How Substack Notes can accelerate your growth
Not using Substack Notes? You could be missing out on finding tons of potential new readers.
If you’re familiar with Substack then you are probably aware of Substack Notes, the platform’s built-in social media section. Like many other platforms, it’s a place for you to share updates, thoughts and ideas with your audience of followers and the broader community.
It functions much like social media but with an unpredictable algorithm that supposedly changes regularly. I like this because it means that there is no easy way to just ‘hack’ growth using Notes and you are better off being your authentic self.
It is still, however, a powerful place to help grow your newsletter and connect with other readers and writers. Notes is one of the main reasons I enjoy Substack so much and it’s especially valuable if you are without a prior audience. On weeks when I really focus on using Notes for growth, I really do notice a clear uptick in subscriptions. That can happen for you, too.
So why does Notes matter for growth?
Increased visibility
Notes reach well beyond your subscriber base. Your Notes appear within the feeds of your subscribers, followers and other, random people on Substack, such as those following similar creators. It’s a little like a ‘For You’ page that exists on other platforms, whereby you are shown the insight of people you don’t actually follow.
The design of Notes means that engaging and interesting posts, comments or replies can easily lead to potential new readers clicking through and finding your work.
You don’t need to post new content yourself, simply being active and commenting and engaging on the posts of others can improve your visibility.
Building a community
Notes is designed for meaningful engagement, not angry (or worse) replies - unlike other platforms. Notes is for unique thoughts, sharing interesting content are starting new conversations. Sharing your personality is a great way to encourage others to connect.
The more interactive you are, the more visible you will become. It’s possible to build or become part of a community by being active and mindful about how you use the platform. And building a community is great for growth, too.
Share your expertise
Longer Notes can be popular at times, but simply sharing snippets of your knowledge, insight, takes or links can help you establish yourself in your niche. This also gives potential new subscribers a taste of who you are and what you are about.
Notes should be thoughtful. Built for engagement with content that aligns with your newsletter’s themes. Show people what they might get from reading more of your work!
How can you use Notes for growth?
Be consistent
Post regularly. Two or three times a day. How would you grow on any other platform? You’d keep posting. I would suggest treating Notes like a preview of your newsletter, sharing similar thoughts and expertise. But consistency is key.
Like I said before, I notice a real uptick in subscription when I am intentional about posting. And a subsequent drop off when I am not. That’s not a coincidence!
Reply to others
Notes isn’t just for your own thoughts, it’s a space for discussion. Reply to others. Ask questions. Give or seek feedback. Spark engagement with others - it doesn’t just have to be through sharing your own Notes.
Promote yourself
You don’t have to force this, but share your newsletter! I always share links to my posts with a few sentences with details on what they’re about or why someone might want to read them. Occasionally this has helped me to go viral or gain a significant number of new subscribers, as the image earlier showed.
Highlight others
Share what others are writing. Highlight comments. Answer questions. Highlighting other creators and readers is a great way to leverage growth. The platform seems to love positivity, so this goes down really well.
Celebrate growth
As I mentioned, Notes is a positive place to be. The algorithm does seem to like it when people share the stories of their successes. Hit a subscriber milestone? Had a load of likes? Got your first paid subscriber? Share the news!
Not only does the algorithm appreciate it but you will find that many readers on Substack love to hear about your success too. I have often been overwhelmed by the kind words from others when I have shared my good news.
Not sure what to share on Notes?
Here are some small examples of what posting on Notes might look like. There is no one way to do this successfully, so give it a try and see what works (just note that what ‘works’ might change every few days or weeks).
Your own posts (with extra details, hooks etc - give people a reason to read it).
Questions that people might engage with. Questions like ‘What’s one book you would recommend?’ for example.
The work and content of others that you found interesting.
Personal anecdotes and stories.
Technical insight and expertise, even better if it links to something topical.
Milestones and news that you really want to celebrate.
Reactions to and quotes of posts of others.
Anything relevant in the comments section of other posts.
If you’re really stuck, have a look through your own Notes feed. Which posts have gone viral or seem to be performing well? Are there similar themes? See if you can look at what works and recreate it in a way that’s interesting to you - this is what I do!
Are you ready to get started?
Notes is an extremely powerful tool to connect with your audience, potential new subscribers and other creators. By using it thoughtfully and consistently you can expand your reach and grow interest and readership in your newsletter.
If you are on Substack, thinking of writing a newsletter or already publishing elsewhere, don’t overlook the power of Notes. It’s more than a social media platform, it’s a genuine tool to help you accelerate the growth of your newsletter.