Substack wants video creators

Deadline for the newsletter platform's inaugural creator studio cohort is May 17

May 09, 2024

I didn’t expect to be writing again so soon, but then I also promised I would write when there was something worth sharing. This counts, especially because there’s a looming deadline.

Substack announced a new program yesterday designed to support video creators. Dubbed the “Substack Creator Studio” this is clearly the newsletter giant’s attempt to expand into the video space just as TikTok is facing an uncertain future. It’s also another attempt at diversification, which is smart. (A couple years ago the platform rolled out support for podcasts and as recently as last month announced a distro deal with Spotify.)

The deadline for applicants is May 17. There’s an FAQ here along with the link to apply.

Here’s what I like about what Substack is trying: They’re supporting independent creators in ways that are super-needed by folks who are just entering, or considering getting into, the independent fray. Things like content strategy, production support, comms and marketing, etc.:

We’ll select 10 fellows who cover a wide range of subjects and give them access to world-class strategic support and promotion. We’re thrilled to partner with Adam Faze and the team at Gymnasium, the short-form television studio behind the hit show Boy Room, as part of this program. Each creator will receive consulting and production support from the Gymnasium team, which has a track record of developing innovative, original series that have been watched more than 250 million times. On top of that, these 10 winners will get white-glove technical support during their launch process, a robust marketing commitment, and a program-culminating event to celebrate their work. 

Some initial thoughts:

Revenue: This experiment will get us closer to answering the question of whether video can be successful as a more curated (paid for) experience in the same way newsletters and some podcasts have. Like the resurgence of Barnes & Noble and LPs, the success of subscriber-first newsletters that Substack ushered in was calculated, but still surprising in just how successful it has been. So, will people subscribe to a video/newsetter mashup and will they pay for it at a large enough scale to supplant an ad model?

Every video creator I’ve spoken with as I’ve researched Project C has told me the only way to create a sustainable living as an independent video maker right now is to sell ads against a scaled audience. It’s just the reality right now. You can’t make a decent living from Patreon contributions unless and until you have a bigger audience base and the philanthropic world isn’t supporting independent work in any real way yet.

Content strategy: Content created for a scaled audience is just fundamentally different than content created for a self-selected loyal fan willing to pay out of their own pocket. So ideally a part of this experiment will give us some real data to work with here to help frame business model and audience strategies in the future.

TikTok and YouTube’s firehose of content mediated by a puzzling algorithm continues to present a huge opportunity for some creators (like the buzzy-right-now Boy Room show creators Substack enlisted to help here) and challenging for others, like journalists who see their fact-based content side-by-side with dis- and misinformation generated by dumbasses and AI. And while the Substack solution would elevate them above the firehose and their strong recommendations engine would help with growth, it creates the equally disturbing problem of this content now only being available to someone who can afford to pay for it. So, goodbye equitable access.

Questions remain:

  • I’d love to hear from anyone who participated in Substack’s similarly opportunistic program aimed at local journalists back in 2021. At the time, my former Vox colleague Peter Kafka called the initiative an “untested thesis” and I haven’t seen much follow up to find out how things ultimately worked out for those journalists and their projects.

  • I’m also curious about Substack’s choice of mentors. While Boys Room is buzzy, their experience so far is building a big audience on a very different platform, TikTok. Is their guidance limited to building on Substack or will they help with YouTube, TikTok and social strategy? Are they similarly launching a Substack project to test all of this out themselves?

  • Finally, how journalism-friendly is this fellowship? I have a question out to Substack, but if any of you fine company folks are reading – please reach out or comment below to tell us more about your thinking about how this program can support independent creator journalism.

Okay, now I PROMISE you won’t hear from me three days in a row. But I would love to hear from you. Leave a comment below, hit me up on Threads or shoot me an email at [email protected].

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