Substack Integration

Substack's Limitations

Substack intentionally doesn't allow custom HTML or CSS in posts. This means you cannot add:

• Custom tracking pixels
• HTML image tags with tracking URLs
• Click tracking links that wrap images

This is a known limitation of the platform.

What You Can Do

Option 1: Use Substack's Image + Link Features

You can add sponsor banners using Substack's built-in features:

1. Add an image to your post (your sponsor's banner)
2. Select the image and click the link icon
3. Use the BannerTrackr click tracking URL as the link:

   https://bannertrackr.com/api/track/click/YOUR_PIXEL_ID

Limitation: This tracks clicks only, not impressions. Substack hosts and serves images through their own CDN, so impression tracking isn't possible.

Option 2: External Landing Pages

If you have a website or landing page outside Substack:

1. Create a landing page with the sponsor banner using BannerTrackr's Smart Image
2. Link to that page from your Substack post
3. Track impressions and clicks on the landing page

Option 3: Use Click Tracking in Text Links

For sponsored text mentions:

Check out [Sponsor Name](https://bannertrackr.com/api/track/click/YOUR_PIXEL_ID) - they're doing great things!

This tracks clicks when readers click the link.

Setting Up Click Tracking

Since impression tracking isn't possible on Substack, focus on click tracking:

Step 1: Create a Placement

1. Go to your BannerTrackr dashboard
2. Create a new placement for your Substack sponsor
3. Set the destination URL (sponsor's landing page)
4. Copy your Pixel ID

Step 2: Build Your Click URL

Your click tracking URL is:

https://bannertrackr.com/api/track/click/YOUR_PIXEL_ID

Step 3: Add to Substack

1. In Substack's editor, add your sponsor's image
2. Select the image
3. Click the link button
4. Paste your click tracking URL
5. Readers who click will be tracked and redirected to the sponsor's page

What Gets Tracked

With click tracking on Substack, you capture:

You won't get impression data since Substack serves images through their own systems.

Reporting to Sponsors

When reporting to Substack sponsors:

1. Share click data from BannerTrackr
2. Use Substack's built-in stats for open rates (as a proxy for impressions)
3. Be transparent that impression tracking isn't available on Substack

Your sponsor report might note: "Based on X email opens via Substack and Y tracked clicks via BannerTrackr."

Consider Alternatives

If accurate impression tracking is important for your sponsors, consider:

• Beehiiv — Supports custom HTML blocks
• Ghost — Full HTML card support
• ConvertKit — HTML blocks available
• ButtonDown — HTML-friendly

These platforms allow full BannerTrackr integration with impression and click tracking.

Troubleshooting

Clicks not recording?

1. Make sure the link is set on the image (click the image, then the link icon)
2. Verify your destination URL is set in the placement
3. Check that the placement isn't paused

Need impression data?

Unfortunately, there's no workaround for impression tracking in Substack emails. Consider using Substack's open rate as an estimate, or switch to a platform that supports HTML.

Next Steps

• Click Tracking — Learn more about click tracking
• Advertiser Portal — Share stats with sponsors
• Beehiiv Guide — Alternative platform with full tracking support