Launch your own live video show on Substack
Tools to help you create a recurring series
Live video is emerging as a valuable tool on Substack, offering creators a new way to connect with their audience and build their creative business. Now many creators are making Live Video a regular part of their programming. Substackers such as
and are launching recurring live shows, joining others who cover topics from cooking to politics to sports.With more publishers experimenting with this format, we’ve rounded up a few quick lessons about how to host a live show that builds community and grows your business—simply by talking into your phone.
Learn more: How to go live
We aim to provide a comprehensive set of tools for publishers across mediums, adding value for subscribers and expanding audiences within and beyond the Substack network. Even if video isn’t usually your preferred medium, it might pay to explore—our data shows that writers and creators who use video grow their revenue 2.5 times as fast as those who don’t.
Whether you’re interested in experimenting or ready to build a regular live show, now is a great time to give it a try. Here are a few tips to help you make it happen.
Launching your own live video show
1. Try going live—then make it a habit
Getting comfortable with live video is the first step toward making it a valuable part of your content strategy. Start by going live a few times to experiment with the format, engage with your audience in real time, and see what resonates. Once you’ve tested the waters, we recommend establishing a regular schedule of livestreams. When your audience knows when to tune in, it builds consistency, strengthens engagement, and creates community.
Now, with live video scheduling available in the Substack iOS app, you can choose a specific time in advance and start building momentum early. When you schedule a stream, you’ll get a shareable RSVP link for Notes, posts, and social media, while subscribers receive automatic email and in-app reminders—so they never miss a moment.
Learn more: How to schedule a live video
Start by going live once a week and informing your subscribers via a dedicated Substack post so they know what to expect.
’s announcement about their new show, Meidas Meet Up, is a good example.Subscribers can tune in to watch your live videos from the app or on their desktop computers. If you’d like to maximize viewership while adding value for paid subscribers, you can keep the live video open to everyone while making the live chat within it exclusive to paid subscribers, like Jessica Reed Kraus did during her conversation with Meghan McCain. This can offer another revenue stream and foster an exclusive community experience.
2. Leverage collaborations to build a guest list
Collaborations are a powerful growth tool that allow you to access the Substack network, introduce your work to new audiences, and grow your subscriber base. By inviting fellow creators to stream with you, you’re tapping into their community while offering your subscribers fresh perspectives and dynamic conversations.
Looking for collaborators? Revisit publishers you’ve worked with in the past. Checking your audience overlap can also help identify valuable collaboration opportunities: it shows publications with the same subscribers on their email list, letting you spot potential partners. To explore these insights, go to Stats in your dashboard and select Subscriber Report.
Since joining Substack,
has seen incredible growth by going live daily with other publishers. He’s even brought friends and colleagues onto the platform—many of whom weren’t on Substack before. After creating an account, they were able to jump straight into engaging discussions.Whether it’s a guest interview, a panel discussion, or a casual conversation, streaming with others can elevate your content, foster meaningful interactions, and attract new subscribers.
“Live video on Substack brings newsmakers and influential voices together in a way we haven’t seen before on other platforms. I recommend inviting guests to join your live videos, whether they are established voices on Substack or new to the platform, as it is an excellent way to grow your audience and produce content your subscribers will love.” —Jim Acosta
2. Post the recording
After your live session ends, the recording is automatically saved as a draft in your Substack posts. To make publishing even easier, we’ve introduced automated enhancements, which refine your recorded live video by trimming dead space at the beginning, enhancing audio and video quality, and reformatting the layout into a polished side-by-side view. This ensures that your video looks professional and is ready to share with minimal effort.
goes live to break down the latest NFL news, then shares the recording so his community can keep the discussion going, even if they missed it live.3. Share clips on social media (and Notes)
Maximize your reach by sharing short clips from your live video. Substack automatically generates ready-to-post highlights, making it easy to share with just a few clicks. Posting these clips on Notes, X, Instagram, and TikTok will help attract new subscribers and drive engagement back to your Substack publication.
shared a clip from her cooking demo on Notes, while posted a highlight from her conversation with on Instagram.Learn more: How to create a clip
Substack Live Video is one of many tools we’re building to help writers and creators deepen their connection with their audience. Whether you’re hosting interviews with fellow Substackers, engaging subscribers in live Q&As, or sharing behind-the-scenes moments, live video makes it easy to bring your work to life in new ways. Even if you don’t typically use video, live shows offer a fresh way to engage with your audience that fits seamlessly into your existing workflow.
To help you get started, we hosted a virtual masterclass covering best practices and key features for launching your own live show. This session was open to all creators and took place on Wednesday, March 19. Watch the recording below!
Hey are you guys planning on adding any tools for writers? Like readability features in post editor, SEO tools, grammar analyzer, maybe a headline analyzer as well? I’ve seen a ton of options for video creators, not seeing much to help writers.
Call me crazy, but your core user seems to be a writer, why not give them basic tools to be better at their craft?
Please don't promote this. Be a writing app. Plenty of places to watch people's videos. Substack should not be one.
Thank you for saying this. They have such a unique position combining newsletters + social and they are throwing it away to chase Tik Tok creators.
Oh, I’m so happy to know that I’m not the only one thinking this. I avoid people’s live videos on Substack but like reading their posts.
I love this but I also am challenged with reading. I like this gives people options to take in info.
I like the idea of a video with a read for people with reading comprehension issues
Agreed. Please Lord do not turn this app into bloody Tik Tok!!!!
Substack has been overwhelmed by influencers since TikTok went right wing, and now it seems Substack is pushing everything they can to support these huge creators towards video, lives, and name dropping them in every publication post, while the rest of us get strangled out by folks with built in 500k audiences. What tools are you developing to help SMALL Substacks get visibility and growth? What tools related to WRITING are you working on; you know--the primary purpose for this platform? It is extremely frustrating.
Not sure about video, but a photography category? Yes please, many of us in here. It's such a great platform to slow down and absorb photography in your own time. Often while reading of the stories behind the photos and the photographer.
The stories behind the photo (or painting) are often not what we think. (I refer to my post “Do You See What I see?”)
‘Slow down and absorb’. That’s my kind of language.
You have instagram.
Photographers are here to share their story, not to accumilate the most likes on a picture.
Not for long form posts. Instagram is now geared towards scrolling and reels. I'm sure that there is room for many topics on here.
Agreed re long form content, but we wont get that. Substack appears to be just another platform trying to be everything to everybody as opposed to building out their niche. Video is a short cut to true thought and intellectual discourse. It is the hope that charisma, style, and personality can over compensate for lack of insight..
I love going live on Substack, and am often joined by great guests in the field of psychology, who all have expert opinions to share. The AI-edited clips generated after the show are a huge help and I share them across Substack, Instagram and TikTok.
I'm also a trauma-informed (and certified) therapist and am doing Collabs. Feel free to get in touch if you'd like to connect.
That sounds wonderful; I’ll message you
Does this have to be done on the phone? Can't I use my desk top? It's the primary source of everything for me. Shit, I don't even HAVE a phone.
I second the live from laptop part! I do have a phone but hate being on a tiny device and having to prop it or mount it. My laptop is already capable lol.
This is wonderful! I do a daily live so I’m excited for the add ons
I can't wait for that RSVP feature!! Everyone is always a little confused on how to join at first haha
Registered. Curious, why are you using zoom for the masterclass instead of your own live video? Is it because of the scheduling/RSVP option?
Great question, Ana. We’re planning to share a presentation via Zoom, and screen sharing isn't currently supported in Substack live video. Maybe one day! Looking forward to seeing you in the masterclass.
I figured. Thanks for confirming. Looking forward to the class and launching my video show soon!
Such an exciting opportunity 🙌💕
Need to add a Canva piece...I do all my slide presentations on Canva and then screen record it with Loom, but it would be nice if this was included on one site...The first platform that gives you video, screen recording, slide presentation and podcasting with a regular written piece will own the market.
Share screeen for presentations!!!
Great 👍 Thank you 🙏
Does this work with Stream Yard?
We have a beta RTMP streaming feature that works with Streamyard which I can opt you into if you'd like.
Is it still possible to get opted into the beta RTMP streaming feature? Or when will this be released for everyone? I’m holding out on doing lives because I use OBS.
RTMP access yes please
We use Streamyard too Zach. Could you please add us to the beta list? We are looking for ways to make our process more efficient. Thanks. Anita.
I would love to try too and give feedback. I use to do many complex Livestreaming sessions. It would be awesome.
Can I get into the beta too please?
I also use Streamyard, and have had a steady podcast for quite a while. Would love to keep using that platform, which allows me to host a wide source of guests each week. It doesn't restrict them to Substack members. In fact, it would introduce them to a wider audience, if live streamed from Streamyard to Substack.
I would love to stream live to Substack, the same way I do to my homepage, Gettr and Rumble.
They’re gatekeeping the experience to keep them exclusive to Substack. They CLEARLY don’t want multistreamers, which is insulting IMO.
So now that Substack is turning into YouTube or Facebook, where should writers go?
During my last LIVE session, I fielded questions using my phone (simultaneously recording). Is there a way I can view the backchat questions from my laptop while filming from my phone and the Substack app? I want to make sure I can address all the questions asked during the LIVE broadcast!
Not at this time, but one option is to post a thread in your Chat, letting subscribers know when you’re going live and that you’ll be pulling questions from there. This helps promote the livestream, boosts attendance, and allows you to easily view questions from your laptop. Hope this helps!
That's a great idea! I gathered questions from the Chat before my LIVE session, but I never thought to use is during the session. Thanks!
GOOOOD tip!
Matt's suggestion is a great one. Another option is to open the live stream on your desktop computer and mute the volume. Then you can scroll through the live video chat on desktop
Thanks for this tip!!!
Hey Zach@Substack - I don't know where else to put this - I started livestreaming every day this week and beginning Monday, I'll be doing a regular "show" on Mondays at 12noon ET "Mind Matters: Anxiety Relief for Busy People" (anybody raise their hand to that?!) Is there a "list" to get on to promote? Thanks!
I thought about doing that, but was unsure if I could join my own live stream. I didn’t see it as an option the last time I went live. Do I have to subscribe to my own Substack to have access to the live stream?
You should see it at the top of your publication website 1 minute after the stream starts. You can easily join from there
Thanks!
Just to let everybody know, since carrothead took office, he’s cost the American taxpayer 10.7 million dollars to play golf So much for doge
Score a point for Macron today when Trump said Zelenskyy had to pay back all the relief money. Then Macron put his hand on trumps arm to correct him saying it was not nessesary to pay it back . And how did he reply with an air of leadership quality, “ you can believe that if you want to “ What a child! Another plane returning to the airport with smoke in the cabin. The aviation industry is going to shit these days what with no FAA involvement. What’s that, 10 to 15 airplane incidents since Trump took office. I wouldn’t want to fly these days!!
Nobody pays attention to your kind of unsubstantiated and boring TDS,
"it's Trump's fault" ... why don't you call up Maxine and Cory and get on live with them? Big snore. Do the research before you post craziness.
Question: Is there a file size or time limit for videos? I'm a yoga teacher specializing in gentle yoga for beginners, boomers and seniors. I could see potentially posting & monetizing classes on Substack, but I'm not sure if I will "max out" the video capacity. My classes typically range about 60 min. I could also imagine doing shorter practices, clips and tips. If anyone has any insight or feedback, that would be much appreciated. Thanks! - Glo
Hi Gloria - You should have no problem uploading a 60 minute video or recording a 60 minute live video. Our max upload file size on web is 20GB.
Thanks, Zach, that’s great to know!
This is awesome!
Hey Jeremy, let’s see if you want to debate me on live
Every single tech startup eventually forgets what problem they set out to solve and what audience they set out to serve. Every single time.
It's a great idea but personally I didn't join Substack to create a business. I will be interested to see some of the results.
Great work guys! Going live on desktop next would be awesome. My guess is that's already underway.
Very soon, very soon
This is all wonderful but when can we stream live on the site vs on a smartphone (which I hate the format of)? I can go live on Instagram before 120k people I don’t need Substack for this same format and use - so can we go live using our desktop at some point?
https://open.substack.com/pub/starfirecodes/p/the-scroll-ka-chow-fellow-weirdos?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=wwvoq
Do Substack platforms now allow the truth to be public? Because Substack censorship still blocked me.
My request is to please give us stream keys so we can go live on desktop
I already do a weekly show on YouTube and Twitch and with a stream key from Substack I could multistream the show to this audience as well
I really, really hope we get this feature
Is this feature going to be available outside just the app?
Live streams are now viewable on web and your publication site! Filming a live stream isn't available on web yet.
Glad to see you write “yet”.
That was intentional :)
great news!
I’m so excited to join this masterclass! Can’t wait to learn a lot more about going live for my podcast!
What do I do if I hate live videos and am purposefully on this app to avoid it and want to never get suggested a live video on my home page ever - no matter who is on it?? If that isn’t a setting yet, I humbly request you make it one.
Update: I have decided I will unfollow, mute and potentially block if needed anyone who posts live videos - no matter how much I like their written content. That is the only way to prevent the live videos from appearing on my feed and I hate it enough that it is a sacrifice I am willing to make.
I won't be using Live on Substack as it doesn't pay like TikTok. Those of us who are not celebrities and don't have hundreds of paid subscribers won't benefit from going live here, which takes a lot of effort and there is no guarantee that free subscribers will be converted into paid subscribers through watching lives.
Personally I do a lot of audio broadcast (on WhatsApp) and am hoping that soon I will be able to send out my notes via audio
I have a new work colleague who will teach me how to use canva as she is very experienced in this and I am a complete beginner at it. But my new boss expects me to do all my work on this website.
Except I am going through the worst spiritual warfare of all mankind's existence. You will have to read my autobiography this summer to fully understand what has happened to me and how to survive it sane and alive after decades. This can happen to anyone.
I have just landed a TV career in London UK last night with a new TV Production Company which is going to lead to regular paid work and Is a field I specialise in. I already appeared on TV BBC Holby city and Channel 5 Bargain Brits on Benefits as well as 90s BBC TV debate show Kilroy daytime show as well as Student movies.
What will Substack be doing to help promote the Lives? A good place to start would probably be to put live feature on the main menu on the homepage of Substack so that people can discover.
When you go live, it will appear at the top of your subscribers’ reading queue in their Notes feed!
This is awesome. I've been having issues getting my Theory of Indivisibility podcast to "send to everyone" on my email list. I sent a support message over a month ago and haven't heard anything. How can I get support with this?
Just want to echo the requests for text tool updates as well. It couldn't be that hard to update customization options like more font choices, centering/orienting text, underlining, and soooooo many more. Please remember whom your success is built upon. Thank you.
Great idea
You guys are rolling out new tools before the old ones are perfected. Android users can't schedule their lives yet, but you're talking about creators scheduling their "shows."
Also, before I'd ever lock off my live comments for paid subs, the comment scroll has got to be better. It's way too easy to miss comments/questions the way the comment feed currently is.
Thank you! This feels so much more encouraging to create live video than on other platforms!
When we schedule a LIVE are we able to jump on 15 mins before the LIVE starts and talk to the person we are collaborating with?
I agree with a lot of the comments - just double down on making reading the written word as fun as watching a video - I love video but substack should be text first and foremost.
Hey Zach, not sure if you're still checking in here. Wanted to report something your team may want to take a look at. Did my first livestream after your fantastic workshop this week. As Chat messages came in, I could only read the first line under a name. So if the subscriber wrote more than one short sentence, I could not see who was writing it as their name and first line of the message would fade out at the top. This was a bit frustrating. With that said, I'll try opening my stream in notes with the volume off and see if I can see the messages come in that way. Loving this feature so far; got two annual and one monthly paid subscribers from the first stream and my subscribers (especially those who came here from my YouTube channel) are so excited I can stream here - thanks again to your team.
I am sooooo excited about this Substack . I was an early user of LinkedIn Live (2018) I even have a LinkedIn Learning course on going Live. But my live experience goes way back to 2013 with Google Hangouts On Air. I can't wait till you release this feature more widely. I have a broadcast background and I love using more advanced/produced tools and graphics. I am already starting to plan my show. The minute you flip the switch on my account I'll be ready to go LIVE.
I do not want to see videos on here and certainly not live videos. It is nice and peaceful and I get to read in silence. You’re trying to turn this into Tik Tok - you will lose a LOT of customers.
I've been loving this live video feature and did FIVE shows in a row over five weeks as my launch test. I played with the advanced RTMP feature allowing me to stream from my big camera in my home studio (it's in beta and i learned the hard way Substack doesn't auto-save those streams). Anyone who wants to see what's possible, please check out my "newsletter" for some past examples.
This looks so great!
I'm afraid of posting anything on Substack because of the incredible -- and apparently allowed, maybe even encouraged(?) -- amounts of hatred against Jews and particularly Israelis. I posted something about my experience and got a follower whose every post was just about how awful and wrong Israel (supposedly!) is. It was sickening. I am terrified. I am afraid to post this, as well! So sad .... I thought I'd finally found a safe space -- and maybe for a while I had? -- but then, it wasn't ....
About this being for writers, well, I think writers make a different kind of video; I think of Etgar Keret's approach to film-making -- when he was told if they did things a certain way, people may or may not notice it, and it 'should' be done in a more explosive, obvious, loud, in-your-face way and he said that was good, he didn't want it to be obvious, he wanted his film to be more like a book and whoever noticed it (this particular detail) noticed it and whoever did not would not .... Also, do people here not realize that television writers are writers, too?
Can't verify my phone number which is required to go live.
This cracks me up. We did this a decade ago on Periscope…
Hi, I love this as a new method of creative expression on Substack! I would like the ability to change my video on an apple device to "Desk View" so I can share myself creating a journaling page for my subscribers.
Awesome - once the registration and RSVP emails are on offer, we'll be able to move our live video meetups for the Austen Connection Great Jane Austen Read-Along to Substack live video. Yay! 🎉 Thanks for this info!
Substack wants me to go live. To beam my face, my thoughts, my unfiltered riffs straight into the palms of my subscribers. They’re pitching it like it’s the next evolutionary step for storytelling—less writing, more talking, more vibing. A rolling conversation between creator and audience, no editor, no gatekeeper, just pure feed energy.
They’re not wrong. But they’re not right either.
I’ve spent a career learning that the story and the performance of the story are two different beasts. One requires reflection, structure, silence. The other feeds on immediacy—the dopamine rush of real-time reaction. Substack, in its bid to become both newsroom and stage, wants us to believe we can do both at once. That you can be thoughtful while performing, that you can build intimacy while courting attention. It’s the kind of techno-optimism that would make Marshall McLuhan choke on his pipe smoke.
Substack does not allow me to post anymore - I have no idea why. The support take days or weeks to answer. I'm lost in the dark. Would anyone know if there's an email or human being at Substack to help? Talking to an AI bot is frustrating.
Y’all fell off, come to the my profile and educate yourself
What’s uppp
Your website is messed up!! Please help!! Look at my profile, I detailed it “Substack censoring”
Can the videos be downloaded? 👀
The beginning of the end. Well done Substack for falling for the same plain bullshit as other platforms. Was expected.
We are here to write and read. Not to watch videos, live reels etc… not even for the notes.
Focus on your core business please!
Work with AI to translate every post in every possible language, that would be a big game changer. Not the live videos… 🙄🙄🙄
Oh no lol. Text and audio are plenty! Does the audio even do transcriptions?
Hey, I was trying to connect the live stream ability to a streaming app online called stream Yard. There was something that I needed Substack to activate in order to do this. They said they would get back to me in the chat within a week and it’s been a week. I was wondering if you could point me in the right direction.
Hi, nice features.
Is it possible to have rtmp beta ?
okay. thank you
This is great but I never get the code that is supposed to be sent after adding my phone.
That's gonna be a nah from me dawg.
Any timeline updates for filming livestream via web?
What's the point? I followed the 'suggestions' and according to SubStack's own reporting, I didn't get one single view!
That means SubStack failed to distribute my content to a single reader/viewer I don't even know or care.
Unsubscribing from this worthless platform.
The substack.com psyopp