Prime Highlights:
- Substack has a TikTok-like video feed, where writers can upload short-form video content.
- The feature gets more eyes on writers’ work by offering more than average newsletters.
Key Fact:
- Short-form video content such as video notes and clips will be supported first, with longer content rollout to follow.
- Substack aims to capitalize on the increasing multimedia trend and get more engaged audiences.
Key Background:
Substack is expanding its feature set to include multimedia content, a shift from its text-based newsletter origins. As the popularity and scope of TikTok have grown, Substack has introduced a video feed that replicates the scroll-based nature of TikTok. The action is one of Substack’s broader strategies to enable creators to diversify content and monetization channels.
The launch is Substack’s attempt to stay current in the content creation space, especially with the fate of TikTok hanging in the balance in America. With the launch of this short video stream, Substack is looking to fill the void in case TikTok faces regulatory issues. Although Substack has already succeeded with video posts, beginning in 2022, it has now shifted its Media Tab as a scrollable, interactive feed.
Substack’s move is against the backdrop that 82% of its top creators employ multimedia in their newsletters, a sign of growing demand for greater content. Substack has challenged creators to break away from text content, surfing on the growing popularity of short video content on all social media. The action will provide added discovery of content in addition to increased engagement, enabling the creator to gain access to an increased audience over and above the current subscriber list.
This TikTok-like integration brings Substack into alignment with other platforms, such as Instagram, YouTube, and Snapchat, which have rolled out similar short-form video streams to their sites. The video stream will further propel Substack’s expansion as a multi-form content-sharing site that will enable creators to thrive in a growing visual and dynamic online environment.
