Substack tested last year, allowing Substack Bestsellers (the company's top users) to stream video and connect with a live audience and even collaborate with other Bestsellers. Now, the feature is tomorrow to every Substack publisher that wants to go live. The only basic requirement apart from needing an account is having at least 10 free subscribers.
Publishers who go live can read comments as they enter, similar to Twitch. They can also collaborate with other publishers by asking them to join a call. Currently, Substack only supports up to three people in a call.
After your stream, you'll get a copy of the VOD as well as some AI-generated notes. The VOD can be posted as its own post to ensure that missed readers and fans can experience the stream on their own time. VODs are made public by default when shared as a post, but they can also be paywalled. Substack's AI can generate clips that you can share to entice viewers to watch basic VOD if you're interested in promoting your content elsewhere.
Substack says its Bestsellers are happy with the feature, which allows them to engage with their readers and viewers better than ever. The full impact of live video on Substack remains questionable until more publishers test it. Given how many options there are for streaming live video these days, it's far from a sure thing it's going to get here.
