Publishing platform Substack is increasing its focus on video content by introducing the Substack Recording Studio, a feature for creators to pre-record and publish videos.
Available only on desktop, the studio supports solo videos and conversations with up to two guests. Creators can add custom watermarks, share screens, and receive auto-generated clips and thumbnails after recording.
Previously, video creation on Substack required going live or using various tools for recording, clip distribution, and thumbnail design, but Substack Studio integrates these tools into one platform.
Substack’s blog post states that creators using audio or video over the past 90 days saw 50% faster revenue growth than those who didn’t.
While known for newsletters, Substack is increasingly focusing on video, launching updates to compete with platforms like Patreon by encouraging multimedia content.
Substack began video uploads in 2022, allowed livestreaming and monetization last year, and created a $20 million Creator Accelerator Fund to attract creators from other platforms.
Similar to Instagram, Substack recently launched a TV app for Apple TV and Google TV, enabling video posts and livestreams on TV, with a TikTok-like “For You” row for recommendations.
Despite the trend of watching short videos on phones, there’s a shift toward TV screens for longer content. Netflix and YouTube are also investing in bringing video content like podcasts to TV, with significant viewing figures reported for YouTube in 2025.