It’s funny how we all slide into these little tech dependencies sometimes, isn’t it?
I am a writer. I love to write myself. But sometimes, AI is actually helpful. Not for the entire writing process, but for the surrounding stuff. Like remembering things, analyzing well-performing stories, or handling multiple platforms and schedules.
That’s why I tried WriteStack Premium* the past few weeks.
WriteStack the AI-powered Substack tool. And It’s honestly pretty good. Almost suspiciously good. But also not perfect.
Let’s dive in!
The Good Stuff
When I first installed WriteStack (in Chrome), I expected just another AI writing toy that’d maybe fix my grammar or feed me a recycled hook about “hustle culture.”
But this thing goes further. Thankfully.
Here’s what I really like about it, in my real-life, writer experience:
✅ The Kanban Board
Hands down, my favorite feature: the Kanban view.
I am an avid Notion user. And I love Kanban board views there. So, naturally, this type of view draws me in.
You can drag and drop your Notes from “Draft” to “Scheduled” to “Published.”
It’s clean, simple, and very satisfying. I’ve always liked visual workflows, and this makes my Substack output feel like an actual pipeline instead of a random pile of note ideas.
Speaking about the Notes view.
✅ The Notes View
Beyond the board, the Notes overviews are great.
You can break down how your Notes are performing. Based in multiple criteria, like subscribers gained, likes, comments, restacks, and more.
For analyzing purposes, that’s fantastic.
You can also see your top fans, the ones who engaged with you the most. Pretty nice as well.
Finally, you can take a look at other people’s notes (selected for you by AI), and see what types of Notes work for them. Get inspired by this and write your own.
✅ Scheduling
I know, it is basic, but Substack Notes doesn’t have scheduling built in (yet). It’s coming, supposedly.
But until then, WriteStack plugs that gap.
When I batch-write a bunch of mini-posts in a productive mood, I can drip them out over the week instead of dumping them all at once.
That’s always good.
✅ Inspiration
Yes, the AI can suggest Note ideas, or even write them for you. I mentioned that before.
Sometimes it’s good. But I’ll be honest, I mostly use this as a springboard. I like to write in my own words.
Still, having the AI suggest ideas is a good thing.
The Flaws
No tool is perfect, and WriteStack definitely isn’t.
❌ Scheduling Needs Chrome… Always
I am not a Chrome guy. I like Safari.
But the scheduling only works in Chrome and if Chrome is open and active in the background.
If you close Chrome, scheduling won’t run. Shut your laptop and your Notes won’t magically publish themselves.
This kills the scheduling purpose a little bit.
True scheduling works server-side, no matter what my laptop’s doing. But WriteStack can’t do much about that without Substack offering deeper integration (via API).
❌ Occasional Glitches
A couple of times, my Notes didn’t post when they were supposed to.
Nothing dramatic, I didn’t lose anything. All Notes were still there. Just not published.
Should You Try It?
Look, my opinion is pretty simple.
If you’re serious about Substack, WriteStack is helpful.
The Kanban alone is worth it, in my eyes. Seeing real data on what’s working is something every writer should utilize.
And scheduling (when it works) helps quite a bit.
But, and it’s a big but: treat the AI as a tool, not your ghostwriter. If you let WriteStack write everything, it will be boring. And it won’t work. Even it you can train AI to sound a bit more like you. You’re still better!
And please, Substack, add real scheduling for Notes directly to the platform.
The Bottom Line
Try WriteStack*. See how you like it.
Use the Kanban, check your stats, schedule what you can, and ignore the AI output when it’s off the mark.
With that in mind, it’s a great tool for Substack. And there aren’t many.
*this is an affiliate or SparkLoop* partner link. I’ll get a commission if you decide to sign up.
Thank you for the review!!