Starting today, Substack will let creators monetize their videos by hiding them behind a paywall. It’s part of a push to nab disaffected users from TikTok in the wake of the US’ “will they or won’t they” romance subplot, regarding TikTok’s still-looming ban in the US.
Substack introduced videos back in 2022, but it’s always played second fiddle to the written word on the platform when it came to turning a buck.
Videos by VICE
how to post paywalled videos
For now, at least, Substack will only support videos up to 20GB. They’ve put together a video to show you how to use the new feature. If you don’t want to have to watch a video just to glean what should be a quick and easy information grab (seriously, why is this a trend?), the process goes like this, according to Substack:
- Click the + icon to create a new post
- Select Video and upload the file from your gallery
- Add a title and description
- Choose whether to notify subscribers and whether you want to paywall the post
- Click Publish
“Previously, creators could share video posts only on desktop, limiting their ability to publish on the go. This update marks the first time they can upload, publish, and monetize video directly from their phones,” Substack wrote in the announcement. “Each video post reaches subscribers instantly through email, app notifications, or both, ensuring a direct connection with their audience.”
Substack hasn’t been shy about its ambitions to chomp away at TikTok’s dominance in mobile video. It was only on January 14, 2025 that TikTok added the ability for creators to livestream video.
And just look at their recent video-creation contest, in which they gave away $25,000. It was called the TikTok Liberation Prize. Shots fired.
“This is just the first iteration of in-app video publishing,” wrote Substsack. “We’re already exploring features that will make video on Substack even more powerful, including trimming and editing tools, free preview options, enhanced analytics, and improved playback controls.”
As long as Substack remembers why people grew their platform in the first place and doesn’t try to go the Instagram “Threads” route of playing outright copycat to TikTok’s business model, I’m all for expanding creators’ options.
