How To Use a Pen Name on Substack

Anonymous posting is possible (sort of)

I’m frequently asked whether it’s okay to use a pen name on Substack, whether it’s possible to hide your identity and how to actually do it. Here are the answers.

I use a pen name on Substack, and I also publish under my real name on a second account. Want to use a pen name too? I’ll show you how.

There are a few limitations to anonymity on Substack and I will share those with you soon. But first, let's cover the basics.

Are you allowed to publish under a pen name?

Yes, Substack allows you to publish anonymously by using a pseudonym (pen name) or screen name, it is not against their terms of use.

Can you completely hide your identity on Substack?

Yes, you can completely hide your identity if your Substack is free to read.

Substack says if you want to protect your privacy, you can use a new email account when you set up your Substack account, so there’s no link between Substack and your personal email address or name.

However, if you want to accept subscription payments with Substack, it becomes harder to hide your identity (see below).

How do you set up a pen name on Substack?

To use a pen name on Substack, either

• set up a new Substack account using your pen name, or

• change the name on your existing account.

To change the name on an existing account, navigate to your Substack profile on the web (not on the app), by clicking your picture at the top right of the screen, choosing ‘settings’, ‘profile’, then ‘edit’.

Can I have two Substack accounts?

Yes, you can have more than one Substack account, but you need a different email address for each account.

Note that you can’t operate two accounts from the Substack smartphone app — you’ll have to choose just one to use with the app.

On the web, it’s easy to manage two accounts: you can avoid the need to log in and out by using a different browser or browser profile for each account.

What about payments?

Substack uses Stripe to accept payments from your subscribers. Stripe processes your subscribers’ credit cards and pays money to your bank account.

You can’t use a pen name when you set up with Stripe, because Stripe has to comply with ‘Know Your Customer’ rules to prevent terrorism and money laundering.

This means that Stripe won’t let you create an account with anything other than your true identity.

Stripe also has to provide your information to your customers so that if there is a dispute about a payment, it can be resolved. If a subscriber downloads an invoice/receipt from your Substack publication, they will see some of your information on the invoice and perhaps on their credit card statement.

Information that may appear on invoices and credit card statements includes the phone number, email address and physical address in your Stripe profile.

To protect your privacy, Substack recommends using a virtual phone number such as Google Voice, and a virtual mailbox for your address in Stripe. After you’ve set up, you can change the public email address on Stripe to your newsletter’s Substack email address (publication_URL@substack.com).

Edit your Stripe public details after you’ve connected your Substack account to Stripe by following the instructions here.

Is it worth using a pen name on Substack?

Some people like to protect their privacy. A pen name can help, although if you accept paid subscriptions on Substack, you can’t completely hide your identity from Substack and Stripe.

For me, using a pen name is less about privacy and more about convenience. With a pen name, I can have a second Substack account, with a second publication serving a completely different audience. And I can post about different topics on Substack Notes without confusing my followers while keeping my personal brand consistent for each group.

Final thoughts

You can use a pen name for Substack, although there are limitations with anonymity when it comes to taking payments because banks are legally required to know your true identity.

But otherwise, pen names work fine — Karen Cherry is a pen name!

Love this? Restack it to Substack Notes by clicking the circle icon at the bottom of this post.

See ya next time!

Karen

This post originally appeared on Medium.com