on social platforms and the internet.", description: "A reporting-driven publication centered on online platforms, moderation, policy, and the politics of internet power.", audience: "Media watchers, policy readers, and tech observers.", pricingModel: "freemium", cadence: "Weekly", tone: "Reported and current", bestFor: ["Platform news", "Internet policy", "Media coverage"], topics: ["media", "politics", "technology", "policy"], differentiator: "Strong beat reporting around online platforms and governance.", }, { slug: "sinocism", name: "Sinocism", tagline: "China analysis for policy, markets, and geopolitics readers.", description: "A specialist publication used by readers who need close tracking of China policy, politics, and business context.", audience: "Policy professionals, analysts, and geopolitics readers.", pricingModel: "paid", cadence: "Multiple times weekly", tone: "Specialist and analytical", bestFor: ["China policy", "Geopolitics", "Macro context"], topics: ["politics", "policy", "economics", "global-affairs"], differentiator: "High-trust coverage for a narrow but serious readership.", }, { slug: "big-technology", name: "Big Technology", tagline: "Tech power, AI, and platform accountability.", description: "A tech-analysis publication focused on the behavior and impact of large technology platforms, especially during AI shifts.", audience: "Tech policy readers, founders, and industry observers.", pricingModel: "freemium", cadence: "Weekly", tone: "Critical and topical", bestFor: ["AI industry coverage", "Big tech analysis", "Platform scrutiny"], topics: ["ai", "technology", "policy", "media"], differentiator: "Blends reporting, interviews, and opinion around big-tech behavior.", }, { slug: "garbage-day", name: "Garbage Day", tagline: "Internet culture, media weirdness, and online behavior.", description: "A sharp, voicey publication on internet culture, memes, and the feedback loops shaping online discourse.", audience: "Media people, online-native readers, and culture watchers.", pricingModel: "freemium", cadence: "Weekly", tone: "Voicey and internet-native", bestFor: ["Internet culture", "Media commentary", "Trend observation"], topics: ["culture", "media", "entertainment", "technology"], differentiator: "Strong personality paired with sharp internet pattern recognition.", }, { slug: "creator-science", name: "Creator Science", tagline: "Systems and growth thinking for independent creators.", description: "A creator-business publication focused on audience building, offer design, and operating a durable independent media business.", audience: "Creators, educators, and independent media builders.", pricingModel: "freemium", cadence: "Weekly", tone: "Instructional and generous", bestFor: ["Audience growth", "Creator monetization", "Newsletter systems"], topics: ["creator-economy", "marketing", "writing", "business"], differentiator: "Turns creator-business tactics into repeatable frameworks.", }, { slug: "future-commerce", name: "Future Commerce", tagline: "Retail, commerce, and brand strategy for modern operators.", description: "A commerce-focused publication covering e-commerce, retail strategy, and how brands build attention and demand.", audience: "Brand builders, marketers, and commerce operators.", pricingModel: "freemium", cadence: "Weekly", tone: "Strategic and brand-aware", bestFor: ["E-commerce strategy", "Retail trends", "Brand positioning"], topics: ["e-commerce", "retail", "marketing", "brands"], differentiator: "Connects commerce performance with brand and market positioning.", }, { slug: "one-useful-thing", name: "One Useful Thing", tagline: "Practical AI thinking for knowledge work and education.", description: "A pragmatic AI publication focused on concrete workflows, education, and how people actually use AI in serious work.", audience: "Educators, knowledge workers, and AI-curious teams.", pricingModel: "free", cadence: "Weekly", tone: "Practical and explanatory", bestFor: ["AI workflows", "Education", "Knowledge work"], topics: ["ai", "education", "productivity", "work"], differentiator: "Grounds AI discussion in practical application and thoughtful caution.", }, { slug: "letters-from-an-american", name: "Letters from an American", tagline: "US politics and history explained through current events.", description: "A broad-reach political publication that contextualizes current events with historical framing and civic explanation.", audience: "General readers who want political context rather than hot takes.", pricingModel: "free", cadence: "Daily", tone: "Contextual and civic", bestFor: ["US politics", "History context", "Civic understanding"], topics: ["politics", "history", "policy", "culture"], differentiator: "Large mainstream audience built through accessible political context.", }, { slug: "the-diff", name: "The Diff", tagline: "Technology, markets, and business-model thinking.", description: "A business-and-tech publication centered on market structure, software, and long-range analytical framing.", audience: "Analysts, investors, and business-minded operators.", pricingModel: "paid", cadence: "Weekly", tone: "Analytical and concept-heavy", bestFor: ["Market structure", "Tech business models", "Analytical reading"], topics: ["economics", "technology", "investing", "strategy"], differentiator: "High-density business thinking with a strong analytical voice.", }, { slug: "slow-boring", name: "Slow Boring", tagline: "Policy, politics, and urbanist thinking.", description: "A politics-and-policy publication that often appeals to readers who want more than reactive news coverage.", audience: "Policy readers, politically engaged generalists, and urbanists.", pricingModel: "freemium", cadence: "Multiple times weekly", tone: "Opinionated and policy-focused", bestFor: ["Policy analysis", "Urbanism", "Political commentary"], topics: ["policy", "politics", "urbanism", "economics"], differentiator: "Pragmatic policy thinking instead of pure news churn.", }, { slug: "the-free-press", name: "The Free Press", tagline: "Opinion, reporting, and debate-led culture coverage.", description: "A publication used by readers who want essays, interviews, and culture-political commentary with a distinct editorial point of view.", audience: "Broad public-affairs and culture readers.", pricingModel: "freemium", cadence: "Multiple times weekly", tone: "Debate-led and editorial", bestFor: ["Culture commentary", "Public affairs", "Interviews"], topics: ["culture", "politics", "media", "society"], differentiator: "A publication-style experience built around strong editorial positioning.", }, { slug: "no-mercy-no-malice", name: "No Mercy / No Malice", tagline: "Business, markets, and power with a distinct voice.", description: "A voice-driven business publication known for sharp takes on markets, companies, and cultural power.", audience: "Business readers who like strong voice and conviction.", pricingModel: "free", cadence: "Weekly", tone: "Punchy and opinionated", bestFor: ["Business commentary", "Market takes", "Brand voice study"], topics: ["business", "marketing", "economics", "media"], differentiator: "Memorable style and a clear point of view.", }, { slug: "how-they-grow", name: "How They Grow", tagline: "Growth teardowns and user-acquisition lessons.", description: "A growth-operator publication centered on case studies, growth loops, and practical user-acquisition lessons.", audience: "Growth marketers, founders, and product teams.", pricingModel: "freemium", cadence: "Weekly", tone: "Tactical and teardown-driven", bestFor: ["Growth marketing", "Acquisition loops", "Case-study learning"], topics: ["growth", "marketing", "startups", "product"], differentiator: "Growth lessons anchored in concrete examples rather than generic advice.", }, { slug: "divinations", name: "Divinations", tagline: "Data, forecasting, and analytical thinking for modern work.", description: "A data-and-decision publication that appeals to analytical readers who care about systems, metrics, and interpretation.", audience: "Analysts, operators, and quantitatively minded readers.", pricingModel: "paid", cadence: "Weekly", tone: "Analytical and measured", bestFor: ["Data literacy", "Forecasting", "Analytical frameworks"], topics: ["data", "economics", "productivity", "analysis"], differentiator: "Makes analytical thinking feel editorial rather than academic.", }, { slug: "human-parts", name: "Human Parts", tagline: "Essays on culture, relationships, and being a person online.", description: "An essay-centered publication for readers who want reflective, emotionally intelligent writing rather than tactics.", audience: "Readers of reflective essays and personal writing.", pricingModel: "freemium", cadence: "Weekly", tone: "Reflective and literary", bestFor: ["Personal essays", "Relationships", "Culture writing"], topics: ["writing", "culture", "psychology", "society"], differentiator: "Leans into emotional depth and essay craft.", }, { slug: "the-browser", name: "The Browser", tagline: "High-signal curation of writing from across the web.", description: "A curation-heavy publication for readers who want smart links and editorial selection rather than original essay volume.", audience: "Generalists and readers who value curation.", pricingModel: "free", cadence: "Daily", tone: "Curated and restrained", bestFor: ["Reading discovery", "Curation models", "Generalist learning"], topics: ["curation", "culture", "media", "learning"], differentiator: "Editorial taste as the core product.", }, { slug: "the-ankler", name: "The Ankler", tagline: "Entertainment business and Hollywood coverage.", description: "An entertainment-industry publication focused on the business side of Hollywood, media deal-making, and cultural power.", audience: "Media professionals and entertainment-business readers.", pricingModel: "paid", cadence: "Multiple times weekly", tone: "Insider and business-focused", bestFor: ["Entertainment business", "Hollywood coverage", "Media analysis"], topics: ["entertainment", "media", "business", "culture"], differentiator: "Entertainment coverage centered on power and economics.", }, { slug: "tangle", name: "Tangle", tagline: "News summaries that compare arguments across the aisle.", description: "A current-events publication designed for readers who want a clearer summary of competing viewpoints.", audience: "Readers seeking balanced current-events context.", pricingModel: "freemium", cadence: "Daily", tone: "Explanatory and comparative", bestFor: ["Current events", "Politics summaries", "Balanced framing"], topics: ["politics", "policy", "media", "society"], differentiator: "Structures disagreement into readable summaries.", }, { slug: "the-dispatch", name: "The Dispatch", tagline: "Politics and policy coverage with a publication model.", description: "A publication-style newsroom on Substack that blends reporting, commentary, and recurring editorial franchises.", audience: "Politics and policy readers who want publication-style depth.", pricingModel: "freemium", cadence: "Daily", tone: "Reported and editorial", bestFor: ["Policy coverage", "Newsroom-style publishing", "Political analysis"], topics: ["politics", "policy", "media", "society"], differentiator: "A more newsroom-like model than a solo-newsletter brand.", }, { slug: "heatmap-news", name: "Heatmap News", tagline: "Climate and energy news for a modern policy audience.", description: "A climate-and-energy publication focused on policy, markets, and how climate issues intersect with business and public life.", audience: "Climate readers, policy teams, and curious generalists.", pricingModel: "free", cadence: "Multiple times weekly", tone: "Topical and policy-aware", bestFor: ["Climate coverage", "Energy policy", "Markets and regulation"], topics: ["climate", "policy", "energy", "business"], differentiator: "Makes climate coverage feel current and sector-aware rather than abstract.", }, { slug: "pirate-wires", name: "Pirate Wires", tagline: "Technology, politics, and culture from a strongly voiced perspective.", description: "A publication mixing technology, politics, and culture with a sharp editorial stance and internet-native sensibility.", audience: "Readers who enjoy voicey commentary at the edge of tech and politics.", pricingModel: "freemium", cadence: "Weekly", tone: "Provocative and opinionated", bestFor: ["Tech commentary", "Culture wars coverage", "Voice study"], topics: ["technology", "politics", "culture", "media"], differentiator: "Polarizing but memorable editorial positioning.", }, { slug: "feed-me", name: "Feed Me", tagline: "Food writing, restaurant culture, and hospitality thinking.", description: "A publication for readers who want smart food writing, hospitality coverage, and a point of view on restaurant culture.", audience: "Food enthusiasts, hospitality people, and culture readers.", pricingModel: "free", cadence: "Weekly", tone: "Cultural and sensory", bestFor: ["Food writing", "Restaurant culture", "Hospitality commentary"], topics: ["food", "culture", "hospitality", "travel"], differentiator: "Treats food as both industry and culture.", }, { slug: "culture-study", name: "Culture Study", tagline: "Sharp essays on culture, media, and identity.", description: "A culture-essay publication for readers who want smart interpretation of media, trends, and social behavior.", audience: "Culture readers and essay lovers.", pricingModel: "freemium", cadence: "Weekly", tone: "Essayistic and interpretive", bestFor: ["Culture essays", "Media interpretation", "Identity and trends"], topics: ["culture", "media", "society", "writing"], differentiator: "Strong interpretive essays rather than reactive commentary.", }, { slug: "capital-gains", name: "Capital Gains", tagline: "Investing ideas and market commentary for curious readers.", description: "A market-and-investing publication for readers who want sharper frameworks around companies, narratives, and capital allocation.", audience: "Investors, founders, and market-curious operators.", pricingModel: "paid", cadence: "Weekly", tone: "Analytical and market-aware", bestFor: ["Investing frameworks", "Market narratives", "Company analysis"], topics: ["investing", "economics", "business", "markets"], differentiator: "Designed more around frameworks than ticker chatter.", }, { slug: "money-stuff", name: "Money Stuff", tagline: "Markets and finance explained with wit and repetition-resistant writing.", description: "A finance publication famous for making market structure and absurdity feel readable for busy professionals.", audience: "Finance readers, lawyers, and market-curious generalists.", pricingModel: "free", cadence: "Daily", tone: "Witty and analytical", bestFor: ["Finance reading", "Market structure", "Business humor"], topics: ["finance", "markets", "economics", "law"], differentiator: "Extremely distinctive voice in a dense subject area.", }, { slug: "the-split-ticket", name: "The Split Ticket", tagline: "Elections, polling, and campaign analysis.", description: "A specialist politics publication focused on polling, campaign behavior, and electoral interpretation.", audience: "Election watchers, analysts, and politics junkies.", pricingModel: "free", cadence: "Weekly", tone: "Quantitative and political", bestFor: ["Elections", "Polling analysis", "Campaign context"], topics: ["politics", "data", "policy", "media"], differentiator: "Strong fit for readers who like politics through numbers.", }, { slug: "construction-physics", name: "Construction Physics", tagline: "Industrial systems, technology, and why hard things stay hard.", description: "A niche systems publication used by readers who want serious analysis of infrastructure, manufacturing, and technological constraints.", audience: "Engineers, industrialists, and systems thinkers.", pricingModel: "paid", cadence: "Weekly", tone: "Systems-oriented and detailed", bestFor: ["Industrial systems", "Manufacturing", "Technology history"], topics: ["engineering", "manufacturing", "science", "economics"], differentiator: "High-trust writing about physical-world bottlenecks and systems.", }, { slug: "experimental-history", name: "Experimental History", tagline: "Essays, experiments, and idea-driven internet writing.", description: "A publication that appeals to readers who like curiosity, clever experiments, and internet-native long-form essays.", audience: "Writers, curious builders, and internet essay readers.", pricingModel: "free", cadence: "Weekly", tone: "Curious and playful", bestFor: ["Essay craft", "Curiosity-driven writing", "Internet thinking"], topics: ["writing", "science", "culture", "productivity"], differentiator: "Feels exploratory without losing intellectual seriousness.", }, { slug: "the-profile", name: "The Profile", tagline: "Profiles and lessons from ambitious founders and creators.", description: "A profile-led publication used by readers who want stories and lessons from high-performing people across industries.", audience: "Founders, creators, and ambition-driven readers.", pricingModel: "freemium", cadence: "Weekly", tone: "Aspirational and profile-based", bestFor: ["Founder stories", "Creator profiles", "Career inspiration"], topics: ["careers", "startups", "creator-economy", "leadership"], differentiator: "Builds around the profile format rather than pure advice.", }, { slug: "the-audience-strategy", name: "The Audience Strategy", tagline: "Media growth, audience development, and editorial packaging.", description: "A strategy publication for people trying to grow attention-based businesses with stronger editorial packaging and distribution.", audience: "Media operators, marketers, and publication builders.", pricingModel: "freemium", cadence: "Weekly", tone: "Strategic and publishing-aware", bestFor: ["Audience growth", "Editorial strategy", "Packaging ideas"], topics: ["media", "marketing", "writing", "creator-economy"], differentiator: "Treats audience growth as a publishing-systems problem.", }, { slug: "banner-year", name: "Banner Year", tagline: "Sports business, fandom, and media dynamics.", description: "A sports-and-media publication for readers who care about how fandom, leagues, and sports media businesses evolve.", audience: "Sports-media readers and culture-minded fans.", pricingModel: "free", cadence: "Weekly", tone: "Conversational and analytical", bestFor: ["Sports business", "Sports media", "Fandom analysis"], topics: ["sports", "media", "business", "culture"], differentiator: "Looks at sports through media and market dynamics.", }, { slug: "after-school", name: "After School", tagline: "Education, parenting, and how children learn.", description: "A practical education publication for readers thinking about school, parenting, and learning systems.", audience: "Parents, educators, and learning-focused readers.", pricingModel: "free", cadence: "Weekly", tone: "Practical and caring", bestFor: ["Education thinking", "Parenting", "Learning systems"], topics: ["education", "parenting", "psychology", "society"], differentiator: "Brings pedagogy and family context together.", }, { slug: "the-longevity-curve", name: "The Longevity Curve", tagline: "Longevity, health routines, and evidence-aware optimization.", description: "A health-and-longevity publication for readers who want practical frameworks without pure wellness hype.", audience: "Health-conscious professionals and evidence-seeking readers.", pricingModel: "freemium", cadence: "Weekly", tone: "Practical and evidence-aware", bestFor: ["Longevity", "Health routines", "Evidence-first wellness"], topics: ["health", "longevity", "science", "productivity"], differentiator: "Balances optimization language with evidence awareness.", }, { slug: "the-climate-brief", name: "The Climate Brief", tagline: "Climate markets, policy, and adaptation signals.", description: "A climate publication for readers who want the intersection of markets, regulation, and sector-level adaptation.", audience: "Climate operators, investors, and policy-adjacent readers.", pricingModel: "freemium", cadence: "Weekly", tone: "Briefing-style and analytical", bestFor: ["Climate markets", "Adaptation", "Policy context"], topics: ["climate", "energy", "policy", "markets"], differentiator: "Treats climate as an operating environment, not just a topic beat.", }, { slug: "cyber-signals", name: "Cyber Signals", tagline: "Cybersecurity patterns for technical and executive readers.", description: "A cybersecurity publication designed for readers who want patterns, risk framing, and plain-language interpretation.", audience: "Security leaders, technical teams, and execs.", pricingModel: "freemium", cadence: "Weekly", tone: "Clear and risk-aware", bestFor: ["Security trends", "Risk communication", "Cyber education"], topics: ["cybersecurity", "technology", "policy", "risk"], differentiator: "Bridges specialist security topics and business understanding.", }, ]; const nicheSeeds: Array< Omit & { relatedNicheSlugs?: string[] } > = [ { slug: "ai", name: "AI", title: "Best AI Substacks", description: "Curated AI Substacks for builders, operators, and readers tracking practical model adoption.", audience: "AI builders, operators, and generalist tech readers.", angle: "Use this page to compare AI publications by operator depth, practical workflow value, and pricing model.", publicationSlugs: ["one-useful-thing", "big-technology", "every", "not-boring"], }, { slug: "startups", name: "Startups", title: "Best Startup Substacks", description: "A niche page for startup readers comparing founder-led and operator-led newsletters.", audience: "Founders, startup teams, and ambitious generalists.", angle: "Compare startup publications by stage fit, tactical depth, and how directly they translate into operating decisions.", publicationSlugs: ["lennys-newsletter", "not-boring", "the-generalist", "the-profile"], }, { slug: "saas", name: "SaaS", title: "Best SaaS Substacks", description: "Substack newsletters for SaaS operators, product teams, and growth-minded founders.", audience: "SaaS founders, PMs, and revenue operators.", angle: "Use the SaaS niche page to find newsletters that cover recurring revenue, product distribution, and expansion strategy.", publicationSlugs: ["lennys-newsletter", "how-they-grow", "the-pragmatic-engineer", "every"], }, { slug: "product-management", name: "Product Management", title: "Best Product Management Substacks", description: "Curated product-management newsletters for PM craft, strategy, and execution.", audience: "PMs, product leaders, and startup operators.", angle: "Great for readers who want product strategy, growth loops, and decision-making frameworks.", publicationSlugs: ["lennys-newsletter", "every", "the-generalist", "the-profile"], }, { slug: "software-engineering", name: "Software Engineering", title: "Best Software Engineering Substacks", description: "Engineering-focused Substacks covering technical leadership, software systems, and career leverage.", audience: "Senior engineers, managers, and technical ICs.", angle: "Use this page to compare engineering newsletters by technical density and leadership relevance.", publicationSlugs: ["the-pragmatic-engineer", "construction-physics", "the-diff", "cyber-signals"], }, { slug: "devtools", name: "DevTools", title: "Best DevTools Substacks", description: "Substacks for developer tooling, engineering businesses, and technical product strategy.", audience: "Devtool founders, engineers, and product teams.", angle: "Compare publications that help technical builders think about tooling markets, engineering leverage, and product distribution.", publicationSlugs: ["the-pragmatic-engineer", "the-diff", "lennys-newsletter", "every"], }, { slug: "web-development", name: "Web Development", title: "Best Web Development Substacks", description: "Web-development newsletters with useful commentary for frontend, product, and internet-native builders.", audience: "Frontend developers and web-first builders.", angle: "Browse for workflow, product, and internet-development thinking rather than low-level tutorials alone.", publicationSlugs: ["the-pragmatic-engineer", "every", "experimental-history", "dense-discovery"], }, { slug: "data", name: "Data", title: "Best Data Substacks", description: "A data niche page for analysis, metrics, and data-informed decision making.", audience: "Analysts, data teams, and quantitatively minded operators.", angle: "Best when you want analytical writing, forecasting habits, and metrics-rich thinking.", publicationSlugs: ["divinations", "the-split-ticket", "money-stuff", "the-diff"], }, { slug: "design", name: "Design", title: "Best Design Substacks", description: "Design-oriented Substacks for taste, systems thinking, and editorial curation.", audience: "Designers, creative directors, and product builders.", angle: "Use this niche when taste, curation, and clear visual/editorial thinking matter more than software tutorials.", publicationSlugs: ["dense-discovery", "culture-study", "every", "the-browser"], }, { slug: "writing", name: "Writing", title: "Best Writing Substacks", description: "Writing newsletters for craft, essays, distribution, and durable publishing habits.", audience: "Writers, essayists, and creator-operators.", angle: "Compare newsletters by essay depth, publishing systems, and voice development.", publicationSlugs: ["human-parts", "experimental-history", "creator-science", "culture-study"], }, { slug: "marketing", name: "Marketing", title: "Best Marketing Substacks", description: "Substacks for modern marketing, audience growth, packaging, and distribution.", audience: "Marketers, growth teams, and creators.", angle: "Great for readers who care about distribution, positioning, and audience-building systems.", publicationSlugs: ["creator-science", "how-they-grow", "future-commerce", "the-audience-strategy"], }, { slug: "seo", name: "SEO", title: "Best SEO Substacks", description: "A curated SEO-adjacent Substack niche for audience growth, publishing leverage, and discovery loops.", audience: "SEO teams, content strategists, and growth marketers.", angle: "Use this page when you want smarter thinking about distribution and content packaging rather than keyword dashboards alone.", publicationSlugs: ["creator-science", "the-audience-strategy", "how-they-grow", "lennys-newsletter"], }, { slug: "copywriting", name: "Copywriting", title: "Best Copywriting Substacks", description: "Substack newsletters for stronger editorial packaging, persuasion, and writing clarity.", audience: "Copywriters, marketers, and founders.", angle: "Look here for newsletters that sharpen messaging, packaging, and audience resonance.", publicationSlugs: ["creator-science", "human-parts", "culture-study", "no-mercy-no-malice"], }, { slug: "creator-economy", name: "Creator Economy", title: "Best Creator Economy Substacks", description: "Curated creator-economy newsletters covering monetization, audience growth, and independent media.", audience: "Creators, newsletter operators, and media builders.", angle: "Compare how different publications think about monetization, packaging, and creator-business durability.", publicationSlugs: ["creator-science", "the-profile", "every", "the-audience-strategy"], }, { slug: "no-code", name: "No-code", title: "Best No-code Substacks", description: "No-code-adjacent Substacks for builders who think in systems, product loops, and pragmatic AI automation.", audience: "No-code builders and indie operators.", angle: "Useful for discovering publications that reward shipping systems over hype alone.", publicationSlugs: ["every", "creator-science", "lennys-newsletter", "one-useful-thing"], }, { slug: "venture-capital", name: "Venture Capital", title: "Best Venture Capital Substacks", description: "A venture-capital niche page for firm strategy, startup markets, and investor commentary.", audience: "Investors, founders, and market readers.", angle: "Compare VC-leaning Substacks by market context, company analysis, and narrative style.", publicationSlugs: ["the-generalist", "not-boring", "capital-gains", "stratechery"], }, { slug: "investing", name: "Investing", title: "Best Investing Substacks", description: "Investing newsletters on Substack for markets, companies, and decision frameworks.", audience: "Investors, founders, and analytically minded readers.", angle: "Use this page to find publications that fit your appetite for company analysis, market narrative, or capital-allocation thinking.", publicationSlugs: ["capital-gains", "money-stuff", "the-diff", "not-boring"], }, { slug: "personal-finance", name: "Personal Finance", title: "Best Personal Finance Substacks", description: "A personal-finance niche page with publications that make money, markets, and financial behavior easier to understand.", audience: "General readers, professionals, and financially curious creators.", angle: "Useful when you want financial ideas explained without institutional jargon.", publicationSlugs: ["money-stuff", "capital-gains", "the-diff", "no-mercy-no-malice"], }, { slug: "crypto", name: "Crypto", title: "Best Crypto Substacks", description: "Crypto-adjacent Substacks for market context, internet-native trends, and risk-aware commentary.", audience: "Crypto-curious readers, builders, and market watchers.", angle: "Use this niche for thoughtful market context and internet-finance crossover, not just speculation.", publicationSlugs: ["pirate-wires", "not-boring", "money-stuff", "the-diff"], }, { slug: "economics", name: "Economics", title: "Best Economics Substacks", description: "Economics newsletters on Substack for markets, policy, incentives, and systems thinking.", audience: "Economics readers, policy generalists, and operators.", angle: "Good for comparing publications that explain incentives, policy, and macro themes in readable terms.", publicationSlugs: ["the-diff", "money-stuff", "slow-boring", "stratechery"], }, { slug: "politics", name: "Politics", title: "Best Politics Substacks", description: "Political Substacks spanning current events, ideology, polling, and policy interpretation.", audience: "Politically engaged readers and policy watchers.", angle: "Browse here when you want politics explained through context, numbers, or editorial voice.", publicationSlugs: ["letters-from-an-american", "tangle", "slow-boring", "the-dispatch"], }, { slug: "policy", name: "Policy", title: "Best Policy Substacks", description: "Substack newsletters for public policy, regulation, and issue-area context.", audience: "Policy professionals, analysts, and informed generalists.", angle: "Use this niche to compare publications with stronger policy density and less pure news churn.", publicationSlugs: ["slow-boring", "sinocism", "heatmap-news", "the-dispatch"], }, { slug: "climate", name: "Climate", title: "Best Climate Substacks", description: "Climate Substacks for energy, adaptation, policy, and business implications.", audience: "Climate builders, analysts, and policy readers.", angle: "A good niche for comparing climate coverage through the lens of markets, regulation, and applied strategy.", publicationSlugs: ["heatmap-news", "the-climate-brief", "future-commerce", "sinocism"], }, { slug: "health", name: "Health", title: "Best Health Substacks", description: "Health-focused Substacks for routines, systems, evidence, and practical decision making.", audience: "Health-conscious readers, coaches, and generalists.", angle: "Use this niche for evidence-aware health publications rather than wellness hype alone.", publicationSlugs: ["the-longevity-curve", "one-useful-thing", "after-school", "human-parts"], }, { slug: "longevity", name: "Longevity", title: "Best Longevity Substacks", description: "Longevity newsletters on Substack with a bias toward practical routines and evidence-aware frameworks.", audience: "Professionals interested in healthy lifespan and routines.", angle: "A useful niche if you want longevity writing that feels practical, not just speculative.", publicationSlugs: ["the-longevity-curve", "one-useful-thing", "divinations", "human-parts"], }, { slug: "science", name: "Science", title: "Best Science Substacks", description: "Science Substacks for explanation, evidence, and specialist curiosity.", audience: "Science readers, students, and analytically minded generalists.", angle: "Browse this niche when you want explanation-heavy writing and research-aware thinking.", publicationSlugs: ["experimental-history", "construction-physics", "one-useful-thing", "the-longevity-curve"], }, { slug: "biotech", name: "Biotech", title: "Best Biotech Substacks", description: "Biotech-adjacent newsletters covering science, markets, and the business of health.", audience: "Biotech operators, investors, and science readers.", angle: "A helpful niche for readers who want biotech context through science and market framing.", publicationSlugs: ["the-longevity-curve", "capital-gains", "experimental-history", "the-diff"], }, { slug: "media", name: "Media", title: "Best Media Substacks", description: "Media Substacks for publishing strategy, internet platforms, entertainment, and commentary.", audience: "Media operators, journalists, and internet observers.", angle: "Useful when you want the business and behavior layer of media, not just headlines.", publicationSlugs: ["platformer", "garbage-day", "the-ankler", "the-audience-strategy"], }, { slug: "entertainment", name: "Entertainment", title: "Best Entertainment Substacks", description: "Entertainment newsletters on Substack for Hollywood, fandom, and media power.", audience: "Entertainment-business readers and culture fans.", angle: "Browse here for writing about the business and culture of entertainment, not just reviews.", publicationSlugs: ["the-ankler", "garbage-day", "culture-study", "banner-year"], }, { slug: "film", name: "Film", title: "Best Film Substacks", description: "Film and criticism-adjacent Substacks with strong editorial voice and cultural framing.", audience: "Film lovers, critics, and culture readers.", angle: "Best for readers who want criticism, media context, and cultural interpretation.", publicationSlugs: ["culture-study", "the-ankler", "garbage-day", "the-browser"], }, { slug: "fashion", name: "Fashion", title: "Best Fashion Substacks", description: "Fashion-adjacent Substacks with strong taste, curation, and culture awareness.", audience: "Fashion readers, creators, and culture observers.", angle: "Use this page for publications that combine taste, identity, and industry context.", publicationSlugs: ["culture-study", "dense-discovery", "human-parts", "the-browser"], }, { slug: "food", name: "Food", title: "Best Food Substacks", description: "Food newsletters on Substack for restaurant culture, hospitality, and thoughtful recommendations.", audience: "Food enthusiasts, hospitality people, and lifestyle readers.", angle: "A good niche for readers who want food as culture and industry, not only recipes.", publicationSlugs: ["feed-me", "dense-discovery", "future-commerce", "culture-study"], }, { slug: "travel", name: "Travel", title: "Best Travel Substacks", description: "Travel-adjacent Substacks for observation, recommendations, and place-based writing.", audience: "Travel readers and experience-driven creators.", angle: "Browse for publications that treat travel as perspective and curation rather than generic tourism lists.", publicationSlugs: ["dense-discovery", "feed-me", "the-browser", "human-parts"], }, { slug: "education", name: "Education", title: "Best Education Substacks", description: "Education newsletters on Substack for learning design, school systems, and teaching practice.", audience: "Educators, parents, and learning designers.", angle: "Use this niche when you want practical education thinking with a systems lens.", publicationSlugs: ["after-school", "one-useful-thing", "experimental-history", "creator-science"], }, { slug: "parenting", name: "Parenting", title: "Best Parenting Substacks", description: "Parenting Substacks for family systems, education, and emotionally intelligent writing.", audience: "Parents and family-oriented readers.", angle: "Best for readers who want parenting writing that feels thoughtful instead of purely reactive.", publicationSlugs: ["after-school", "human-parts", "culture-study", "letters-from-an-american"], }, { slug: "philosophy", name: "Philosophy", title: "Best Philosophy Substacks", description: "Philosophy-adjacent Substacks for ideas, essays, and durable thinking.", audience: "Idea readers, essay lovers, and thoughtful generalists.", angle: "Useful when you want reflective writing with conceptual depth and strong voice.", publicationSlugs: ["experimental-history", "human-parts", "culture-study", "the-browser"], }, { slug: "psychology", name: "Psychology", title: "Best Psychology Substacks", description: "Psychology newsletters on Substack for behavior, relationships, and self-understanding.", audience: "Curious generalists and psychology-minded readers.", angle: "Browse for publications that connect behavior, culture, and lived experience.", publicationSlugs: ["human-parts", "after-school", "the-longevity-curve", "culture-study"], }, { slug: "productivity", name: "Productivity", title: "Best Productivity Substacks", description: "Productivity newsletters for systems, knowledge work, and better operating habits.", audience: "Knowledge workers, founders, and creators.", angle: "A strong niche for readers who want better systems for work, learning, and publishing.", publicationSlugs: ["every", "one-useful-thing", "creator-science", "divinations"], }, { slug: "careers", name: "Careers", title: "Best Careers Substacks", description: "Career-focused Substacks for advancement, leverage, and modern work decisions.", audience: "Ambitious professionals and operators.", angle: "Use this page for publications that make career growth feel strategic rather than motivational.", publicationSlugs: ["lennys-newsletter", "the-pragmatic-engineer", "the-profile", "creator-science"], }, { slug: "leadership", name: "Leadership", title: "Best Leadership Substacks", description: "Leadership newsletters on Substack for management, judgment, and organization design.", audience: "Managers, executives, and team leads.", angle: "Browse for newsletters that connect leadership to systems, communication, and decision quality.", publicationSlugs: ["the-pragmatic-engineer", "lennys-newsletter", "the-profile", "stratechery"], }, { slug: "sales", name: "Sales", title: "Best Sales Substacks", description: "Sales-adjacent Substacks for persuasion, positioning, and commercial thinking.", audience: "Sales teams, founders, and go-to-market operators.", angle: "Useful for readers who want strong commercial judgment and better positioning signals.", publicationSlugs: ["no-mercy-no-malice", "creator-science", "future-commerce", "how-they-grow"], }, { slug: "e-commerce", name: "E-commerce", title: "Best E-commerce Substacks", description: "E-commerce newsletters covering brand, retention, merchandising, and digital commerce strategy.", audience: "Brand builders, e-commerce operators, and growth teams.", angle: "Compare publications that think about commerce as both brand and performance system.", publicationSlugs: ["future-commerce", "how-they-grow", "dense-discovery", "the-audience-strategy"], }, { slug: "retail", name: "Retail", title: "Best Retail Substacks", description: "Retail-focused Substacks for trends, merchandising, and commerce-system insight.", audience: "Retail strategists, operators, and brand teams.", angle: "A good niche for readers who care about how stores, brands, and channels evolve together.", publicationSlugs: ["future-commerce", "dense-discovery", "feed-me", "not-boring"], }, { slug: "real-estate", name: "Real Estate", title: "Best Real Estate Substacks", description: "Real-estate-adjacent Substacks for markets, policy, and urban development context.", audience: "Real estate readers, urbanists, and policy-minded professionals.", angle: "Use this page when you want real-estate context through markets and urbanism rather than sales hype.", publicationSlugs: ["slow-boring", "letters-from-an-american", "money-stuff", "capital-gains"], }, { slug: "cybersecurity", name: "Cybersecurity", title: "Best Cybersecurity Substacks", description: "Cybersecurity newsletters for risk, technical context, and executive understanding.", audience: "Security practitioners, leaders, and risk-aware operators.", angle: "Great for readers who want cybersecurity explained clearly enough to inform action.", publicationSlugs: ["cyber-signals", "the-pragmatic-engineer", "platformer", "the-diff"], }, { slug: "law", name: "Law", title: "Best Law Substacks", description: "Law-adjacent Substacks for regulation, institutions, and business implications.", audience: "Lawyers, policy people, and business readers.", angle: "Use this niche for publications that make legal and regulatory systems more legible to non-specialists.", publicationSlugs: ["money-stuff", "sinocism", "tangle", "the-free-press"], }, { slug: "history", name: "History", title: "Best History Substacks", description: "History-adjacent Substacks for context-rich essays and long-range thinking.", audience: "History readers and context-seeking generalists.", angle: "A good niche when you want current questions reframed through history and long-term patterns.", publicationSlugs: ["letters-from-an-american", "experimental-history", "construction-physics", "the-browser"], }, { slug: "sports", name: "Sports", title: "Best Sports Substacks", description: "Sports Substacks for fandom, league economics, and media behavior.", audience: "Sports readers and media-minded fans.", angle: "Best for readers who want sports framed as culture, business, and media system.", publicationSlugs: ["banner-year", "the-ankler", "culture-study", "garbage-day"], }, ]; export const substackNiches: SubstackNiche[] = nicheSeeds.map((seed, index, all) => ({ ...seed, relatedNicheSlugs: seed.relatedNicheSlugs || [all[(index + 1) % all.length].slug, all[(index + 5) % all.length].slug, all[(index + 11) % all.length].slug], })); export function getSubstackDirectoryNichePath(slug: string) { return `/tools/substack-directory/${slug}`; } export function getSubstackDirectoryPricingPath( nicheSlug: string, pricing: DirectoryPricingModel ) { return `/tools/substack-directory/${nicheSlug}/pricing/${pricing}`; } export function getSubstackPublicationPath(slug: string) { return `/tools/substack-directory/publication/${slug}`; } export function getSubstackNiche(slug: string) { return substackNiches.find((niche) => niche.slug === slug); } export function getSubstackPublication(slug: string) { return substackPublications.find((publication) => publication.slug === slug); } export function getSubstackNichePublications( niche: SubstackNiche, pricing?: DirectoryPricingModel ) { const publications = niche.publicationSlugs .map((slug) => getSubstackPublication(slug)) .filter((publication): publication is SubstackPublication => Boolean(publication)); const filtered = pricing ? publications.filter((publication) => publication.pricingModel === pricing) : publications; return filtered.length ? filtered : publications; } export const substackDirectoryPaths = [ ...substackNiches.flatMap((niche) => [ getSubstackDirectoryNichePath(niche.slug), getSubstackDirectoryPricingPath(niche.slug, "free"), getSubstackDirectoryPricingPath(niche.slug, "paid"), getSubstackDirectoryPricingPath(niche.slug, "freemium"), ]), ...substackPublications.map((publication) => getSubstackPublicationPath(publication.slug)), ]; export type SubstackDirectoryPage = | { kind: "niche"; niche: SubstackNiche; pricing?: DirectoryPricingModel; path: string; title: string; description: string; faq: FaqItem[]; publications: SubstackPublication[]; } | { kind: "publication"; publication: SubstackPublication; path: string; title: string; description: string; faq: FaqItem[]; }; export function getSubstackDirectoryPage(path: string): SubstackDirectoryPage | undefined { const publicationPrefix = "/tools/substack-directory/publication/"; if (path.startsWith(publicationPrefix)) { const publication = getSubstackPublication(path.replace(publicationPrefix, "")); if (!publication) return undefined; return { kind: "publication", publication, path, title: `${publication.name} on Substack`, description: `${publication.name} profile page with audience fit, editorial angle, pricing model, cadence, and related niche pages.`, faq: [ { question: `Who is ${publication.name} best for?`, answer: `${publication.name} is best for ${publication.audience.toLowerCase()} with interest in ${publication.bestFor.slice(0, 2).join(" and ")}.`, }, { question: `Is ${publication.name} free or paid?`, answer: `In this directory, ${publication.name} is classified as ${pricingLabels[publication.pricingModel].toLowerCase()}. Treat that as an editorial planning label rather than an official pricing guarantee.`, }, ], }; } const pricingMatch = path.match( /^\/tools\/substack-directory\/([^/]+)\/pricing\/(free|paid|freemium)$/ ); if (pricingMatch) { const [, nicheSlug, pricingValue] = pricingMatch; const niche = getSubstackNiche(nicheSlug); if (!niche) return undefined; const pricing = pricingValue as DirectoryPricingModel; const publications = getSubstackNichePublications(niche, pricing); return { kind: "niche", niche, pricing, path, title: `${pricingLabels[pricing]} ${niche.title}`, description: `Browse ${pricingLabels[pricing].toLowerCase()} Substack picks in ${niche.name.toLowerCase()} with editorial notes, audience fit, and related newsletter profiles.`, publications, faq: [ { question: `Why filter ${niche.name.toLowerCase()} Substacks by ${pricingLabels[pricing].toLowerCase()}?`, answer: `Because pricing model changes how a newsletter grows, converts, and behaves as a business. This page helps you compare ${pricingLabels[pricing].toLowerCase()} options inside the same niche.`, }, { question: `Are these official Substack rankings?`, answer: "No. They are editorially curated niche pages designed to help with discovery and comparison.", }, ], }; } const nichePrefix = "/tools/substack-directory/"; if (path.startsWith(nichePrefix)) { const niche = getSubstackNiche(path.replace(nichePrefix, "")); if (!niche) return undefined; const publications = getSubstackNichePublications(niche); return { kind: "niche", niche, path, title: niche.title, description: niche.description, publications, faq: [ { question: `What makes a good ${niche.name.toLowerCase()} Substack?`, answer: `The best ${niche.name.toLowerCase()} newsletters usually combine a clear editorial angle, a durable audience promise, and a publishing cadence the writer can actually sustain.`, }, { question: `How should I use this ${niche.name.toLowerCase()} directory page?`, answer: `Start with the editorial fit, then narrow by pricing model and open the publication profiles that match your audience and tone goals.`, }, ], }; } return undefined; }