> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.ectobuilder.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # How to make Ghost look and feel like Substack - URL: https://www.ectobuilder.com/blog/make-ghost-look-like-substack/ - Published: 2026-10-09T10:51:48.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-11T11:52:46.000Z - Description: Moved from Substack to Ghost and miss the look? Build a Substack-style Ghost theme in Ectobuilder, keep your /p/ post addresses, and set up Ghost so readers feel at home. - Author: Michal Wlosik - Tags: Guides, Substack Substack has a look readers recognise straight away: the publication name centred at the top, an orange Subscribe button, a narrow serif reading column, and a post list with a subscribe box beside it. Moving to Ghost doesn't mean giving that up. This guide shows how to build that design as a Ghost theme in Ectobuilder, without code, and how to set up Ghost so the rest of the experience feels familiar too, including Substack's `/p/` post addresses. ## First: move your content with Ghost's own importer A theme changes how your site looks. It doesn't move posts or subscribers. Do that first with Ghost's built-in Substack importer. It brings your posts, free subscribers and paid subscribers across, and keeps paid subscriptions running on your Stripe account. Follow [How to migrate from Substack to Ghost](https://www.ectobuilder.com/blog/migrate-substack-to-ghost/), then come back here. You can also build the theme first and import later; the order doesn't matter to the theme. ## What you'll build | Page in Ectobuilder | Sections to use, top to bottom | | ------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **Home** | Newsletter masthead · Newsletter lead story · Newsletter featured row · Newsletter feed with sidebar · Newsletter footer | | **Blog** (becomes your Archive) | Newsletter masthead · Newsletter archive · Load more button · Newsletter footer | | **Post** | Newsletter masthead · Newsletter post header · Newsletter reading column · Newsletter subscribe box · Newsletter discussion · Newsletter more posts · Newsletter footer | | **Page** (About and others) | Newsletter masthead · Newsletter page title · Newsletter reading column · Newsletter footer | | Optional extras | Newsletter welcome (a Substack-style landing screen), Newsletter plans (your Ghost tiers), Newsletter recommendations, Newsletter post list or post grid | All of these are in the section library. Search for **substack** or **newsletter** to see only them. ## Step 1: Create a new theme In your Ectobuilder dashboard, click **New theme**. The editor opens with a starter layout on every page: home, blog, post, page, tag, author and the error page. ![Ectobuilder dashboard with the New theme card highlighted](https://www.ectobuilder.com/content/images/2026/10/ghostlike-new-theme.webp) (1) Start a new theme from scratch. ## Step 2: Swap in the newsletter sections Work through the pages in the table above. For each one: 1. Pick the page from the menu at the top of the editor (Home, Blog, Post…). 2. In the **Sections** panel, click a section you don't need and delete it with the bin icon. 3. Click **Add**, type **substack** in the search box, and click the section you want. It's added to the page; drag it in the Sections panel to change the order. ![Ectobuilder section library filtered by the word substack](https://www.ectobuilder.com/content/images/2026/10/ghostlike-library.webp) (1) Search the library for "substack". (2) The newsletter sections: welcome, masthead, subscribe box, footer, featured row and more. Start with the **header and footer**. They're shared across the whole site (the globe icon in the Sections panel marks them), so replacing them once on Home updates every page. ![Ectobuilder editor showing the Home page built from newsletter sections](https://www.ectobuilder.com/content/images/2026/10/ghostlike-home.webp) (1) The Home page sections, in order. (2) The Newsletter masthead: your logo, publication name, search, Subscribe and Sign in, with your Ghost menu underneath. You don't need to type your posts into these sections. The text you see is a sample. On your site, the lead story, featured row and feed fill with your real Ghost posts, and the masthead shows your publication's name and icon from Ghost. [![CTA Image](https://www.ectobuilder.com/content/images/size/w256h256/2026/06/Ecto_builder_logo_sq_small.png)](https://editor.ectobuilder.com/login?mode=signup&plan=free&ref=ectobuilder.com) ****Moving your newsletter to Ghost?** Ectobuilder lets you design your Ghost site visually, from a Substack-style layout to a full homepage, without touching theme code. [Try it free ](https://editor.ectobuilder.com/login?mode=signup&plan=free&ref=ectobuilder.com) ## Step 3: Set the Substack look in Style Click **Style** in the left bar. These settings apply to every page. - **Accent:** pick the orange swatch for Substack's familiar button colour, or your own brand colour. - **Greys:** Stone gives the warm grey Substack uses for secondary text. - **Page background:** Light. - **Typography:** choose the **Spectral + Inter** pairing: a serif for headings and reading, a clean sans for labels and buttons. ![Style panel with accent colours and the Spectral plus Inter font pairing highlighted](https://www.ectobuilder.com/content/images/2026/10/ghostlike-style.webp) (1) Accent colour. (2) Font pairing: Spectral for headings, Inter for the interface. ## Step 4: Build the post page Switch to **Post**. This is the page your readers spend the most time on, so it matters most. ![Ectobuilder Post page with newsletter post header and reading column](https://www.ectobuilder.com/content/images/2026/10/ghostlike-post.webp) (1) The post sections in order. (2) Comments and Share buttons, as on Substack. - **Newsletter post header** shows the title, subtitle (your Ghost excerpt), author, date and reading time, with Comments and Share buttons. - **Newsletter reading column** is where Ghost puts your post. Headings, images, quotes, embeds and the paywall all render here. - **Newsletter subscribe box** is the "Thanks for reading! Subscribe for free" box. It only shows to visitors who aren't signed in. - **Newsletter discussion** holds Ghost's native comments. It only appears once comments are switched on in Ghost (see Step 7). - **Newsletter more posts** lists your other posts, skipping the one being read. ## Step 5: Turn the Blog page into your Archive Switch to **Blog**. Use **Newsletter archive** for Substack's simple list of titles with thumbnails, and add **Load more button** under it. Readers click it to load older posts in place, without a page of numbered links. ![Ectobuilder Blog page built as a newsletter archive](https://www.ectobuilder.com/content/images/2026/10/ghostlike-archive.webp) (1) Newsletter archive and Load more button. (2) The Archive link in your menu points here. ## Step 6: Keep Substack's /p/ post addresses On Substack, every post lives at `/p/post-name`. Ghost uses `/post-name/` by default. If your custom domain moves to Ghost, every link that people have shared over the years points at `/p/`. You have two ways to keep them working: - **Keep Substack's addresses (recommended with this theme).** Your posts stay at `/p/post-name`, the list of posts lives at `/archive/` as on Substack, and nothing needs redirecting. - **Switch to Ghost's addresses** and redirect the old links, as shown in the [migration guide](https://www.ectobuilder.com/blog/migrate-substack-to-ghost/). Use one or the other, not both. To keep Substack's addresses: 1. In the editor, click **Settings** (bottom left), then **Ghost Settings**. 2. Under **Routes**, set **Post addresses** to **/p/post-name (Substack)**. Links in your theme that point to the post list now go to `/archive/`. 3. Click **Download** next to **routes.yaml**. ![Ghost Settings in Ectobuilder with Post addresses set to the Substack style](https://www.ectobuilder.com/content/images/2026/10/ghostlike-post-addresses.webp) (1) Post addresses: /p/post-name (Substack). (2) Download the routes file Ghost needs. 1. In Ghost Admin, go to **Settings → Labs**, find **Routes** and click **Upload routes file**. Choose the file you downloaded. ![Ghost Labs settings with Upload routes file highlighted](https://www.ectobuilder.com/content/images/2026/10/ghostlike-routes-upload.webp) (1) Settings → Labs → Routes → Upload routes file. Ghost's own preview links also start with `/p/`, but they use a long random ID instead of a post name, so the two don't clash. Ghost's sitemap and canonical tags pick up the new addresses automatically. ## Step 7: Publish, then set up Ghost to match Click **Deploy**. Ectobuilder builds the theme and switches it on at your Ghost site (connect your site once under Settings → Integrations). You can also download the theme ZIP and upload it in Ghost under Settings → Theme. The theme covers how things look. These Ghost settings cover how they behave, and each one has a Substack equivalent: | Substack feature | Where to set it in Ghost | | ------------------------------ | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Subscribe pop-up | Settings → Signup portal. Keep the free signup on so the Subscribe button takes just an email address. | | Home, Archive, About menu | Settings → Navigation. Add Archive pointing to /archive/ (or /blog/ if you kept Ghost's addresses). | | Comments | Settings → Access → Who can comment on posts. The Discussion section appears once comments are on. | | Recommendations | Settings → Recommendations. Add the publications you recommend; the Newsletter recommendations section lists them. | | Paid plans and Founding member | Settings → Tiers. Ghost's tiers show up in the Newsletter plans section; name one "Founding member" if you had it. | | Email design | Settings → Newsletters → Edit. Pick a serif title font and your accent colour so emails match the site. | | Welcome email | Settings → Welcome emails, for free and paid signups. | | Notes and the Substack app | No direct equivalent. Ghost's Network (Settings → Network) lets people follow you from other apps and see your posts there. | ## What's different, and what isn't Readers keep the parts they notice: the masthead, the reading column, the subscribe box, comments under posts, the archive and the links they saved. What changes is what you get as a writer: your own domain, your own design, no cut of your revenue, and a site you can take anywhere because Ghost is open source. Be honest with your readers about the move. Comments, likes and Notes don't come across (the [migration guide](https://www.ectobuilder.com/blog/migrate-substack-to-ghost/) lists everything), so a short "we've moved" post on Substack and a first email from Ghost go a long way. [![CTA Image](https://www.ectobuilder.com/content/images/size/w256h256/2026/06/Ecto_builder_logo_sq_small.png)](https://editor.ectobuilder.com/login?mode=signup&plan=free&ref=ectobuilder.com) ****Build your Ghost theme without code.** Pick a theme from the Ectobuilder gallery or start from scratch, change it by clicking, and publish it to your Ghost site. Start free and only pay if you’re happy with it. [Start free ](https://editor.ectobuilder.com/login?mode=signup&plan=free&ref=ectobuilder.com)