How do I switch from Substack to SendFox?

Export your list from Substack's Subscribers page, then upload the CSV in Audience → Contacts → Import contacts. Paid readers re-subscribe in SendFox.

What comes across from Substack?

SendFox has no direct Substack connection, so you move your list with a CSV file: export it from Substack, then upload it to SendFox. Substack's export includes email addresses but not names, so your contacts arrive without a first name.

SendFox adds every row of the file as a subscribed contact, and imported contacts don't get a confirmation email. Import only people who are still subscribed to you.

If you have paid subscribers, read What about my paid Substack subscribers? before you change anything in Substack.

Importing works on every plan. The Free plan holds up to 1,000 contacts and sends 3,000 emails a month; for more, see Which SendFox Pro tier should I choose? Moving from another tool as well? See How do I switch to SendFox from another email platform?

How do I export my subscribers from Substack?

1. In Substack, go to your Subscribers page and scroll down to All subscribers.
2. Click the three dots above the list and choose Export. Pick all columns or visible columns only.
3. When the export is ready, click Download last export.

To export part of your list, click Filter first (for example, free subscribers only). When you export, choose your filtered list instead of the entire list.

Before you import, look through the file. If it has a row for someone who unsubscribed, delete it: SendFox would add them as subscribed.

How do I import the file into SendFox?

1. Go to Audience → Contacts and click Import contacts.
2. Click Upload a file and choose your Substack export.
3. Map the email column to Email. To keep another column, create a matching custom field in SendFox first. Columns you don't map aren't imported.
4. Optionally add a tag such as from-substack under Tag them on import.
5. Under Select a list for your new contacts, choose an existing list or name a new one, then click Continue & import contacts.

Files with fewer than 1,000 rows are added right away. Larger files run in the background, and SendFox emails you when the import is done.

How do I bring my Substack tags across?

SendFox doesn't read a tags column from a CSV file. Export one tag at a time instead:

1. In Substack, click Filter, filter your subscribers by one tag, and export the filtered list.
2. Import the file into SendFox and type the same tag name under Tag them on import. SendFox creates the tag if it doesn't exist yet.
3. Repeat for each tag.

Subscribers already in SendFox aren't duplicated; they just get the new tag. See How do contact tags work?

What about my paid Substack subscribers?

Don't turn off paid subscriptions in Substack yet. Turning them off in Substack's Danger Zone settings (Disconnect Stripe) refunds and cancels every paid subscription at once.

• Paid subscriptions can't be transferred to SendFox, so paying readers subscribe again through a SendFox paid newsletter, which needs Pro. The Subscription type column in your export shows who pays.
• Readers who subscribed in Substack's iOS app are billed by Apple, and Apple doesn't move that billing to another platform. Invite them to subscribe again like everyone else.
• If you need help ending your Substack subscriptions, ask Substack's support team before you change anything.

See How do I move paid subscribers to SendFox? for the full switch.

What do I rebuild after importing?

Only contacts come across. Your past Substack posts stay in Substack, and the rest is rebuilt in SendFox:

• Signup forms: create a SendFox form and replace the Substack embed on your site.
• Welcome email: recreate it as a SendFox automation.
• Signup pages: share a Smart Page instead of your Substack link.
• Personalization: use SendFox's personalization tags. Your imported contacts have no first name, so add a fallback, such as {{contact.first_name | there}} for "Hi there".
• Sending domain: validate your domain so your emails come from your own address.

Troubleshooting

My import was blocked

• A CSV file can have up to 100,000 rows. Split a larger file and import it in parts.
• An import can't take you over your plan's contact limit. SendFox tells you before it starts, and only email addresses that are new to your account count toward the limit. On the Free plan, click Upgrade! in the top nav to see your options.

Fewer contacts arrived than I have in Substack

• People who follow you on Substack without subscribing aren't in the export: Substack doesn't share followers' email addresses.
• SendFox keeps one contact per email address and skips rows without a valid email address.

Special characters look wrong

• Save the file as a UTF-8 CSV and check the column headers. See How do I format a CSV file to import contacts into SendFox?

Still stuck? Browse the SendFox Help Center or email support@sendfox.com with the number of rows in your file and the name of the list you imported into.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will my Substack subscribers get a confirmation email?

No. SendFox doesn't send a confirmation email to imported contacts, so import only people who subscribed to you.

Do readers who subscribed in the Substack app come across?

Yes. App subscribers are on your subscriber list and in your export. People who only follow you aren't.

How do SendFox and Substack compare?

See SendFox vs Substack for a side-by-side comparison.