How to automatically add new Substack subscribers to a drip sequence
Every time someone subscribes to your Substack, Drippery can automatically add them to a drip email sequence. This guide covers the full setup: Gmail forwarding filter, Drippery integration settings, and how to test that everything works.
Substack notifies you by email every time someone new subscribes. Drippery can intercept that notification and automatically add the subscriber to any drip series you choose — no Zapier, no CSV exports, no manual work.
This guide walks you through the complete setup from start to finish.
How it works
When a new subscriber joins your Substack, Substack sends you a notification email with subject line: "New free subscriber to [Your Publication Name]!"
You set up a Gmail filter that auto-forwards these notifications to substack@drippery.app. Drippery verifies the email is genuinely from Substack (DKIM check), matches it to your account by publication name, and adds the subscriber to every series where you've enabled the integration.
The new subscriber enters your drip sequence immediately — just like someone who subscribed directly through a Drippery embed.
Prerequisites
- A Drippery account (drippery.app) — currently in beta
- A Substack publication
- Gmail as your primary email (the one where Substack notification emails land)
*If you have a different email provider, follow your provider's instructions on how to forward a specific email.
Step 1: Request beta access
The Substack integration is currently in beta. Contact us with your email address to get added. We'll enable the feature on your account.
Step 2: Enter your Substack publication name
In Drippery, go to Settings → Integrations.
In the Substack publication name field, enter exactly the name Substack uses in the subject line of its notification emails. For example, if your notifications arrive as "New free subscriber to Digital Craft Workshop!", enter Digital Craft Workshop.
The matching is case-insensitive, but the name must otherwise match exactly what Substack writes.
Click Save.
Step 3: Create your drip series
If you don't have a series yet, go to Series → New series and create one. Write the emails you want new subscribers to receive — a welcome email on day 0, a follow-up on day 3, whatever cadence fits your content.
When the series is ready, publish it (drafts are skipped by the integration).
If you already have a published series you want to use, you can skip this step.
Step 4: Enable the integration on your series
Open the series you want new Substack subscribers to enter. Go to the Integrations tab.
Find the Substack auto-subscribe toggle and turn it on.
This tells Drippery: "Add incoming Substack subscribers to this series." You can enable the toggle on multiple series — a subscriber will be added to all of them.
Click Save at the top of the page.
Step 5: Set up Gmail forwarding
This is the bridge that connects Substack's notifications to Drippery.
5a. Add the forwarding address
In Gmail: Settings → See all settings → Forwarding and POP/IMAP → Add a forwarding address
Enter: substack@drippery.app
Gmail will send a verification email to substack@drippery.app to confirm you own it. That confirmation email goes to Drippery's inbox, not yours. Email us at info@danielrusnok.com, and we'll confirm it on your behalf — either by clicking the confirmation link or sending you the verification code, whichever Gmail requires.
Once confirmed, the forwarding address will show as active in your Gmail settings.
5b. Create a Gmail filter
In Gmail: Settings → Filters and Blocked Addresses → Create a new filter
Set the filter criteria:
- From:
no-reply@substack.com - Subject:
New free subscriber
Click Create filter, then select:
- ✅ Forward it to:
substack@drippery.app - ✅ Mark as read
- ✅ Apply the label:
Substack(optional — keeps your inbox clean)
Click Create filter.
If you have paid subscribers, too, create a second identical filter with Subject: New paid subscriber.
Step 6: Test it
The easiest test: subscribe to your own Substack with a secondary email address. Within a minute or two, that address should appear in your Drippery series subscribers list.
You can verify in Series → [your series] → Subscribers. The subscriber source will show as substack.
Troubleshooting
The subscriber didn't appear in Drippery
Check that:
- The Gmail filter is active (Settings → Filters — it should be listed there)
- The forwarding address is confirmed and active (Settings → Forwarding)
- The publication name in Drippery Settings → Integrations matches exactly what appears in the Substack notification subject
- The series is published (not a draft)
- The Substack auto-subscribe toggle is on in the series Integrations tab
Gmail didn't forward the notification
Make sure the filter criteria match. Substack's subject is New free subscriber to [Name]! — the filter New free subscriber should catch it. Check your Sent mail or Forwarding history in Gmail.
The Gmail verification is stuck
Email info@danielrusnok.com with your Gmail address. We'll handle the confirmation.
What this doesn't do
- Existing subscribers are not imported. The integration only applies to new subscribers going forward. For a one-time import of existing subscribers, use Series → Subscribers → Import CSV.
- Unsubscribes from Substack are not synced. If someone unsubscribes from your Substack, they stay in your Drippery drip until they click unsubscribe in one of your drip emails.
Summary
- Step 1 — Request beta access
- Step 2 — Settings → Integrations → enter your Substack publication name
- Step 3 — Create and publish a drip series
- Step 4 — Series → Integrations tab → enable Substack auto-subscribe
- Step 5a — Gmail → Forwarding → add
substack@drippery.app, email us to confirm - Step 5b — Gmail → Filters → forward
no-reply@substack.comnotifications - Step 6 — Test with a secondary email address
After setup, everything runs automatically. New Substack subscribers enter your drip sequence without any manual work on your end.