Substack updated its app to make it even more like TikTok

Substack is taking one more step towards becoming an all-in-one social media / creator platform by adding a vertical video feed to its app. Technically, the new TikTok-style feed is a redesign of the existing Media tab that the company added to the app in 2024, but either way Substack's intentions are clear: It wants a piece of the short-video pie currently being shared by Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.

The feed features scrollable videos from creators you're subscribed to and others that have been algorithmically suggested. Multiple forms of short-form content can be included, like videos posted through Substack Notes, the company's Twitter-esque microblogging feature, clips from longer video posts and eventually previews of podcasts.

Adding multimedia features like podcasts and videos has been a boon to creators, according to Substack. The company says that "82% of Substack’s top-earning writers are using multimedia, up from just over 50% last April." Supporting short-form videos is an attempt to push things even further.

Substack added support for native video in 2022, expanded those features in 2023 and more recently, gave creators the ability to host live video streams in 2024. The company has been pretty upfront that it views Substack as a home for more than just newsletters, and it's been trying to court TikTok creators specifically since at least 2024. 

Redesigning the Substack app gives subscribers a new way to find creators to follow, and makes the platform a better home for a whole new type of creator. The timing of Substack's change is purposeful. The extra breathing room President Trump gave TikTok by not enforcing the app's ban is supposed to end in April, meaning there could be room for alternative vertical video apps.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/substack-updated-its-app-to-make-it-even-more-like-tiktok-193415204.html?src=rss https://www.engadget.com/social-media/substack-updated-its-app-to-make-it-even-more-like-tiktok-193415204.html?src=rss
Created 22d | Mar 31, 2025, 8:20:16 PM


Login to add comment

Other posts in this group

Instagram is rolling out Edits, its CapCut competitor

Earlier this year, right as TikTok and other ByteDance apps were temporarily pulled from Apple and Google’s app stores, Meta announced that it was working on a new video editing app tailored to Ins

Apr 22, 2025, 6:20:35 PM | Engadget
Overwatch 2's frenetic Stadium mode is a new lease on life for my go-to game

I try to play as broad a swathe of games as I can, including as many of the major releases as I am able to get to. Baldur's Gate 3 garnered near-universal praise when it arrived in 2023, a

Apr 22, 2025, 6:20:33 PM | Engadget
The Espresso Series 1 is the new crown jewel in Fellow's coffee gadget lineup

Fellow has been slowly growing its collection of coffee gadgets with its

Apr 22, 2025, 6:20:32 PM | Engadget
Pinterest will warn kids not to use its app during school hours

Pinterest is testing a new prompt that warns kids to get off the app during school hours,

Apr 22, 2025, 6:20:31 PM | Engadget
Apple's latest iPad drops to a record-low price

Looking to pick up an iPad for carrying out basic tasks like watching shows, catching up on reading and handling some email? The latest base model might be the way to go, especially if you’re a bud

Apr 22, 2025, 4:10:22 PM | Engadget