So you want to repurpose your Substack newsletter into YouTube Shorts?
We get it. You’ve been pouring your heart and soul into those thoughtful newsletter articles, but they’re only reaching a fraction of your potential audience.
Every week, you craft valuable insights for your subscribers, but what about the millions scrolling through short-form video content? Your expertise deserves that wider reach.
And let’s be honest – seeing the same creators with half your knowledge building massive audiences on YouTube Shorts while you’re stuck in “email land” is frustrating.
Why you should repurpose from Substack to YouTube Shorts
Here’s the truth most content creators miss: you never really know which platform will make your content explode.
Back in 2020, I created several YouTube videos about note-taking. They performed okay – nothing spectacular. On a whim, I decided to repurpose that same content for Medium articles.
The result? Those repurposed articles helped me launch a profitable 5-figure course and add 3,000 email subscribers to my list in just 12 weeks. I documented the entire process here.
This difference in performance happens because of various factors:
- Different algorithms
- Different audience preferences
- Different competition levels
- Different timing (sometimes being early on a platform is all it takes)
The content that flops on one platform can become your biggest hit on another.
The main differences between Substack and YouTube Shorts
Substack is fundamentally a text-based platform built for depth, nuance, and longer-form thinking. Your subscribers are there for thoughtful analysis and are willing to spend 5-10 minutes reading.
YouTube Shorts, on the other hand, is:
- Visual first, text second
- Attention-grabbing from the first second
- Limited to 60 seconds
- Driven by entertainment value
- Focused on quick, actionable insights
- Highly scrollable (viewers decide in 2-3 seconds if they’ll watch)
Why you should post on YouTube Shorts
YouTube Shorts reaches over 1.5 billion monthly users, and the platform is still hungry for quality, educational content. Unlike the saturated TikTok space, YouTube Shorts still offers organic reach potential for creators in knowledge spaces.
The platform is also excellent for:
- Quick audience building
- Testing content ideas before developing them further
- Driving viewers to your longer content
- Reaching a completely different demographic than your newsletter
What makes a good YouTube Short
The best YouTube Shorts in the knowledge space follow a few key patterns:
1. Hook viewers in the first 3 seconds – Start with a bold claim, surprising fact, or direct question
2. Focus on ONE point only – Don’t try to squeeze your entire newsletter into 60 seconds
3. Use simple, conversational language – Ditch the academic writing style from your newsletter
4. Include text overlays – Many viewers watch without sound
5. End with a clear call-to-action – Tell viewers exactly what to do next
For example, if your Substack newsletter covers “5 Mental Models for Better Decision-Making,” your YouTube Short might focus just on “The Regret Minimization Framework” with a hook like: “Here’s how Jeff Bezos makes every major life decision in 30 seconds.”
Build Your Swipe File Of Winning YouTube Shorts
The fastest way to create effective Shorts is to study what’s already working. But here’s a pro tip: don’t just analyze the big creators with millions of followers.
Look for creators who started recently (within the last 6-12 months) but are getting significant traction. The established accounts can get away with content that wouldn’t work for smaller channels due to their existing audience and momentum.
Focus on finding 10-15 examples of Shorts in your niche that:
- Get above-average engagement
- Have similar teaching styles to yours
- Cover topics adjacent to your expertise
- Use hooks you could adapt for your content
Grab my free template file of winning YouTube Shorts formats here
Set up an automation to turn Substack articles to YouTube Shorts
Okay, so now that you’ve have these laid 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, your automation can extract the key points, reformat them for YouTube Shorts, and prepare a script ready for recording.
You can create these automations with tools like n8n, Make (formerly Integromat), or Zapier. Here’s a simple workflow:
1. When a new Substack post is published (trigger)
2. Extract the post content via RSS or API
3. Send the content to ChatGPT with a prompt like:
“Transform this newsletter content into a compelling 45-second YouTube Short script. Focus on the most surprising insight. Include a strong hook, main point, and clear CTA. Format with text overlay suggestions.”
4. Send the script to your phone or recording device
5. Record, edit, and post (this part still needs your personal touch)
This way, you’re not starting from scratch each time – your automation does the heavy lifting of identifying and reformatting your best content.
Remember – the creators who win aren’t necessarily the smartest or most talented. They’re the ones who leverage systems and automation to consistently show up where their audience is.
For more tips on how to repurpose your content and grow your audience with less work, sign up for my free emails below: