Substack to Launch Video Feature Soon

Substack Introduces Video Uploads in Beta Testing

Substack, a prominent newsletter monetization platform, has announced the commencement of beta testing for video uploads. This information was published on the company’s official blog today.

Creators utilizing the platform will have the ability to determine whether uploaded videos are accessible to all readers or restricted behind a paywall, mirroring the existing functionality for newsletter posts.

Limited Initial Availability

Currently, this feature is being tested with a select group of users. However, Substack anticipates a broader release, stating that video functionality “will be rolled out to everyone in the coming weeks.”

Expanding Creator Engagement

The introduction of video capabilities provides newsletter publishers with an additional avenue for engaging their subscriber base. A new dimension of content creation is now available.

Substack highlighted songwriter Patti Smith as an example, noting her posting of a video featuring a piano performance of “Peaceable Kingdom,” recorded via webcam in her home.

Other participants in the beta program have shared cooking demonstrations and recordings of panel discussions.

Technical Specifications and Features

Writers can now directly record or upload videos through the platform, regardless of whether they are using a mobile device or a web browser.

The platform supports video files up to 20GB in size, accepting formats such as 3GP, AAC, AVI, FLV, MP4, MOV, and MPEG-2.

In email newsletters, videos will be displayed as clickable images.

Creators can also select a short preview clip of subscriber-only videos to serve as a teaser for free subscribers.

Enhanced Content Security

This native video tool aims to improve the security of paywalled content. Embedding videos from external platforms like YouTube carries the risk of link sharing, potentially granting access to non-paying users.

Patreon is also actively developing a similar native video feature to address this same concern.

Ownership and Control

Substack emphasized that creators retain full ownership of their content. Furthermore, the content remains connected to a mailing list that the creator completely owns and controls.