Happy Thursday, Substacker!
Substack’s Scan for AI text feature is active on every post, note and comment in Substack published after July 26, 2026, unless the author has switched it off on a per-item basis.
Yes, AI scanning is now a thing on Substack.
When readers use the AI scanning feature to scan a post, note or comment for AI-written text, they see an estimate of whether the content is human- or AI-written.
They also see a “How I make this” statement from the author.
What is a “How I make this” statement?
A “How I make this” statement is one or two sentences that describe how a Substack user uses AI in their writing on Substack, or not, in their own words.
It appears with the results of the built-in ‘Scan for AI text’ feature in Substack, if the author has created one.
This post was brought to you by my new perk for paying subscribers: The Ultimate (Substack) Templates Pack, for intermediate Substackers who want to level up their publications, grow faster and monetize more easily.
It’s being released in stages. The first bundle is out now.
Do you need a “How I make this” statement?
If you’re publishing posts, notes or comments on Substack, it’s a good idea to have a “How I make this” statement.
In this post, I describe where to upload your “How I made this” statement.
How to upload a “How I make this” statement in Substack
While the concept is simple, the execution is difficult - it’s hard to find where to add your statement if you don’t know where to look.
Here are the steps to follow to upload a “How I make this” statement:
1. Open a draft post.
2. Click continue as if you were about to publish it. You see the ‘Publish’ popup.
3. In ‘Publish’, scroll down to ‘Text Analysis’ and click the button labelled 🤖 Scan for AI text. The system will scan your writing to decide whether it’s AI or not.
4. When the system delivers its verdict you will see a button labelled Create “How I make this” statement.
5. Click Create “How I make this” statement, add your own short statement about how you use AI in your Substack writing and save.
This is a once-and-done job. You only have to do it one time, and it appears with every scan in future. It’s also possible to set up through Publication settings.
What to put in your “How I make this” statement
Use a short version of your AI policy, or drop a link to your AI policy.
Don’t have an AI Policy? No problem, use my handy template!
I just added an AI policy template to my perks for paying subscribers. Find it in Bundle 1 of The Ultimate Template Pack.
That’s it for this week; see you next time,
Karen
P.S. If you’re already a paying subscriber, I added a link to the new perk - The Ultimate (Substack) Template Pack - to your special page of benefits (For Paying Subscribers), so you can go back and access your goodies at any time.
I have a permanent statement. On my laptop, I went to my Dashboard, chose Settings, scrolled down to Details "How I Made This Statement" and edited to what I wanted it to say.
I don't think you have to do it every time. I did it from my settings, and I have a permanent statement.