Substack trending today: Oct 17, 2026

The Lowe Post remains rank 1 on Substack for October 17, 2026, snapshot 08:01:39.006720, the same Zach Lowe basketball newsletter that led October 16. Persisters is new at rank 3. Thank Me Later is new at rank 8. Eslimah is new at rank 9. The Babylon Bee slips from rank 3 to rank 4. Always On with Marina Hyde holds rank 2.

The Lowe Post
NBA newsletter at rank 1, same slot as October 16. Zach Lowe's basketball letter remains the board leader. No widely reported October 17 guest-note trigger identified beyond the continued hold.
Always On with Marina Hyde
Media column at rank 2, same slot as October 16. Hyde's Guardian-adjacent letter holds the second slot. No widely reported trigger identified for October 17, 2026.
Persisters
New newsletter at rank 3. The row replaces The Babylon Bee at this slot. Streets of Washington lists a Persisters letter by Petula Dvorak; a separate PERSISTers of Wisconsin weekly-actions letter also exists. No widely reported October 17 issue title was attached to this exact board name.
The Babylon Bee
Satire newsletter at rank 4 after rank 3, down 1. Holds the fourth slot after Persisters entered. No widely reported trigger identified for October 17, 2026.
Hussain Makke
Creator letter at rank 5 after rank 6, up 1. No widely reported October 17 issue trigger identified.
hanapee
Creator letter at rank 6 after rank 4, down 2. No widely reported October 17 issue trigger identified.
Noth Things
Creator letter at rank 7 after rank 5, down 2. Entered yesterday at rank 5. No widely reported October 17 issue trigger identified.
Thank Me Later
New newsletter at rank 8. The row replaces Martini Mondays. No widely reported news trigger identified for the October 17 entry beyond the debut.
Eslimah
New newsletter at rank 9. The row replaces The Anti-Inflammatory Club. No widely reported news trigger identified for the October 17 entry beyond the debut.
Josh Appelbaum
Creator letter at rank 10 after rank 7, down 3. Entered yesterday at rank 7. Largest drop among names that stayed. The row remains after Latrice Littleton dropped off.

The live ranked board beyond today's top 10 is available via the Trends MCP API. Get your free API key

What changed on Substack since yesterday

New: Persisters at 3, Thank Me Later at 8, Eslimah at 9. Drop-off: Martini Mondays (rank 8), The Anti-Inflammatory Club (rank 9), Latrice Littleton (rank 10). Movers of 5 or more ranks: none. Other moves: Babylon Bee 3 to 4, Hussain Makke 6 to 5, hanapee 4 to 6, Noth Things 5 to 7, Josh Appelbaum 7 to 10. Held: Lowe Post 1, Marina Hyde 2. Clock 08:01:36.048850 on October 16 to 08:01:39.006720 on 2026-10-17.

What today's Substack trends reveal

The top 2 is still sport and a media column. Rank 3 is the rotation: Persisters in, Babylon Bee down one. Three creator letters (Thank Me Later, Eslimah, and the Josh Appelbaum hold at 10) replaced a cocktail letter, a wellness club, and Latrice Littleton.

No 5-rank jump. The named fixture remains Lowe at 1. See the Substack trending API page.

Track these trends in real time with Trends MCP

The ranked list came from the Trends MCP get_top_trends tool with type Substack and limit 10. Newsletter desks can poll the same board for creator rotations.