Substack and Sponsors: What’s Actually Allowed (And How to Monetize)

I’ll be honest…I’ve been hiding something from you...

Not in a shady way. Just… unintentionally. 😅
Before my two-month family break, I batch-recorded a stack of new videos and podcast interviews for you. Tutorials full of things I know you’ve been wondering about.

But I never hit publish until now.

Starting today, I’m releasing them — one by one — to help you grow, feel confident, and build a soulful, sustainable Substack.

And YES — everyone subscribed here will get access to my brand-new FREE Substack course very soon. It answers the 14 most common questions I get from writers like you — from “How do I grow?” to “Can I monetize?” and “What should I write?”
💌 You’ll get it straight to your inbox when it’s ready in a few days.

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Today’s video tackles one of the biggest questions:

💸 Can I Have Sponsors, Ads, or Affiliate Links On Substack?

Short answer? Yes.
But there are a few things you need to know to stay aligned with Substack’s mission — and with your own.

In today’s step-by-step video, I walk you through:
✅ What Substack’s publisher agreement and content guidelines actually say
✅ What’s allowed vs. what’s discouraged
✅ How to protect the trust you’re building with your readers

How Can I Find Sponsors for My Newsletter?

In the video, I briefly mention one great tool that can help you connect with brands and monetize your newsletter beyond paid subscriptions— but I didn’t go deep into it (yet).

My wonderful hubby and software developer Patrick God is using Passionfroot to manage brand deals for his YouTube channel and KIT newsletter.

Patrick shares tutorials featuring best practices and the latest improvements in .NET & Blazor

photo credit: screenshot passionfroot

And I’m the one behind the scenes handling those deals!

I’d love to show you how we:

• Set up his media kit

• Landed his first sponsors

• Stay organized

So you can monetize your newsletter beyond subscriptions.

Here are just some of the brands we’ve been working with:

Then there’s Paved — a marketplace where brands can discover and book ads in newsletters like yours.

photocredit: screenshot Paved

Some Online Writing members are already testing it.

👉 You decide what comes next:

Are You Looking For A Sponsor For Q3 and Q4 2025?

Let me help you.

Please tell me in the comments:

• Your niche

• Your target audience

• Your subscriber count

• And your dream sponsor (yes, even another newsletter counts!)

I’d love to help connect the dots — or even feature you in a future post once you get your sponsorship or brand deal!

Jerry Keszka

- Congrats! I loved this.

Thanks for being here, online writer!🙏

P.S. If you loved this masterclass and post and think someone needs to read this, please share 🔁 it with your community, friends, colleagues, and family, as this means A LOT to me as a part-time mompreneur. Thanks!🔁

P.P.S. Every 🧡 or comment you share is like saying, "Hey, this mattered. Keep going." It means more than you know. 🧡