Substack Hands Users Feed Controls, Echoing Meta and TikTok

Substack has rolled out feed customization tools, becoming the latest platform to hand users direct control over what their algorithm shows them. The move puts it in line with Meta and TikTok, both of which already offer users ways to tune or reset their recommendation feeds.

That's the confirmed fact. What's not confirmed — because the announcement doesn't spell it out — is how deep these controls actually go. Can users downrank specific publications, or only broad topics? Can they reset their feed entirely? Substack hasn't said, and that gap matters for anyone making a living on the platform.

What does this change for writers and publishers?

In the short term, very little. Feed controls change how readers experience Substack, not how the platform ranks or recommends publications behind the scenes. But the second-order effects are worth watching.

If readers can suppress content categories or tone down certain voices, publishers who rely on Substack's recommendation network — the engine that drives much of its cross-publication growth — could see slower discovery. Substack hasn't released data on how much of new subscription growth comes from its feed and recommendations. Until it does, any claim that these tools will hurt (or help) discoverability is speculation, not fact.

The industry context is real, though. Meta has let users tweak Reels and Feed preferences for years, and TikTok famously added a "not interested" and refresh option after regulatory pressure in both the US and EU. Platforms aren't doing this out of kindness — regulators and users have pushed transparency and control to the top of the agenda. Substack, which markets itself as the anti-algorithm platform, now sits somewhere in the middle: an algorithmic feed, with user-facing dials.

What's the practical takeaway?

For creators, the playbook stays the same, with one caveat:

• Audience ownership still matters most. Substack's core pitch is that writers keep their email list. Feed controls don't change that.
• Discovery may get less predictable. If readers filter aggressively, the marginal reach of reposted or crossover content could shrink. There's no data yet to say it will — but there's no data to say it won't, either.
• Watch what Substack measures. If the platform starts publishing how users actually tune their feeds, that's your signal on whether discovery is tightening.

For readers, it's a straightforward win: more say over the feed, the same way TikTok and Meta users already have.

The unanswered question is whether Substack will pair these controls with transparency about its recommendation rankings. Meta and TikTok both faced pressure before they moved on that front. If Substack follows the same path, publishers should expect the next announcement — and plan for a feed that readers, not the platform, increasingly shape.