Open your own Substack settings and treat three things as separate: what your publication shows, what your profile shows, and what your subscription list and likes reveal. Private publication mode hides posts but does not make your profile or public Notes private. Decide what you want visible before you share a profile in a dating context, then record what you changed.
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Start with the surfaces, not the settings
Your Substack presence is not one page. A public profile and a custom publication website are distinct surfaces, and the site may mirror your profile or use a different theme. Before changing anything, list each surface someone could reach from a shared link: the profile, the publication home, any public Notes, and the Reads tab. This prevents the common mistake of assuming one change covers everything. [Substack Help: profiles and publishing visibility]
- Write down each surface you can reach while signed in to your own account.
- Note which of them a stranger could open without signing in.
Private publication mode is narrower than it sounds
Private publication mode can hide posts, but it does not make public Notes or the profile itself private. If your dating concern is that someone can read your Notes or see your profile identity, turning the publication private does not solve it. Treat publication privacy, profile visibility and activity display as three separate choices with three separate effects. [Substack Help: profiles and publishing visibility]
- Do not rely on private publication mode to hide Notes or your profile.
- If a control is not visible in your account, record unavailable and stop there rather than guessing a path.
Reads and likes are owner-controlled displays
Owners can separately control whether their profile displays likes and particular subscriptions in the Reads tab. That is a display choice, not a hidden-window into anyone else's subscriptions. For a dating review, the useful question is narrow: which subscriptions and likes do I want a visitor to my profile to see, and which would I rather not surface? Make the choice deliberately rather than leaving defaults to decide for you. [Substack Help: profiles and publishing visibility]
- Decide separately for likes and for each subscription you might display.
- Review the result as a signed-out visitor would, if your account allows it.
Separate observation, limit and decision
A public Notes post, a visible subscription or a displayed like is an observation about what your account shows. It is not proof of identity, intent, relationship status or safety, and it is not evidence about anyone else. Keep the three columns apart in your notes: what is visible, what that visibility cannot tell you, and the practical change you will make. This keeps a privacy review from turning into speculation about people.
| observation | limit | next step |
|---|---|---|
| A subscription appears in your Reads tab | It only shows a display choice, not why you subscribed | Decide whether to keep that subscription displayed |
| A Note is publicly readable | Private publication mode does not hide it | Review the Note text or adjust what you post |
| Your profile is reachable from a shared link | Visibility varies by surface and account | Check each surface separately and note changes |
A worked review (hypothetical)
Suppose an owner plans to share a Substack link on a dating profile. They first confirm which surfaces a visitor reaches, then check whether private publication mode is on, then look at the Reads tab and decide which subscriptions and likes to display. They keep public Notes in mind because that visibility is separate. They write one line per change and a review date. This is a hypothetical example.
- Set a personal review date and recheck the same surfaces then.
When a control is unavailable
Availability of any setting can vary, and this guide does not assume a particular interface path or region. If the display control, the private publication option or the relevant surface is unavailable, record unavailable and stop at that access boundary. Use the platform's current help pages or ask for a voluntary, current link from the owner. Do not attempt to infer hidden subscriptions or settings from what remains visible. [Substack Help: profiles and publishing visibility]
A couple more questions
Does making my Substack publication private hide my Notes and profile too?
No. Private publication mode can hide posts, but it does not make public Notes or the profile itself private. Treat those as separate surfaces and review each one.
Can I show some likes or subscriptions and not others?
Owners can separately control profile display of likes and particular subscriptions in the Reads tab. This is a display choice for your own profile, not a way to find anyone else's hidden subscriptions.
What should I do if I cannot find the setting?
Record it as unavailable and stop at that access boundary. Use the platform's current help pages rather than guessing a menu path, and do not infer hidden activity from what you can see.
Sources & editorial notes
Official references checked on October 23, 2026. Checklists, comparison tables and example wording are DateClues editorial tools, not official tests or validated risk scores.
General information. No guide or tool can certify a person’s identity, intentions or safety. Read our editorial standards.