So you want to repurpose your blog posts into Substack articles?
Smart move.
Most content creators think they need to create unique content from scratch for every platform. They end up spinning their wheels and burning out.
The truth is, your best ideas deserve to live in multiple places.
When you repurpose your blog content for Substack, you’re not just saving time—you’re strategically expanding your reach to an audience that’s primed to become loyal followers.
Why you should repurpose from Blog Posts to Substack
Repurposing your blog content is like getting multiple returns on a single investment. The content you’ve already created represents hours of your expertise, research, and creativity.
You never really know which platform will make your content catch fire.
For example, I had YouTube videos about note-taking and the Zettelkasten that didn’t take off, but the same information on Medium actually did and helped me launch a profitable course and added almost 3,000 new subscribers to my email list in 4 months. This difference is due to various factors such as the audience, the algorithm, the timing, and so on…
The content that flops on your blog might be exactly what Substack readers are searching for.
The main differences between Blog Posts and Substack
Blogs and Substack serve different purposes in your content ecosystem:
Blog Posts:
- Live on your website
- Help with SEO and organic traffic
- Establish your authority
- Often more comprehensive and evergreen
- Visitors may read one post and leave
Substack:
- Direct-to-inbox delivery
- Built-in monetization options
- Fosters a community feel
- More conversational tone
- Creates recurring touchpoints with readers
Why you should post on Substack
Substack has exploded in popularity because it combines the best aspects of blogging and email marketing in one platform.
The barrier to entry is incredibly low, but the potential rewards are high. Your subscribers actually want to hear from you—they’ve opted in to see your content in their sacred inbox space.
Many writers are making five and six figures annually through paid Substack subscriptions alone. Even if you keep your newsletter free, it’s a powerful way to build an engaged audience that you own (unlike social media followers).
Build Your Swipe File Of Winning Substack Content
Okay, so the best way to actually write for Substack is to find content that’s already performing well. The reason is because each platform has its own rules.
A 2,500-word technical blog post might get traffic from Google, but Substack readers often prefer more digestible, personal content they can consume in their inbox.
Create a collection of Substack posts that have high engagement:
- Which ones have the most likes?
- Which ones get shared frequently?
- What headlines grab attention?
- How do writers format their newsletters?
- What call-to-actions drive the most response?
PRO TIP: One of the best ways is to always find creators who are new to the platform and actually get a lot of traction. The reason why you don’t want to model the gurus is because they already have traction so they can actually get away by doing things that might not necessarily work for you as a small account.
Yes, this requires a bit of upfront work. But it will be well worth it.
And in case you want a shortcut…
There’s a free social media swipe file that you can grab here. (yup, it’s free.)
Set up an automation to turn Blog Posts to Substack
Okay, so now that you’ve have these laid out, what you can do is use AI and automation tools to make this process as smooth as butter.
As soon as you post on your blog, it will then perform and actually use this for Substack.
You can start creating automations that utilize specific prompts to save your time.
Tools like n8n, Make (formerly Integromat), or Zapier can create workflows that automatically:
1. Detect when you publish a new blog post
2. Extract the content
3. Transform it for Substack
4. Create a draft in your Substack account
Here’s a simple workflow using Zapier:
Trigger: New post published on WordPress/blog platform
Action 1: Extract blog post content
Action 2: Send to AI service with this prompt:
“Transform this blog post into a conversational Substack newsletter. Keep the main points but make it more personal and direct. Add an engaging subject line, a hook at the beginning, and a call-to-action at the end. Format with plenty of white space for easy reading.”
Action 3: Create draft in Substack
Action 4: Send notification to review before publishing
This workflow gives you the best of both worlds—automation with human oversight to ensure quality.
You’ll still want to review and add personal touches before hitting send, but you’ve eliminated 80% of the work.
For more tips on how to repurpose your content and grow your audience with less work, sign up for my free emails below: