We can now add Substack to the list of companies that are courting streamers. The publishing platform has introduced a live video format that enables up-to-the-moment coverage of breaking news and current events.
In an introductory blog post, Substack explained that it rolled out live video to meet the demand of certain newsletter publishers. “Live video arrives as more writers and creators use Substack to reach their subscribers while events unfold, often hosting dynamic conversations about breaking news and live events via Chat,” reads the post. “With publishers requesting ever-richer ways to connect, live video provides a new way to meaningfully engage with your audience.”
Substack users can go live directly from the platform’s mobile app, and their followers will be notified when a broadcast begins. Completed recordings will be saved as drafts, allowing them to be incorporated into future long-form posts.
Early users of live video on Substack have employed the format for “Ask Me Anything“-style Q&As and immediate coverage from gatherings like the Democratic National Convention. Paywalled broadcasts are also an option, and Substack users on iOS can invite collaborators
to join them on stream. (Android users can’t send those invites just yet.)Substack is one of several newsletter builders that broke out during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. Like its contemporaries, it is now exploring new territory beyond its signature format. After introducing native video in 2022 and embracing video podcasts a year later, Substack is now taking a cue from app-based streaming giants like Instagram and TikTok.
Insta’s IG Live format has turned creators like Druski into beloved entertainers, and the TikTok Live community is a bustling space filled with ecommerce opportunities. YouTube is now getting in on the fun, too; it recently revealed Jewels, a revenue stream tailor-made for vertical live streams.
Substack’s take on live video will bring the news to its 35 million subscribers. For more info about the platform’s new product, click here.
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