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.