I’m not looking forward to ads, but I am looking forward to automations so I can create a true welcome experience.
Also hoping Substack adds more community features in app, so we can house all of those other digital products & services in one place & create a true digital home.
I'm happy to hear Substack's evolving to make it easier for creators to be seen and rewarded. And hopefully it keeps the generosity and creative spirit that brought many of us here.
I'm too new to say what I'm most excited for in 2026 because after reading your article I'm excited for all the features I'm not currently taking advantage of in 2025 LOL.
I'd imagine video is going to be huge. Right now YouTube is the only video platform to regularly show up in Google search results. Obviously that makes sense from a business standpoint for Google, but also there isn't another video platform that really competes with YouTube.
It will be interesting to see what this feature of Substack goes in the future!
Definitely paid ads everywhere. It’s only a matter of time.
I also predict that the best marketing strategy for solopreneurs and creators in 2026 and beyond will be "weirdness." Playing it professional and philosophical won't be that appealing on Substack anymore.
More competitors and niche-focused platforms will appear (a platform dedicated to multi-passionates, another for people with ADHD, etc.) so they'd better level up their game... Maybe I should just write a post about this, what a long comment😅
I didnt know of alot of these changes coming, but I’m even more excited about Substack in 2026. I just joined in September and I love this platform. @Jari Roomer
Thanks team! Some great insights here. Really pleased to see you've put so much emphasis on the importance of community building. I'm also really excited to see how we can utilise email automations when they get rolled out for the wider user base in 2026.
This was a really great breakdown. Thank you very much for putting this together.
I'm sitting over here patiently waiting for these email automations to come out but not yet I guess. Or maybe the easiest answer is to become a bestseller and maybe I get on this beta test team that they got here.
I really liked how you highlighted a lot of these features like video and audio and showing your personality. That's really what I'm going to be trying to lean into more in 2026 for my publication as well. I think those simple things that provide more honesty, transparency, and authenticity are going to be major trust factors
I’m not looking forward to ads, but I am looking forward to automations so I can create a true welcome experience.
Also hoping Substack adds more community features in app, so we can house all of those other digital products & services in one place & create a true digital home.
Yeah if we could host digital products and services directly on Substack, that would be a biggg upgrade!
I don’t think anyone is really looking forward to ads, it just makes sense from a business/monetization perspective.
I'm happy to hear Substack's evolving to make it easier for creators to be seen and rewarded. And hopefully it keeps the generosity and creative spirit that brought many of us here.
Great list! I just watched a video where Alex Hormozi said LIVE STREAMING will be trending in 2026.
I totally agree!
And they're fun to do as well :)
Ads :(
This is exactly why I moved to Substack! I think of it as my homebase.
I'm too new to say what I'm most excited for in 2026 because after reading your article I'm excited for all the features I'm not currently taking advantage of in 2025 LOL.
I'd imagine video is going to be huge. Right now YouTube is the only video platform to regularly show up in Google search results. Obviously that makes sense from a business standpoint for Google, but also there isn't another video platform that really competes with YouTube.
It will be interesting to see what this feature of Substack goes in the future!
Amazing article - thanks!
Haha yeah, true! Even the existing features are exciting enough.
community building is the number one reason I've hopped over to substack so great to read this :)
Definitely paid ads everywhere. It’s only a matter of time.
I also predict that the best marketing strategy for solopreneurs and creators in 2026 and beyond will be "weirdness." Playing it professional and philosophical won't be that appealing on Substack anymore.
More competitors and niche-focused platforms will appear (a platform dedicated to multi-passionates, another for people with ADHD, etc.) so they'd better level up their game... Maybe I should just write a post about this, what a long comment😅
Haha I love that. Sharing your quirks/weirdness is going to be a magnet for audience growth for sure!
These main points were interesting!
Thank you so much! I found this very helpful as a newbie trying to plan for the future.
Happy to hear that!
I didnt know of alot of these changes coming, but I’m even more excited about Substack in 2026. I just joined in September and I love this platform. @Jari Roomer
I think 2026 is going to be an amazing year for Substack and Substack creators :)
Thanks for sharing such a balanced and tactical perspective on where you think things are going!
VERY informative!
Thanks, Dale!
Thanks team! Some great insights here. Really pleased to see you've put so much emphasis on the importance of community building. I'm also really excited to see how we can utilise email automations when they get rolled out for the wider user base in 2026.
Thanks again!
Appreciate it, Sam!
Those email automations are going to be a game-changer!
This was a really great breakdown. Thank you very much for putting this together.
I'm sitting over here patiently waiting for these email automations to come out but not yet I guess. Or maybe the easiest answer is to become a bestseller and maybe I get on this beta test team that they got here.
I really liked how you highlighted a lot of these features like video and audio and showing your personality. That's really what I'm going to be trying to lean into more in 2026 for my publication as well. I think those simple things that provide more honesty, transparency, and authenticity are going to be major trust factors
Thanks, Landon!
We can clearly see the positive impact of our YouTube videos and podcast, so definitely something to recommend for 2026.
I’m new to substack and great to know more features are arriving. It has been quite an experience exploring this platform so far.