The TikTok ban may still be on the horizon this week, and social media companies are scrambling to provide their userbase with the same video content experience they have on the app if the ban goes through. Substack, the self-publishing platform for independent creators, is preparing for the ban by incorporating a TikTok-style feed onto the app.
The company updated the Substack app on Monday, per a report from TechCrunch, allowing users and creators to scroll through the video feed from the Media tab. According to Fast Company, Substack is taking pages out of TikTok’s playbook by allowing its creators to upload their videos that run for up to 10 minutes and making videos available for both subscribers and non-subscribers. Product manager Zach Taylor told the same outlet that the updated Media tabs makes it easier for people to discover content from their favorite creators and those they haven’t heard of yet.
“Substack isn’t built around any one medium—it’s built around creators. We’re committed to giving them the tools to share their work, connect with subscribers, and contribute to a thriving network of independent voices,” Taylor said. “As we expand publishing capabilities across formats, the updated media tab makes it easier to discover standout video content from across the network—whether it’s a sharp take, a compelling story, or a powerful clip that sparks connection.”
Substack’s Media tab being updated into a TikTok-style video feed comes just one month after the company began allowing creators to monetize their video content on the platform, giving them the ability to publish their videos directly from the app and grow their income from diversifying their content. This move came after TikTok got banned the first time on January 19, only for ByteDance to bring it back online 12 hours later with the help of President Donald Trump, who extended the deadline on the ban for 75 more days to give ByteDance more time to sell it to a U.S.-based company.
As for when videos started getting posted to Substack, the company introduced native video in 2022, giving creators a choice to keep it behind a paywall like its newsletters. Two years later, it launched the Media tab on the app, though it wasn’t as popular as it’s going to be now.
