There are shiny new badges for paying subscribers today! Here's why.

Part of why Substack is good is that it's full of wonderful people who take out paid subscriptions to support work they value, and the people who produce it.

It also has other positive effects in the ecosystem. When people see you subscribe, you are creating a valuable signal that you are a real human and not a bot, and aiding in the fight against spam, trolls, and other problems that plague internet platforms. When you see someone who subscribes to the same thing as you, you have an instant connection.

Previously, your subscriptions were visible on your profile (if you have them set to visible) but it took a lot of clicks to get there. Now, you get a nice badge that goes in the same place as the bestseller badge.

You can change your subscription visibility by going to your own profile → Edit → Subscriptions, or by tapping your own badge → "..." → Edit subscription visibility.

If you don't have a badge but would like one, may I suggest taking out a paid subscription to one of the many fine publications on this platform.