Substack Publications Scraper 📚

Extract comprehensive publication data from Substack's search results. This actor helps you gather detailed information about newsletters, authors, and their performance metrics.

🔍 Features

• Search publications by keywords
• Extract detailed publication metadata
• Get subscriber counts and engagement metrics
• Collect author information and social links
• Retrieve publication themes and settings
• Export data in structured JSON format

📊 Output Data

The actor provides rich publication data including:

• Publication name and description
• Author details (name, bio, photo URL)
• Subscriber counts and rankings
• Creation dates and publication status
• Theme settings and customization
• Social media integrations
• Community and podcast features
• Multilingual ranking details

💡 Use Cases

• Newsletter market research
• Content creator analysis
• Competitive intelligence
• Publishing industry insights
• Audience size tracking
• Content platform analysis

🛠️ Input Parameters

• keywords: Array of search terms to find publications
• maxItems: Maximum number of publications to scrape (default: 50)

📋 Output Format

Results are stored in JSON format with detailed publication information. Each record includes:

• Basic publication details
• Author information
• Subscriber metrics
• Theme configuration
• Platform settings
• Temporal data

💪 Benefits

• Clean, structured data
• Real-time information
• Comprehensive publication details
• Efficient bulk scraping
• Regular updates
• Reliable performance

🎯 Perfect For

• Content marketers
• Newsletter publishers
• Market researchers
• Media analysts
• Platform developers
• Digital strategists

Need to scrape specific Substack publications? Just provide your keywords and let the actor do the heavy lifting! 🚀

Input Example

A full explanation of an input example in JSON.

1{
2    "keywords": [
3        "sale"
4    ],
5    "maxItems": 50
6}

Output sample

The results will be wrapped into a dataset which you can always find in the Storage tab. Here's an excerpt from the data you'd get if you apply the input parameters above:

And here is the same data but in JSON. You can choose in which format to download your data: JSON, JSONL, Excel spreadsheet, HTML table, CSV, or XML.

1[
2    {
3        "keyword": "sale",
4        "apple_pay_disabled": false,
5        "apex_domain": null,
6        "author_id": 116594,
7        "byline_images_enabled": true,
8        "bylines_enabled": true,
9        "chartable_token": null,
10        "community_enabled": true,
11        "copyright": "Anna Sale",
12        "cover_photo_url": "https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/6f6ae257-6ab9-4a79-a055-0691548aaf26_1280x956.png",
13        "created_at": "2023-11-07T19:46:21.152Z",
14        "custom_domain_optional": false,
15        "custom_domain": null,
16        "custom_publication_theme_id": null,
17        "default_comment_sort": "best_first",
18        "default_coupon": null,
19        "default_group_coupon": null,
20        "default_show_guest_bios": true,
21        "email_banner_url": null,
22        "email_from_name": "Anna Sale",
23        "email_from": null,
24        "embed_tracking_disabled": false,
25        "explicit": false,
26        "expose_paywall_content_to_search_engines": true,
27        "fb_pixel_id": null,
28        "fb_site_verification_token": null,
29        "flagged_as_spam": false,
30        "founding_subscription_benefits": null,
31        "free_subscription_benefits": null,
32        "ga_pixel_id": null,
33        "google_site_verification_token": null,
34        "google_tag_manager_token": null,
35        "hero_image": null,
36        "hero_text": "Writings, recommendations, conversations and FUN from Anna Sale, host of Slate's podcast Death, Sex & Money. We're all coming from somewhere. ",
37        "hide_intro_subtitle": null,
38        "hide_intro_title": true,
39        "hide_podcast_feed_link": false,
40        "homepage_type": "magaziney",
41        "id": 2088549,
42        "image_thumbnails_always_enabled": false,
43        "invite_only": false,
44        "language": "en",
45        "logo_url_wide": null,
46        "logo_url": "https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F93d021a9-5b75-45e2-8609-7172d8c615fa_1280x1280.png",
47        "minimum_group_size": 2,
48        "moderation_enabled": true,
49        "name": "From Somewhere with Anna Sale",
50        "paid_subscription_benefits": null,
51        "parsely_pixel_id": null,
52        "payments_state": "disabled",
53        "paywall_free_trial_enabled": false,
54        "podcast_art_url": null,
55        "paid_podcast_episode_art_url": null,
56        "podcast_byline": null,
57        "podcast_description": null,
58        "podcast_enabled": false,
59        "podcast_feed_url": null,
60        "podcast_title": null,
61        "post_preview_limit": null,
62        "require_clickthrough": false,
63        "rss_feed_url": null,
64        "rss_website_url": null,
65        "show_pub_podcast_tab": false,
66        "show_recs_on_homepage": true,
67        "subdomain": "annasale",
68        "subscriber_invites": 0,
69        "support_email": null,
70        "theme_var_background_pop": "#6B26FF",
71        "theme_var_color_links": false,
72        "theme_var_cover_bg_color": null,
73        "trial_end_override": null,
74        "twitter_pixel_id": null,
75        "type": "newsletter",
76        "post_reaction_faces_enabled": true,
77        "is_personal_mode": false,
78        "plans": null,
79        "stripe_user_id": null,
80        "stripe_country": null,
81        "stripe_publishable_key": null,
82        "stripe_platform_account": null,
83        "automatic_tax_enabled": null,
84        "author_name": "Anna Sale",
85        "author_handle": "annasale",
86        "author_photo_url": "https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb8a58b1a-c631-4a96-af98-a03ba50a7778_1027x1306.jpeg",
87        "author_bio": "I'm an interviewer and writer. My podcast is Death, Sex & Money from Slate. My book is Let's Talk About Hard Things. ",
88        "twitter_share_on_publish_opt_in": null,
89        "has_custom_tos": false,
90        "has_custom_privacy": false,
91        "theme": {
92            "background_pop_color": "#16a34a",
93            "web_bg_color": "#ffffff",
94            "cover_bg_color": null,
95            "publication_id": 2088549,
96            "color_links": null,
97            "font_preset_heading": null,
98            "font_preset_body": null,
99            "font_family_headings": null,
100            "font_family_body": null,
101            "font_family_ui": null,
102            "font_size_body_desktop": null,
103            "print_secondary": null,
104            "custom_css_web": null,
105            "custom_css_email": null,
106            "home_hero": "magaziney",
107            "home_posts": "grid",
108            "home_show_top_posts": false,
109            "hide_images_from_list": false,
110            "home_hero_alignment": "left",
111            "home_hero_show_podcast_links": true,
112            "default_post_header_variant": null
113        },
114        "threads_v2_settings": null,
115        "default_group_coupon_percent_off": null,
116        "pause_return_date": null,
117        "has_posts": true,
118        "has_recommendations": true,
119        "first_post_date": "2023-12-28T15:19:46.188Z",
120        "has_podcast": false,
121        "has_free_podcast": false,
122        "has_subscriber_only_podcast": false,
123        "has_community_content": true,
124        "twitter_permissions": "none",
125        "rankingDetail": "Launched a year ago",
126        "rankingDetailFreeIncluded": "Thousands of subscribers",
127        "rankingDetailOrderOfMagnitude": 0,
128        "rankingDetailFreeIncludedOrderOfMagnitude": 1000,
129        "rankingDetailFreeSubscriberCount": "Over 8,000 subscribers",
130        "rankingDetailByLanguage": {
131            "de": {
132                "rankingDetail": "Vor vor einem Jahr gelauncht",
133                "rankingDetailFreeIncluded": "Tausende von Abonnenten",
134                "rankingDetailOrderOfMagnitude": 0,
135                "rankingDetailFreeIncludedOrderOfMagnitude": 1000,
136                "rankingDetailFreeSubscriberCount": "Über 8,000 Abonnenten",
137                "freeSubscriberCount": "8,000",
138                "freeSubscriberCountOrderOfMagnitude": "8.2K+"
139            },
140            "es": {
141                "rankingDetail": "Lanzado hace un año",
142                "rankingDetailFreeIncluded": "Miles de suscriptores",
143                "rankingDetailOrderOfMagnitude": 0,
144                "rankingDetailFreeIncludedOrderOfMagnitude": 1000,
145                "rankingDetailFreeSubscriberCount": "Más de 8,000 suscriptores",
146                "freeSubscriberCount": "8,000",
147                "freeSubscriberCountOrderOfMagnitude": "8.2K+"
148            },
149            "fr": {
150                "rankingDetail": "Lancé il y a une année",
151                "rankingDetailFreeIncluded": "Des milliers d'abonnés",
152                "rankingDetailOrderOfMagnitude": 0,
153                "rankingDetailFreeIncludedOrderOfMagnitude": 1000,
154                "rankingDetailFreeSubscriberCount": "Plus de 8,000 abonnés",
155                "freeSubscriberCount": "8,000",
156                "freeSubscriberCountOrderOfMagnitude": "8.2K+"
157            },
158            "pt": {
159                "rankingDetail": "Lançado 1 ano",
160                "rankingDetailFreeIncluded": "Milhares de subscritores",
161                "rankingDetailOrderOfMagnitude": 0,
162                "rankingDetailFreeIncludedOrderOfMagnitude": 1000,
163                "rankingDetailFreeSubscriberCount": "Mais de 8,000 subscritores",
164                "freeSubscriberCount": "8,000",
165                "freeSubscriberCountOrderOfMagnitude": "8.2K+"
166            },
167            "pt-br": {
168                "rankingDetail": "Lançado 1 ano",
169                "rankingDetailFreeIncluded": "Milhares de assinantes",
170                "rankingDetailOrderOfMagnitude": 0,
171                "rankingDetailFreeIncludedOrderOfMagnitude": 1000,
172                "rankingDetailFreeSubscriberCount": "Mais de 8,000 assinantes",
173                "freeSubscriberCount": "8,000",
174                "freeSubscriberCountOrderOfMagnitude": "8.2K+"
175            },
176            "it": {
177                "rankingDetail": "Lanciato 1 anno",
178                "rankingDetailFreeIncluded": "Migliaia di abbonati",
179                "rankingDetailOrderOfMagnitude": 0,
180                "rankingDetailFreeIncludedOrderOfMagnitude": 1000,
181                "rankingDetailFreeSubscriberCount": "Oltre 8,000 abbonati",
182                "freeSubscriberCount": "8,000",
183                "freeSubscriberCountOrderOfMagnitude": "8.2K+"
184            },
185            "en": {
186                "rankingDetail": "Launched a year ago",
187                "rankingDetailFreeIncluded": "Thousands of subscribers",
188                "rankingDetailOrderOfMagnitude": 0,
189                "rankingDetailFreeIncludedOrderOfMagnitude": 1000,
190                "rankingDetailFreeSubscriberCount": "Over 8,000 subscribers",
191                "freeSubscriberCount": "8,000",
192                "freeSubscriberCountOrderOfMagnitude": "8.2K+"
193            }
194        },
195        "freeSubscriberCount": "8,000",
196        "freeSubscriberCountOrderOfMagnitude": "8.2K+",
197        "author_bestseller_tier": 0,
198        "disable_monthly_subscriptions": false,
199        "disable_annual_subscriptions": false,
200        "hide_post_restacks": false,
201        "notes_feed_enabled": false,
202        "last_chat_post_at": null,
203        "no_follow": false,
204        "paywall_chat": "free",
205        "sections": [],
206        "multipub_migration": null,
207        "navigationBarItems": [],
208        "contributors": [
209            {
210                "name": "Anna Sale",
211                "handle": "annasale",
212                "role": "admin",
213                "owner": true,
214                "user_id": 116594,
215                "photo_url": "https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/b8a58b1a-c631-4a96-af98-a03ba50a7778_1027x1306.jpeg",
216                "bio": "I'm an interviewer and writer. My podcast is Death, Sex & Money from Slate. My book is Let's Talk About Hard Things. "
217            }
218        ],
219        "threads_v2_enabled": false,
220        "viralGiftsConfig": null,
221        "tier": 2,
222        "no_index": false,
223        "can_set_google_site_verification": true,
224        "can_have_sitemap": true,
225        "founding_plan_name_english": "Founding Member",
226        "draft_plans": null,
227        "base_url": "https://annasale.substack.com",
228        "hostname": "annasale.substack.com",
229        "is_on_substack": false,
230        "spotify_podcast_settings": null,
231        "podcastPalette": {
232            "DarkMuted": {
233                "population": 72,
234                "rgb": [
235                    73,
236                    153,
237                    137
238                ]
239            },
240            "DarkVibrant": {
241                "population": 6013,
242                "rgb": [
243                    4,
244                    100,
245                    84
246                ]
247            },
248            "LightMuted": {
249                "population": 7,
250                "rgb": [
251                    142,
252                    198,
253                    186
254                ]
255            },
256            "LightVibrant": {
257                "population": 3,
258                "rgb": [
259                    166,
260                    214,
261                    206
262                ]
263            },
264            "Muted": {
265                "population": 6,
266                "rgb": [
267                    92,
268                    164,
269                    156
270                ]
271            },
272            "Vibrant": {
273                "population": 5,
274                "rgb": [
275                    76,
276                    164,
277                    146
278                ]
279            }
280        },
281        "pageThemes": {
282            "podcast": null
283        },
284        "multiple_pins": true,
285        "live_subscriber_counts": false,
286        "scrapedAt": "2025-02-10T05:37:31.758Z"
287    },
288    ...
289]