How To Repurpose Substack Newsletters Into TikToks

So you want to repurpose your Substack newsletter into TikTok videos?

You’ve spent hours crafting thoughtful articles for your subscribers. Now they’re just… sitting there.

All that valuable insight locked away where only your email list can see it.

Meanwhile, creators are building massive audiences on TikTok in record time. The platform hit a billion users faster than any other in history.

What if your Substack wisdom could reach that audience too?

Most content creators make a critical mistake: they create something once, publish it once, and move on. But your best ideas deserve multiple chances to find their audience.

Why you should repurpose from Substack to TikTok

You never really know what content will resonate on which platform until you try.

Back in 2020/2021, I created YouTube videos about note-taking that weren’t getting much traction.

But then decided to repurpose that content for Medium articles.

Those repurposed articles exploded. I was able to launch a profitable five-figure course and add 3,000 email subscribers to my list in just 12 weeks – all from content that was essentially “recycled” from another platform.

This simple approach changed everything for me.

The difference in performance wasn’t about the quality of the content. It was about:

Platform fit (where my audience was actually hanging out)
Format alignment (how they preferred to consume information)
Algorithm differences (what each platform rewards)
Timing (catching a wave of interest at the right moment)

Your Substack articles might contain TikTok gold that you just haven’t mined yet.

The main differences between Substack and TikTok

Substack is like a cozy dinner conversation where you can explore ideas in depth.

It rewards thoughtfulness and nuance.

Your readers are invested enough to open an email and spend several minutes with your thoughts.

TikTok is the complete opposite:

7-60 second videos instead of 1,000+ word articles
Visual/audio medium vs. text-based
Fast-paced entertainment vs. long-form education
Algorithm-driven discovery vs. direct delivery
Casual, authentic tone vs. more polished writing

Why you should post on TikTok

TikTok offers incredible reach potential with its algorithm that can take a total unknown to millions of views overnight.

It’s still in the growth phase where organic reach is generous compared to mature platforms.

It also attracts an increasingly diverse audience.

While it started with Gen Z, the 30+ demographic is the fastest-growing segment.

For experts, it’s a goldmine for building authority through quick, digestible insights that can funnel into your deeper content ecosystem.

What makes good TikTok content

Good TikTok content from Substack newsletters needs:

1. A hook in the first 3 seconds – State a bold claim or ask a provocative question related to your newsletter topic.

2. One clear takeaway – Extract a single compelling point from your article rather than trying to cover everything.

3. Visual simplicity – You talking to camera, simple text overlays, or basic visuals work best.

4. Authenticity over production – Raw, genuine delivery outperforms polished content.

Example: If your Substack newsletter breaks down “5 Myths About Retirement Planning,” your TikTok might focus on just the most surprising myth, delivered with emotion: “The biggest retirement planning mistake I see experts make is believing this ONE thing…”

Build Your Swipe File Of Winning TikTok content

The platform rewards certain patterns and structures that might not be obvious at first glance.

Start by finding 10-15 creators in your niche who are getting solid engagement (not necessarily the biggest accounts).

Pay special attention to creators who have grown significant followings in the past 3-6 months.

Why focus on newer successful creators rather than established gurus? Because established accounts already have momentum.

Their content gets pushed by the algorithm regardless of quality.

New but successful creators have cracked the current code.

Study their:

Hook formats
Video length
Speaking pace
Caption style
Call to action approaches

Save these videos in collections for reference when converting your Substack content.

Get my free template file of winning TikTok formats that convert well from written content.

Create An automation to turn Substack articles to TikTok videos

Okay, so now that you’ve laid these out…

You could either do this manually like a monkey.

Hire a VA that you need to train for weeks on Fiverr…

Or (my favorite way):

You could use AI and automation tools to make this process as smooth as butter.

Here’s an example:

As soon as you publish on Substack, an automation can extract the key points and generate a script for your TikTok video.

Tools like Make (formerly Integromat), Zapier, or n8n can create workflows like:

1. New Substack post triggers the workflow (RSS feed)

2. AI tool extracts 3 key insights

3. Converts them to conversational TikTok script

4. Sends you a notification with the script ready to film

A simple prompt for this could be:

“Extract the most surprising or counterintuitive point from this Substack article. Rewrite it as a 30-second TikTok script with a strong hook, one main point, and a call to action to subscribe to my newsletter. Use casual, conversational language.”

Stop letting your brilliant Substack insights gather dust in people’s inboxes. The content you’ve already created is fuel for your TikTok growth – you just need to reshape it for the platform.