Plus, author Jo Piazza shares her secrets for Substack growth  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ Raptive News JANUARY 14, 2026 By Lauren Fitzpatrick Director, Editorial Content Hi Raptive, While we can’t predict what 2026 will bring to our industry, we can share our perspective and the focus we’re bringing to the year ahead. This year, we believe success will come from an eagerness to evolve. Our latest blog post outlines the innovative strategies our team is implementing to boost your readership and revenue, and explains how we’ll utilize our industry influence to keep advocating for your rights. Here’s what’s in store today: • Grow your Substack with tips from Ctrl Alt Ask • Your shortcut to YouTube success • ICYMI: The 2026 Content and Monetization Planning Calendar has landed What’s new Our approach in 2026 AI is moving quickly, platforms are shifting, audience behavior is changing, and traffic is harder to come by. We’re not waiting to see what happens; we’re evolving our approach to help you stay ahead. In 2026, we’re bringing you ad strategies that protect revenue and reader experience, tools to help boost visibility, and advocacy that shifts from volume to leverage. See what’s in store → Ctrl Alt Ask Episode 8: How do I grow my Substack? Steve Snyder of Club Trader Joe’s grew his free Substack to 16,000 subscribers, and now he’s wondering what comes next. Is Substack a viable way to build community, drive traffic, and open up a new revenue stream? Best-selling author, podcaster, and Substack superstar Jo Piazza joins our host Stephanie Woodin with advice on how to think of Substack as a marketing tool, and her proven tactics for platform growth. Listen to the episode → Top resource Your shortcut to YouTube success This is the year you knock it out of the park with YouTube, using simple but effective strategies that work. Follow our exclusive checklist to get the most out of the platform’s built-in tools, so you can achieve quick growth through Shorts and build lasting loyalty with long-form video. Complete the checklist → Quick tip Lights, camera, action “Short-form vertical video is a huge area where you can differentiate from AI in 2026. Lean into authenticity by showing your face, sharing what’s happening behind the scenes, or talking through things in real time to build trust faster than polished perfection.” Alexandra Sebestyen Director, Audience Growth and Engagement In case you missed it The calendar to rule all calendars Everyone’s favorite calendar dropped last week, and it’s better than ever. With the 2026 Content and Monetization Planning Calendar, it’s easy to determine what to post, when to promote it, and how to work seasonal opportunities to your advantage. Get the calendar → What we’re reading Catch up on news from around the industry • Journalism, media, and technology trends and predictions 2026 (Reuters Institute) • How brands can respond to misleading Google AI Overviews (Search Engine Land) • Digiday’s extensive guide to what’s in and out for creators in 2026 (Digiday | Gated) • Google removes some of its AI summaries after users’ health put at risk (The Guardian) Question of the week Which word best sums up how you’re feeling about 2026? 💡 Opportunity When AI closes a door, creators open a window 🦋 Evolution I’m pretty good at reinvention by now 👯 Community Whatever the year brings, we’re in this together 💥 Chaos Still trying to remember to write 2026 instead of 2025 Was this email helpful? You’re receiving this email because you help manage a site that works with Raptive. To ensure our emails reach your inbox, add hello@email.raptive.com to your email contacts. Want to stop receiving Raptive News emails? You can update your preferences anytime. 1411 Broadway, 27th Floor New York, NY, 10018, US © 2026 Raptive. All rights reserved. Unsubscribe | View online