If someone helps run your Substack, you can add an admin to your Substack so they can post, edit, and manage the publication without using your login. Substack handles this through the Team settings, with a few role levels depending on how much access you want to give. This guide covers the steps, what each role can do, and why the account that owns the publication still matters even after you add an admin.
The three roles
Substack gives you three levels when you add someone to your publication. Admin has full access to the publication and its Settings, and can start a thread in Chat. Contributor can view, edit, and publish drafts from the Posts area, but cannot see Settings or Stats. Byline lists a person as an author without giving them access to Posts or Settings. Give a marketer Contributor if they draft and schedule posts, and Admin only if they manage the whole publication, settings included.
How to add someone to your Substack
Step 1: Go to Settings.
Step 2: Click Team.
Step 3: Click Invite and enter the person’s email address.
Step 4: Send the invite.
Step 5: Set their role, Byline, Contributor, or Admin. You can change it later by clicking the role next to their name.
Why invite order and ownership matter
The account that created the publication owns it, and ownership is not the same as being an admin. Adding someone as Admin gives them full access to settings, but it does not transfer ownership, and it does not hand over the payments connection that sits with the founding account. If you are setting up a Substack that a business or a co-author will own long term, decide whose account creates it first, because that founding account is the one the publication belongs to. Adding admins later is easy. Changing who owns the publication is not.
What to Watch Out For
Admin is full settings access. An admin can change your publication settings. Give Contributor if all your marketer needs is to draft and publish posts.
Ownership stays with the founder. Adding an admin does not transfer ownership or the payments setup. Decide the owning account before you create the publication, not after.
Remove access cleanly. When the work ends, remove the team member from Team settings so no live access lingers.
What comes next
Substack is one platform your marketer may work in. See How to Give Your Marketer Access to MailerLite for email, and How to Give Your Designer WordPress Access Without Sharing Your Login for your website. The Author Onboarding Bootcamp has the full checklist.
For more detail, visit Substack’s guide to multiple contributors.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between admin and contributor?
Admin has full access, including Settings and Stats. Contributor can view, edit, and publish drafts but cannot see Settings or Stats. Give Contributor unless someone genuinely needs to manage the publication itself.
Does adding an admin transfer ownership of my Substack?
No. Ownership and the payments connection stay with the founding account. Adding an admin only grants access; it does not change who owns the publication.
How do I change someone’s role?
In Team settings, click the role next to their name and choose Byline, Contributor, or Admin.
Can a contributor see my subscriber numbers or revenue?
No. Contributors have no access to Settings or Stats, so they cannot see your subscriber or revenue data. Only an admin can.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between admin and contributor?
Admin has full access, including Settings and Stats. Contributor can view, edit, and publish drafts but cannot see Settings or Stats. Give Contributor unless someone genuinely needs to manage the publication itself.
Does adding an admin transfer ownership of my Substack?
No. Ownership and the payments connection stay with the founding account. Adding an admin only grants access; it does not change who owns the publication.
How do I change someone's role?
In Team settings, click the role next to their name and choose Byline, Contributor, or Admin.
Can a contributor see my subscriber numbers or revenue?
No. Contributors have no access to Settings or Stats, so they cannot see your subscriber or revenue data. Only an admin can.