Substack introduces live video and prize to attract TikTok creators.
What a weekend!
TikTok is back online in the U.S. after a frenzied 12-hour shutdown, following President-elect Donald Trump’s commitment to delay the ban and explore a solution to keep the platform accessible.?
The blackout stemmed from national security concerns about its China-based owner, ByteDance, but Trump’s intervention reassured service providers to resume operations.?
While its return is a relief for 170 million U.S. users, TikTok’s future remains uncertain, relying on a potential sale or legislative changes to address ongoing political concerns.
The Scramble for TikTok “Refugees”
With the prospect of the TikTok ban, the social platforms have been working their behinds off to attract creators and their followings.
Snapchat is rolling out a “Find Your Favorites on Snapchat” campaign, leveraging its Stories and Spotlight features to woo creators and audiences alike.
YouTube has extended its Shorts feature, allowing creators to produce three-minute clips, aiming to capture the short-form content market.?
RedNote (Xiaohongshu), another Chinese social app, has surged in popularity as users have tried to find an alternative to their beloved TiKTok.
Trying to keep up with the more traditional platforms, Substack has also made some moves to woo creators.
Substack’s New Live Video Feature
Substack, the subscription-based platform known for showcasing writers, is expanding its capabilities with live video, making the feature accessible to all creators. This addition, previously limited to its Bestsellers, aims to pomote real-time audience engagement and collaboration among its publishers.
Key Features Include:
Substack is also upping the stakes with its TikTok Liberation Prize, offering $25,000 to the creator who produces the most “impactful video encouraging their audience to migrate to Substack. Rather than simply rewarding virality, the contest emphasizes building a sustainable community, with the winner announced on January 19.”
Substack is showing it wants to help creators through uncertain times by offering a steady, subscription-based platform without the ups and downs of algorithms.
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Zooming Out:?
The TikTok ban and the subsequent platform scramble illustrate a growing trend: creators are moving away from dependency on single platforms. Algorithmic changes, policy shifts, and fluctuating ad revenues have prompted many influencers to seek more stable and direct connections with their audiences. ?
Platforms like Substack and Patreon are filling this gap, blending community-building with monetization tools. However, as these platforms incorporate features like video to attract creators, some loyal users worry about the "TikTokification" of traditionally niche spaces. ?
As one Substack user put it: "What brings Substack value is the fact that we have people that have enough brain power to sit and read meaningful articles. Won't this 'kill the golden goose' and feed the instant-attention economy?"
Best Underrated YouTube Channels to Watch in 2025
With over a hundred and thirty million active YouTube channels, it’s easy get lost in the platform’s vast ocean of content. To help you discover some standout creators, we’ve compiled a list of 12 underrated channels that deserve a spot on your radar in 2025. These channels aren’t newcomers to YouTube. Behind each one is a dedicated creator who has spent years steadily producing quality content and building a loyal, engaged community.?
Whether you're a brand seeking new partnerships, a fellow creator looking for inspiration,? or a viewer hoping to discover something new, here are 12 YouTube channels worth watching in 2025.
Read the full list here.
ICYMI
And you thought that YOU were having a bad day...
A French woman was scammed out of €830K by someone posing as Brad Pitt, who proposed, promised lavish gifts, and claimed to need money for urgent cancer treatment, claiming they couldn’t use their own money due to Pitt’s divorce from Angelina Jolie. The scammer sent AI-generated photos of a bedridden “Pitt” to make the story believable.
Here's an example of the images they used: