To grow on Substack with Notes, post short, useful notes several times a week, make each one work on its own, and give readers a reason to check out your newsletter. Notes is Substack's social feed. It's where new readers find you before they ever subscribe. Your newsletter is where they stay.
Here's how Notes works, what to post, and a simple weekly routine.
Substack launched Notes in April 2023. It's a feed of short posts inside Substack, a bit like X or Threads, but full of people who already like reading newsletters. (Substack)
The basics:
- Notes are short posts. Text, quotes, links, and up to six images or GIFs.
- They aren't emailed. Notes live in the Substack app and website, not in your subscribers' inboxes.
- People can like, reply, and restack them. A restack is Substack's version of a share.
- Following isn't subscribing. Someone can follow your Notes without subscribing to your newsletter, and the other way around.
That last point is the key to growth. Notes brings new people to your profile. Your job is to turn some of them into subscribers.
Your newsletter only reaches people who already subscribed. Notes reaches people who haven't found you yet.
Many Substack writers say Notes is now their biggest source of new subscribers. Because the people scrolling Notes are already Substack readers, the jump from "liked your note" to "subscribed" is small. They're one tap away.
Good notes work on their own. Someone who's never heard of you should get something from it without clicking anything.
Types that tend to work:
| Type | Example |
|---|
| A single insight | "The best time to raise your prices is when you're too busy to care if someone says no." |
| A short story | Three lines about a moment that taught you something. |
| A strong opinion | Something your readers might disagree with, stated plainly. |
| A quote from your newsletter | Your best line from this week's post, with a link. |
| A question | A specific one your readers can answer from experience. |
| A behind-the-scenes look | What you're writing, testing, or learning right now. |
Mix them up. If every note is a link to your latest post, people stop paying attention.
- Lead with the point. The first line does the work.
- Keep it short. Many good notes are under 100 words. Some are one sentence.
- Make it complete. Don't write "Thread below" or "More in my post." Give the value right there.
- Sound like a person. Notes is a conversation, not an ad.
- Link sparingly. When you do link to a post, say why it's worth reading.
You don't need to live on Notes. A small routine is enough:
- When you publish a newsletter post, pull 3 to 5 notes from it: your best line, one tip, one story, one question.
- Post one note a day, or most days. Spread them out over the week.
- Spend 10 minutes a day replying to other writers' notes in your niche. Real replies, not "Great post!"
- Restack notes you genuinely like, with a line about why.
- Once a week, share your newest post with a note that explains why someone should read it.
That's about 15 minutes a day, and most of it comes from writing you've already done.
Say your weekly newsletter is about freelancing, and this week's post is "Why I Stopped Charging by the Hour."
Five notes from that one post:
- Insight: "Hourly pricing punishes you for getting better. The faster you work, the less you earn."
- Story: "My first project-based quote was 3x what I'd have charged hourly. I nearly didn't send it. They said yes in ten minutes."
- Opinion: "If a client asks for your hourly rate, they're asking the wrong question. Answer the right one."
- Question: "Freelancers: what finally made you stop charging by the hour?"
- Share: "This week I wrote about the day I stopped charging by the hour, and what I charge now instead. [link]"
One post, a full week of notes.
- Substack's own app is the best place to post and reply. Notes is built into it.
- A notes doc where you save good lines as you write, so you're never starting from nothing.
- Reshaper AI can turn a newsletter post, a YouTube video, or your raw notes into a set of Substack Notes, each written to stand on its own. It can also write a full Substack article from a video. You still pick which notes to post and when.
- Only posting links to your newsletter. It reads like an ad. Give value first.
- Writing notes that need context. "As I said yesterday..." loses new readers.
- Posting and leaving. Replies and conversations are how people discover you.
- Copying your X or LinkedIn posts word for word. Substack readers like depth and a personal tone. Adjust for them.
- Giving up after two weeks. Growth on Notes takes time. Give it a few months.
- Pulled 3 to 5 notes from my latest post.
- Each note works on its own.
- Mixed insights, stories, opinions, and questions.
- Posted most days.
- Replied to other writers for 10 minutes a day.
- Shared my newest post once a week, with a reason to read it.
What is Substack Notes?
A short-post feed inside Substack, launched in April 2023. Writers and readers post quick thoughts, quotes, links, and images, and can like, reply to, and restack each other's notes.
Do my subscribers get my Notes by email?
No. Notes live in the Substack app and website. Only your newsletter posts are emailed.
What's the difference between following and subscribing on Substack?
Following means someone sees your Notes. Subscribing means they get your newsletter. People can do one without the other.
How often should I post on Substack Notes?
Once a day, or most days, is a good target. Consistency matters more than volume.
What should my first notes be about?
Pull them from your best newsletter posts. Share one strong line, one quick story, or one useful tip from each. You already did the thinking.