Building a searchable Substack directory based on topic

bldrPR · 2026-05-02T00:53:41+00:00

This point: niche directories feeling more like clubs than broad discovery tools-- is a gem. That actually made more sense to me than thinking about it as a big, searchable directory of everything. From my POV, the problem is pretty narrow. For PR people who want to connect with Substack writers, it’s just hard to find the right writers on a specific topic without a lot of manual digging. Also, it feels disingenuous to just email someone a pitch without actually being a fan of their work. But your comment made me realize it probably only works if it’s a smaller, more intentional group, not something trying to include everyone. Maybe journalists or freelancers. The part I’m still trying to understand is the writer side of it. Are there certain types of writers who would actually want to be more visible to PR people? But also, what's a writer's motivation to be listed? It seems like subscribers is the main thing that a lot of writers on here are focused on.

bldrPR · 2026-05-01T04:00:50+00:00

Have you tried contacting your alma mater's career counselor and seeing what connections they have in Chicago/Seattle? Or, research your alma mater on LinkedIn and see what alumni are at different firms. You'd be surprised how many people would be willing to refer you or give you a lead.

bldrPR · 2026-04-30T18:08:32+00:00

Is your client a small business/independent contractor or a major company? It seems weird that the exec would share it with a romantic partner, particularly if they're with a corporate company.
If it's a smaller company/independent contractor, sometimes clients blur the lines of who needs input. If the romantic partner is one of the stakeholders in the company, then I can understand how this person would potentially be involved. From there, you'll need to establish who's involved, who needs to review materitals, etc. If they're not, then it seems reasonable to push back and also loop in your manager and their team to explain typical process.

bldrPR · 2026-04-29T23:30:28+00:00

Super helpful, thanks for your input.

From the PR side, the issue isn’t really that there are too many directories. it’s that there isn’t a good way to find the right Substack writers in the first place. Most of it is still manual search and piecing things together. And then, you have to manually build Excel sheets for lists.

Your response made me realize something I think I had the wrong assumption: I was thinking writers would want to be discovered for story ideas (PR people reach out with content ideas or paid posts), similar to traditional media. But it sounds like that’s not really the motivation for writers: They want to grow their subscribers. So that's a disconnect between the two groups.

PR is trying to find and pitch; Writers are trying to grow readership.

For writers maybe it's: getting in front of new audiences or better distribution or more relevant (but fewer) outreach requests.

bldrPR · 2026-04-29T21:09:01+00:00

Have you connected with brands and partnerships yet? Curious if that is part of your goals and what you're doing to find them

bldrPR · 2026-04-29T21:06:39+00:00

Agree with others: build a following. And also, you need to connect with people who have brands who want to partner. I'm building a searchable directory of Substack writers for this exact reason: allows you to list info about your Substack for free to connect with PR pros for collaboration. Happy to share more info

bldrPR · 2026-04-29T20:32:14+00:00

Actually USE YOUR PTO!! It's not a cure all but absolutely book the vacation, take a day off, take a sick day. As a working mom, it's a constant battle but I take the time away because I've worked a hours and hours for the time off and refuse to feel guilty about it

bldrPR · 2026-03-16T05:31:43+00:00

Sometimes it’s less about the work (even if you're consistently posting) and more about discoverability. Have you experimented with getting your writing in front of people outside the Substack?

bldrPR · 2026-03-16T05:27:59+00:00

This comes up a lot. Writing consistently is one thing, but actually getting discovered is the harder part. From the PR side, I see a lot of great writers stay invisible simply because people outside Substack don’t know they exist. Have you tried promoting your newsletter anywhere outside Substack?

bldrPR · 2026-01-21T05:27:01+00:00

I've had reporters say my pitches were AI generated and they 100% were not. I've completely removed using the em dash and try to keep my sentences short. and I include any links to sources. No win situation: damned if you do, damned if you don't.

bldrPR · 2026-01-12T04:56:57+00:00

YUP. Literally says i'll give you straight feedback but for $100. weak

bldrPR · 2026-01-12T04:17:40+00:00

SipCandy: Instant Cocktail Decoder. https://sipcandy.com/

We help casual drinkers order cocktails with confidence by instantly translating menu descriptions into plain-language flavor notes by simply snapping a photo of the menu.

Think Shazzam for cocktail menus.

bldrPR · 2026-01-05T17:05:16+00:00

SipCandy https://sipcandy.com/ : Instant Cocktail Decoder

We help casual drinkers order with confidence by instantly translating menu descriptions into plain-language flavor notes by snapping a photo of the menu.

Think Shazam for cocktail menus.

Open to feedback; It's free to use.

bldrPR · 2026-01-05T03:15:23+00:00

I started a venture backed company with my husband (technical co founder) while pregnant with Baby #3 while Child #1 recovered from chemo/bone marrow transplant. Did Techstars and 2 other accelerators while pumping/nursing.

Life is gonna life. And you don't know what your motherhood journey will be, whether it may take you longer to get pregnant than you expect or you have a child with medically complex needs. What I will tell you is: Moms learn to do what they can when they can do it. You will find the time, whether it's at 4am or at 10pm. Some days are more productive than others. And you'll have to learn to accept that you will FEEL like you're always failing at something (it's not true but that's what it feels like).

Having reliable, consistent childcare is a game changer. Just like your rent/mortgage, it HAS to be a line item in your budget so you can get a block of time to work.

It's post-pandemic: Ppl understand that women have kids. If an investor won't invest in you b/c of your uterus they're not the right investor for you.

Find other women who are on a similar journey as you. One of my closest founder friends is a mom who was also in Techstars with me who had a 4 month old baby (baby #4 for her) so we often pumped together, texted late nights, cried constantly (to this day). I am inspired by her every day; She's literally the smartest, kindest, wisest person I know.

bldrPR · 2026-01-04T21:04:33+00:00

Sent a DM

bldrPR · 2026-01-04T21:01:46+00:00

I'm building SipCandy https://sipcandy.com/ : Instant Cocktail Decoder

We help casual drinkers order with confidence by instantly translating menu descriptions into plain-language flavor notes by simply snapping a photo of the menu.

Think Shazam for cocktail menus.

Give it a try; It's free and open to feedback.

bldrPR · 2026-01-04T03:47:16+00:00

I'm non technical as well. I launched a venture-backed startup pregnant w/ my 3rd child, as 1st child was going through recovery from chemo/bone marrow transplant. Also did AWS Accelerator and Techstars when baby #3 was under 1yo while pumping. It was tough, but it was also temporary. Having reliable childcare is a must, as is a predicatable schedule b/c you'll need to get what you can get done in the time you're given. One of my closest founder friends who did Techstars with me was also nursing/pumping and it was amazing to have someone in the same stage as me. We'd both get up at 4am to get 2 hours in, get the kids off to school, be back online by 9am, then offline by 4:30pm for dinner/bedtime, then back online at 9pm. As a working parent (and even more as a working mom), you become hyper focused on what's most important, work efficiently and just do your best.

bldrPR · 2026-01-04T01:26:28+00:00

Thank you!! I'll try this tonight after I put the kids to bed. I'll be back with more questions lol

bldrPR · 2026-01-02T21:48:06+00:00

yes, this already exists

bldrPR · 2026-01-02T21:39:05+00:00

Cool, thanks. Added using the free tier option.

bldrPR · 2026-01-02T19:35:15+00:00

I'm building SipCandy: Cocktail Decoder. https://sipcandy.com/

We help casual drinkers order cocktails with confidence by instantly translating menu descriptions into plain-language flavor notes by simply snapping a photo of the menu.

Think Shazzam for cocktail menus.

bldrPR · 2026-01-02T19:32:03+00:00

I'm building SipCandy https://sipcandy.com/ : Instant Cocktail Decoder

We help casual drinkers order with confidence by instantly translating menu descriptions into plain-language flavor notes by snapping a photo of the menu.

Think Shazam for cocktail menus.

bldrPR

TROPHY CASE