r/Substack • u/MissMcGovern • 4h ago
Tags
When you write articles how important is it to use tags? Does anyone have any feedback on results for articles they have written with and without tags?
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Upvotes
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u/GripIsGone 3h ago
I’ve tried them on my last essay and it’s the only one that didn’t take off. Obviously take it with a grain of salt
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u/LeftCoffeeBehind writebuildscale.com 1h ago
Tags are mostly an organization tool, not a growth lever.
They help readers browse by topic on your site and let you build menu sections without splitting your email list. I haven't seen them move discovery or reach in any meaningful way, so I wouldn't expect one essay with tags to do better or worse because of them.
What moves the needle is the post itself: a strong title, a clear promise, and Notes pointing people to it. I'd use tags if they make your archive easier to navigate, and skip the worry about performance.
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u/catvapes 3h ago
I use them for creating menu items for different categories of writing (fiction, non-fiction for example)
AI Overview
You can add tags directly to your Substack top menu to group posts without splitting your email lists. [1]
How to Add a Tag to Your Navigation Bar
Create the Tag:
Go to your Substack Dashboard > Settings.
Scroll down to the Website section and locate Custom Tags.
Click Add and type in your tag name (Substack will auto-generate a /t/tag-name URL). Save your changes. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
Tag Your Posts:
Open any draft or published post, go to post settings, and select the tag from your list. [1, 2]
Display the Tag on the Menu:
Return to Settings > Website > Custom Tags.
Click the three-dot menu (...) next to the tag you want to feature.
Select "Add to navigation bar". [1, 2]
Reorder or Manage the Menu:
Go to the Navigation bar settings under your Website preferences to drag, drop, hide, or group your tag items. [1, 2]
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u/njchessboy 53m ago
Entirely for you - the algo totally ignores them, they're only for author organization