💡 Creator News: Substack Rolls Out Sponsorship Program, A Legendary Social Media Trend Presentation, and Where to Get a Cute Custom Sweater in SF
Plus: upcoming Substack Lives this week to help you start off 2026 right as a creative, freelancer, or writer.
After a week of battling a random illness that laughed in the face of my immune system, I’m finally crawling out of the DayQuil fog and back into my inbox — and just in time, because this week has been stacked.
Between rescheduling our ✨Substack Sprint Workshop Series✨ (now kicking off this Tuesday!) and wrapping a developmental edit for one of my memoir clients — who, by the way, nailed her second draft — it’s been one of those weeks where I’ve been in the zone and still somehow behind on everything. Classic December.
But I’ve got some seriously juicy links for you today:
A sneak peek at Substack’s upcoming native sponsorships (and how you can potentially get in early)
A legendary presentation on social media trends from this year with some great inspiration for you
Why Feed Me is crushing the branded content game
Where to sweater-shop in SF right now
And a wild update on Disney’s $1B OpenAI play that actually affects creators like us
Also: friendly reminder that if you upgrade to Founding Member here at Sutoscience before Tuesday at 6pm PT, you’ll get a 60-minute 1:1 Substack audit with me (normally $1,000) as part of the 6-week growth sprint and workshop series. These sessions have been so fun to do with the Substackers I’ve been working with — lots of big vision clarity, monetization maps, custom content strategies. It’s like newsletter therapy, but with actionable next steps for how to build your creative HQ here on Substack.
Okay, let’s dive into the creator news roundup:
💬 Links I Sent My Fiancée
My fiancée (!!!) Kyle Cords is my co-founder which means DMing him links counts as productive work 💕
Feed Me broke the news that Substack is launching native sponsorships. She got a comment with Substack co-founder Hamish Mckenzie, who drops that if Substacks want to be considered for this pilot program you can shoot your shot and email sponsorships@substackinc.com. Go get your bag, creators.
This is especially cool because I think Feed Me is one of the leading Substacks that does the best job integrating branded content seamlessly with great storytelling. Her recent piece “The morning routines of New York City college students” was sponsored by Rhode and it’s still a great read — it doesn’t feel like an advertisement at all. If that’s what’s on the horizon for branded content on Substack, I think we’re in a good spot — and it’s good inspo for you and your publication.
A guide to going viral on X.
🌁 Dispatches From the Bay
What to do and where to eat in San Francisco.
Marine Layer is doing a super cute popup called “Custom Club” on Fillmore Street in Pac Heights where you can create custom sweaters with 100% cotton sweatshirts, sweatpants, t-shirts, and more. You go in, pick out some patches, pick the color of your stitching and item, and then they’ll customize it for you. I picked a canary yellow sweater as I’ve been on a lookout for a piece of clothing in this color ever since a stylist in Korea who did my color matching told me this was one of my best colors. My sweater was ready in about 2-3 days, and it makes for a cute gift!
The San Francisco Botanical Gardens are doing a Lightscape holiday light event at night through January, and it was very cool. Warning: it does get quite busy so if you can go on off-peak hours or during weekdays, I’d recommend it. The giant sequoia trees look very otherworldly with the fog machines and moody lighting.
☕️ Content Trends
Trends in social media, content creation, and what’s going on here on Substack.
This legendary presentation buy Matthew Stasoff breaks down top social media trends from 2025 — a must read if you post or consume anything on the internet, ever. I walked away from this feeling incredibly inspired — lots of great food for thought when it comes to culture and what people want to see on social media — and the rise of in-person events.
Kamala Harris, Lizzo, Charli XCX, and The New Yorker are all recent newcomers to the Substack scene. We’re about to see the golden age of Substack — so if you haven’t started your own publication, consider joining my 6 Week Substack Sprint Workshop Series this Tuesday :)
💰 What to Watch & Read If You Want to Make Money Online
Resources to make you smarter and richer in the Creator Economy.
Disney is investing $1B in OpenAI — but this is actually a huge ripple in the Creator Economy. Read why in Kyle Cords’ great post here.
I’ve got two Substack Lives this week, one with Maria Papacostas where I’ll be talking about my upcoming book Write for Money and Power (out so soon!!) and one with Grace Abbott from How to Go Freelance about — you guessed it! — how to go freelance and what to think about for 2026 as a freelancer. Feel free to tune in live and drop your questions in the chat.
🛍️ Add to Cart
Things that have made my life better or products I have my eye on.
If you’re looking for a gift for a health aficionado in your life, I recommend giving a Consumer Lab subscription. Kyle found this company, and they do third party testing of different supplements, pantry staples, and more so you can make informed purchasing decisions and avoid harmful compounds.
Questions? Thoughts? Would love to hear what you’re thinking, reading, or making in the comments.
Happy creating,
-Amy