Substack Goes Full TikTok Mode
Substack is no longer just a home for long-form newsletters. The platform is taking another deliberate step into social media territory with the launch of a vertical video feed inside its mobile app. The new TikTok-style interface is technically a redesign of its existing Media tab, introduced in 2024—but make no mistake, the intent is clear: Substack wants in on the short-form video game currently dominated by TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts.
The new feed includes scrollable videos from creators you follow as well as algorithmically recommended content. It blends several formats of short-form video—from clips posted via Substack Notes (its microblogging tool reminiscent of Twitter), to snippets pulled from longer video posts, and soon, previews of podcast episodes.
This move isn't coming out of nowhere. Substack has been steadily building up its multimedia arsenal over the past few years. Native video support came in 2022, expanded functionality followed in 2023, and live video streaming was added in 2024. Now, with short vertical video, the company is making its most consumer-facing push yet into the social media space.
And it's working—at least for creators. According to Substack, 82% of its top-earning writers now use multimedia in some form, a significant jump from just over 50% last April. Supporting short-form video could push that number even higher and attract a new wave of creators who think in clips, not essays.
There’s also a strategic layer to the timing. The temporary reprieve that spared TikTok from a U.S. ban under President Trump is set to expire in April. If enforcement resumes, creators and audiences alike may be searching for alternatives—opening a potential lane for Substack to offer not just a home for written content, but a credible vertical video destination.
By revamping its app to spotlight video, Substack is trying to future-proof itself as more than just a newsletter platform. It's positioning as a hybrid between a creator tool, a media hub, and a discovery engine—part TikTok, part Twitter, part YouTube, and still, part Substack.
The lines between platforms are blurring—and Substack clearly doesn’t want to be left behind.
