Brand teams are already at capacity, producing endless content. But guess what? There are channels you’re probably not on yet that could be key to your next phase of growth.

The two channels we see brands missing from most are Substack and YouTube. But if your team is already spread thin, how is it even possible to add more to the workload?

My view is that it’s less about jumping head first into platforms you don’t have time for right now. It’s more about being intentional as a team: watching the brands in your space that are already there, and learning from what’s working for them.

Why people are getting excited about Substack

If you haven’t spent time on Substack, think of it as part newsletter and part social platform. Writers publish long-form posts that land straight in subscribers’ inboxes and also live on the Substack app and web. Around that sits a social layer: Notes, a short-form feed a bit like X or Threads; Recommendations, where writers suggest other publications to their readers; and tools to co-author posts or go live with other creators. There’s also Chat, a group chat space where a writer can start conversations with their subscribers and those subscribers can talk to each other, much like a private community or a WhatsApp group built around your brand. Readers can follow for free or pay for extra content, so it works as a community channel as well as a potential revenue stream.

For brands, that mix of long-form content, discovery and direct access to an engaged community is what makes it stand out.

1. It’s a storytelling game.
This is where your content pillars are put to the test. People don’t scroll past Substack posts in two seconds; they sit down to read them. Think of it as the magazine your brand would publish: founder stories, the thinking behind a product, trend commentary, behind-the-scenes on how things are made. Posts that do well have a clear point of view and a reason to keep reading. If your content only works as a caption, it won’t work here.

2. Collaboration is built in.
Substack is designed for writers to introduce each other’s work, which opens up a different kind of creator partnership. A writer your customers already read might feature you in their own posts, either organically or through an affiliate arrangement. You can also co-write a post with them, appear as a guest on their publication, or go live together to talk about your product, your process or the trends shaping your category. Once your own publication is up and running, those relationships can also lead to recommendations that bring new subscribers your way.

3. It’s more trusted and less saturated.
Right now, the people on Substack tend to be the ones “in the know”. They’re engaged, curious and happy to read something longer than a caption. The writers there are early adopters too, which makes it a place where tastemakers and niche experts gather, and where a thoughtful brand voice can stand out instead of competing with dozens of ads in a feed. Few brands are there yet, so there’s still room to be one of the first in your category.

4. You own your audience.
Every subscriber gives you their email address, and you can export that list at any time. On Instagram or TikTok, an algorithm change can cut your reach overnight. On Substack, your posts go directly to the people who asked for them.

The value people see in YouTube

1. The paid economics are interesting.
Cost per click can come in lower than Google Search, and it’s far less competitive than Meta. Your ad isn’t sitting in a feed between ten others from your competitors. It plays before or during a video someone has chosen to watch, often with their full attention and the sound on.

2. The targeting is wildly clever.
Because YouTube sits within Google, you can reach people based on what they’ve been searching for on Google, the kinds of sites and apps they use, and even the specific channels they watch (yes, Google knows a lot). That means a skincare brand can show up for people researching “barrier repair” or watching their favourite dermatologist’s channel. For brands with very specific audiences and niches, that precision is hard to match.

3. Organic is a different game.
YouTube organic is an SEO game. People search YouTube the way they search Google, so titles, topics and consistency matter. What works best are original content franchises, the recurring series people come back for. [This article] explains it brilliantly. But if your team is already at capacity, I’d say it’s not for you just yet. Watch, take notes and be inspired.

Give every channel a distinct role

Before you test anything, decide what role each channel will play in your media mix, based on what you’ve learned from watching the brands already there. Every channel should have a distinct role. For example, for many brands, Instagram might be for the core of their brand world, and TikTok your behind the scenes content. So what would Substack and YouTube be for you?

The bare-minimum test

Choose a cadence you could keep up in your busiest month. For most stretched teams, that’s one Substack post and one re-cut YouTube ad a month, built from themes and footage you already have. Not ready to write your own yet? Shortlist three Substack creators with brand partnership potential instead.

Treat the first quarter as a benchmarking exercise rather than a growth push.

This isn’t a copy-and-paste strategy

This is where most brands go wrong: some brands run their Meta ads on YouTube and wonder why they bomb. That's because the creative strategy is different, and what stops a scroll on Instagram doesn’t necessarily hold attention before the skip button on YouTube. Some brands publish their website blogs straight onto Substack, but Substack readers are there for a voice and a point of view, not SEO content.

So what does transfer? The winning clues and themes.

If you’re testing the waters, start here:

• Find your top-performing paid ad or organic video on Instagram or TikTok. What was the angle that made people stop and watch? Could it be re-edited or re-cut to align with YouTube’s creative ad frameworks?
• Find Substack creator in your niche. Who could you partner with? Borrowing an engaged audience is a much smaller lift than building one from scratch.

Neither of these needs a whole new content machine. They just need a bit of curiosity, and the discipline to learn before you leap.

Author: Effie Asafu-Adjaye
Effie Asafu-Adjaye is the Founder of Beautiful Sparks. Beautiful Sparks helps beauty and fashion businesses get more fanatics in love with their brands, by refining their brand strategy, messaging, branding, content storytelling, and community-building strategy. Read more about Effie here. Linkedin.