Substack Publication Details

Get a Substack publication by subdomain, custom domain, URL or ID. Returns name, tagline, logo, author, the subscriber badge and paid-subscriber band Substack displays, bestseller tier, subscription prices, podcast flag, language, launch dates and the publication’s contributors.

Endpoint

GET /v1/substack/publication

Price: $0.003 per request Free tier: 50 requests/month

Provide exactly one of publication or publication_id.

Parameters

Parameter	Required	Description
`publication`	One required	Publication subdomain (`lenny`), host (`lenny.substack.com`, `www.lennysnewsletter.com`) or any URL on it (max 500 characters). Provide either `publication` or `publication_id`.
`publication_id`	One required	Numeric publication ID, as returned in `publication_id`. Provide either `publication` or `publication_id`.

Response Fields

Field	Type	Description
`publication`	object	Publication data
`publication.publication_id`	string	Publication ID
`publication.name`	string	Publication name
`publication.subdomain`	string	Substack subdomain (`<subdomain>.substack.com`)
`publication.url`	string	Publication home URL (the custom domain when it has one)
`publication.custom_domain`	string	Custom domain, empty when none
`publication.description`	string	Publication tagline
`publication.logo_url`	string	Logo URL
`publication.cover_image_url`	string	Cover image URL, empty when none
`publication.author`	string	Primary author’s handle
`publication.author_name`	string	Primary author’s display name
`publication.author_id`	string	Primary author’s user ID
`publication.author_url`	string	Link to the primary author’s profile
`publication.subscriber_count`	integer/null	Free subscriber count as Substack displays it (rounded, e.g. 1200000); null when the publication hides it
`publication.subscriber_count_label`	string	The displayed subscriber badge, e.g. `1.2M+`, or a band such as `Thousands of subscribers`
`publication.ranking_detail`	string	Substack’s ranking note: the paid-subscriber band for established publications or a launch note such as `Launched a year ago` for new ones; empty when not shown
`publication.paid_subscriber_band`	string	Paid subscriber band, e.g. `Tens of thousands of paid subscribers`; empty when Substack shows none
`publication.paid_subscriber_floor`	integer	Lower bound of the paid band (100, 1000, 10000), 0 when none
`publication.bestseller_tier`	integer	Bestseller badge tier: 0, 100, 1000 or 10000 paid subscribers
`publication.is_bestseller`	boolean	Whether the publication carries a bestseller badge
`publication.paid_enabled`	boolean	Whether paid subscriptions are enabled
`publication.plans`	array	Subscription prices (`interval`, `amount`, `currency`)
`publication.has_podcast`	boolean	Whether the publication has a podcast
`publication.podcast`	object/null	The publication’s podcast (`title`, `description`, `art_url`, `host`, `is_free`, `is_subscriber_only`), null when none
`publication.sections`	array	The publication’s sections (`section_id`, `name`, `slug`, `is_podcast`)
`publication.author_pic_url`	string	Primary author’s profile picture URL
`publication.logo_url_wide`	string	Wide logo URL, empty when none
`publication.founding_plan_name`	string	Name of the founding tier, empty when none
`publication.has_recommendations`	boolean	Whether the publication recommends other publications
`publication.has_chat`	boolean	Whether subscriber chat is enabled
`publication.language`	string	Language code
`publication.type`	string	`newsletter` or `podcast`
`publication.twitter_handle`	string	The publication’s X handle, empty when none
`publication.created_at`	string	Date the publication was created (UTC)
`publication.first_post_date`	string	Date of the first post (UTC)
`publication.source`	string	`"Substack"`
`publication.domain`	string	`"substack.com"`
`publication.contributors`	array	People who write for the publication
`publication.contributors[].username`	string	Contributor’s handle
`publication.contributors[].full_name`	string	Display name
`publication.contributors[].user_id`	string	User ID
`publication.contributors[].biography`	string	Bio
`publication.contributors[].profile_pic_url`	string	Profile picture URL
`publication.contributors[].bestseller_tier`	integer	Bestseller badge tier, 0 when none
`publication.contributors[].is_byline_only`	boolean	Whether the person only appears in bylines rather than as a publication member
`publication.contributors[].url`	string	Link to the profile

Example Request

cURL

curl "https://apidirect.io/v1/substack/publication?publication=lenny" \
  -H "X-API-Key: YOUR_API_KEY"

Python

import requests

response = requests.get(
    "https://apidirect.io/v1/substack/publication",
    headers={"X-API-Key": "YOUR_API_KEY"},
    params={"publication": "lenny"}
)
print(response.json())

Example Response

{
  "publication": {
    "author": "lenny",
    "author_id": "1849774",
    "author_name": "Lenny Rachitsky",
    "author_pic_url": "",
    "author_url": "https://substack.com/@lenny",
    "bestseller_tier": 10000,
    "contributors": [
      {
        "bestseller_tier": 0,
        "biography": "Student of products. I write to learn, share and meet kindred spirits ✨.  ",
        "full_name": "Kiyani",
        "is_byline_only": false,
        "profile_pic_url": "https://bucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/48e9d3e5-91eb-41be-9701-420b01f6585f_313x321.jpeg",
        "url": "https://substack.com/@kiyani",
        "user_id": "3667529",
        "username": "kiyani"
      }
    ],
    "cover_image_url": "https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/4a25905e-c484-4885-80fa-9c2e683e362b_592x592.png",
    "created_at": "2019-06-01 15:35:37",
    "custom_domain": "www.lennysnewsletter.com",
    "description": "Deeply researched product, growth, and career advice for product leaders, founders, and ambitious builders.\n",
    "domain": "substack.com",
    "first_post_date": "2019-06-14 15:00:48",
    "founding_plan_name": "",
    "has_chat": false,
    "has_podcast": true,
    "has_recommendations": false,
    "is_bestseller": true,
    "language": "en",
    "logo_url": "https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!8MSN!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F…",
    "logo_url_wide": "",
    "name": "Lenny's Newsletter",
    "paid_enabled": true,
    "paid_subscriber_band": "Tens of thousands of paid subscribers",
    "paid_subscriber_floor": 10000,
    "plans": [
      {
        "amount": 20.0,
        "currency": "USD",
        "interval": "month"
      }
    ],
    "podcast": null,
    "publication_id": "10845",
    "ranking_detail": "Tens of thousands of paid subscribers",
    "sections": [],
    "source": "Substack",
    "subdomain": "lenny",
    "subscriber_count": 1200000,
    "subscriber_count_label": "1.2M+",
    "twitter_handle": "lennysan",
    "type": "newsletter",
    "url": "https://www.lennysnewsletter.com"
  }
}