“We’re making really fast progress.”
Substack is now pushing deeper into the media industry as the company develops larger publishing tools designed to attract major newsrooms, media brands, and professional publishers onto its platform. The company, which became popular by helping independent writers earn directly from subscribers, now appears to be expanding far beyond solo newsletters.
Substack cofounder Hamish McKenzie said the platform is making “really fast progress” on products aimed specifically at larger publishers and media organizations. That marks an important shift for the company. Substack originally built its reputation around independent creators, journalists, authors, podcasters, and niche writers who wanted to publish without relying on traditional media companies.
The platform became especially popular during the collapse of several digital media businesses, as journalists increasingly turned toward subscription newsletters for direct income. Now the company appears ready to compete more aggressively for institutional publishers as well.
According to the report, Substack is building tools that would help larger organizations manage teams, workflows, subscriptions, and audience growth more effectively inside the platform. The goal is to make the system flexible enough not only for individual writers but also for full-scale media operations.
This move could significantly change Substack’s position inside the publishing industry. For years, the platform mainly operated as a creator-focused ecosystem. Large publishers often required more advanced infrastructure, including team collaboration systems, editorial controls, enterprise-level analytics, and multi-author management tools.
Those features are becoming increasingly important as media companies search for sustainable business models. Advertising revenues across digital publishing have become unstable in recent years. At the same time, social media algorithms have made audience growth less predictable for publishers. That environment has pushed many companies toward subscription-based strategies where readers pay directly for content.
Substack sits directly inside that shift. The platform already provides payment systems, email distribution, podcast support, and subscriber management tools for creators. Expanding those services toward larger organizations could open an entirely new growth phase for the company.
The report suggests Substack sees increasing demand from publishers looking for alternatives to traditional media infrastructure. Many publishers are also trying to reduce dependence on platforms like Facebook, Google, and X for audience reach. Owning direct subscriber relationships has become increasingly valuable in modern media.
Email newsletters, podcasts, and membership-based publishing are now central parts of many media strategies. Substack’s rise reflects that transformation. The company gained momentum partly because it allowed creators to build direct financial relationships with audiences without needing large media organizations in between.
Now Substack may be trying to serve both worlds at once. Independent creators remain important to the platform’s identity, but attracting larger publishers could bring significantly bigger subscription revenues and institutional credibility. This also comes during a period of rapid change across digital publishing. Media companies are experimenting with new business models, subscription bundles, creator partnerships, and direct audience monetization systems.
Traditional publishing structures are becoming less dominant as platforms compete to become the primary infrastructure layer for modern media businesses. Substack is not alone in this race. Platforms like Beehiiv, Ghost, Patreon, and Medium are also trying to position themselves as alternatives for creator-driven publishing and subscription businesses.
Competition is intensifying as more journalists, writers, podcasters, and publishers search for stable income sources outside advertising-heavy models. Substack’s advantage has been simplicity and direct monetization. The company became known for making it easy for creators to start paid newsletters without needing technical expertise or large production teams.
Expanding toward enterprise publishing tools could make the platform much more attractive to larger organizations looking for the same simplicity at scale. This does not specify exactly when these newer publisher-focused features will fully launch.
However, McKenzie’s comments suggest development is moving quickly. That timing matters. The media industry is currently under intense pressure from changing consumer habits, unstable traffic patterns, and growing competition from video and creator-driven platforms. Publishers are increasingly looking for systems that help them own their audiences directly rather than depending entirely on algorithms. Substack clearly wants to position itself at the center of that future.
The company’s broader ambition now appears bigger than newsletters alone. It is gradually becoming a full publishing ecosystem combining articles, podcasts, memberships, communities, and direct audience monetization in one place. That evolution may help explain why the company is now focusing more seriously on larger publishers. The future of media is becoming increasingly subscription-driven, creator-led, and community-focused.
Substack wants to become one of the main platforms powering that transition. And if the company succeeds in attracting larger publishers alongside independent creators, it could reshape how modern digital media businesses operate online.
