13 Ways to Get More Subscribers Using Substack Notes
Simple, actionable tips you can apply today to grow your audience without burning out.
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If you’re struggling to grow your audience on Substack, you might be overlooking one of the platform’s most powerful features or using it wrong.
I’m talking about Substack Notes.
Think of Notes as Substack’s own social feed.
A Note can be a short update, a few sentences, a quote, a photo, or even a single question.
Notes show up in the Substack app and on the web feed, where they can get discovered by new readers who aren’t familiar with your work yet.
They’re the fastest way to get seen, start conversations, and build trust on the platform without the pressure of writing long-form posts all the time.
When we launched Write • Build • Scale, Notes were the very first thing we focused on:
Our Notes helped us:
Reach thousands of new readers
Collaborate with amazing creators
Gain new subscribers
Here are 13 proven strategies we’ve tested and still use every single week to grow through Substack Notes:
1. The 10-5-1 Rule
This rule is a simple 20-minute habit that will rapidly grow your visibility, connections, and community on the platform.
Every time you publish a Note:
Like 10 Notes from other creators
Leave 5 meaningful comments (something that adds to the conversation, not just “Great note!”)
Send 1 direct message to a creator in your niche to start a genuine conversation
The beauty of the 10-5-1 Rule is that it’s stupidly simple. And that’s why it works!
You can literally treat each item as a separate task of your to-do list.
This approach removes the guesswork of “How much should I be engaging?!”
If you make this a daily habit, you’ll:
Build stronger relationships with other creators
Increase your visibility in feeds far beyond your own subscribers
Create more chances for collaborations and shoutouts
2. Write Like a Human
Notes aren’t blog posts, they’re conversations.
You don't need a formal, overly polished, or corporate tone to capture and keep attention on Notes.
Instead, write like you’re texting a friend.
Use contractions.
Drop in emojis whenever they natural.
Show personality.
Your audience will connect with you far more when you sound like a real person than when you sound like a faceless brand.
This is especially true for Notes because they are short and casual by nature.
They’re designed to be quick hits of value, not long essays.
If your Note feels too stiff, people will scroll past it before they even realize you had something interesting to say.
3. Start With a Strong Hook
On Notes, the first line is everything. It’s the only thing most people see before they decide whether to stop scrolling. If you lose them there, it doesn’t matter how good the rest of your Note is — they’ll never read it.
A weak hook might be something like:
“I’ve been thinking about starting a new workout routine.”
There’s nothing wrong with sharing thoughts like that, but it won’t make anyone stop and pay attention.
Now compare that to:
“This 5-minute morning workout burns more calories than your daily coffee run.”
The second one sparks curiosity and promises a tangible benefit.
It makes people think, “I need to know what this is!”
When you write Notes, always ask yourself: Does my first line make someone want to read the second line?
If the answer is no, rewrite it until it does.
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4. Keep It to One Idea
A Note should deliver one clear thought, tip, or emotion.
Notes are meant to be short, and readers process short-form content best when it’s singular in focus.
If you try to cram three ideas into one Note, you’ll end up with something that’s confusing, hard to remember, and even harder to share.
The only exception is when your Note is a list of items by nature:
5. Repackage Winning Ideas
You don’t need to reinvent the wheel every day. I
If you post a Note that performs well, whether it gets high engagement, sparks conversation, or drives subscribers, bring it back:
Retell the same idea through a different personal story
Present it in a new format
Update the hook to grab attention in a new way
Most of your readers didn’t see the idea when you shared it the first time, and even those who did will benefit from hearing it again.
Repackaging isn’t repeating, it’s reframing.
6. Rotate Between The 6 Proven Note Types
At Write • Build • Scale, we’ve found that almost every high-performing Note falls into one of these six categories:
Educational – Quick, actionable tips or insights that teach your audience something.
Inspirational – Mindset shifts or encouragement that help your readers see new possibilities.
Personal – A snapshot of your life, your process, or something behind the scenes.
Promotional – A casual highlight of an offer, product, or paid subscription. Use sparingly, but don’t skip them entirely.
Feedback-Driven – Asking one clear question to learn more about your audience.
Collaborative – Inviting your readers or fellow creators to share their work or ideas.
If you rotate between these types, you’ll always have something fresh to post — and you’ll cover different angles of connection with your audience.
7. Turn Comments Into Notes
When you pay attention to comments and reactions, you'll see that your readers are already telling you what they care about
If someone asks a question in the comments, that’s a ready-made prompt for a new Note.
If a particular phrase in one of your posts gets restacked often, turn it into a standalone Note.
This approach keeps your content audience-driven, which not only makes it more relevant but also makes your readers feel heard and valued.
8. Show Your Human Side
People want to connect with people. Let your audience see that there’s a real human being behind your work.
This could be as simple as sharing:
A photo of your workspace
A draft in progress
A small win you’re celebrating
Something fun or unexpected from your personal life
These moments build trust and connection in ways that polished, “perfect” content can’t.
In a time when AI is everywhere, showing your human side is one of your biggest advantages.
9. Test Ideas on Notes First
Before you commit to a big project, test it on Notes.
Post a smaller version of the idea and see how people respond. Are they commenting? Asking follow-up questions? Ignoring it?
This low-risk testing method helps you save time and energy while focusing on ideas that actually resonate.
10. Ask Clear Questions
If you want people to engage, make it easy by asking one single question at a time.
Notes are a great way to learn more about your audience and do some quick research. But readers will only engage when they have an incentive to do so or when you at least make it incredibly easy for them to share their thoughts.
The more specific the question, the better the answers will be.
Avoid vague questions like “What do you think?”
11. Batch Produce Your Notes
Since Substack doesn’t have a scheduling feature for Notes, posting consistently can feel like a chore if you have to think of something on the spot every day.
Instead, set aside time once a week to write 15–20 Notes.
Save them in a document or a tool like Notion. That way, you have a ready-to-go library of Notes you can post even on your busiest days.
Our students inside Substack System get access to a detailed Notion Operation System where they manage their Notes.
12. Stop Chasing Perfection
Some of our most popular Notes were quick, unpolished thoughts we almost didn’t publish.
Perfection is the enemy of consistency, and on Substack, consistency wins.
Even if a Note doesn’t perform as well as you hoped, it’s still valuable.
Every Note you publish gives you data about what works and what doesn’t, and it strengthens your connection with readers.
13. Repurpose Your Best Notes
Only a fraction of your audience will see a given Note, and even if they do, they’ll likely forget about it within a few weeks.
That’s why repurposing is so powerful.
Here’s how to do it:
Once a week, scroll through your profile and find the Notes with the most replies, likes, or subscriber conversions
Save them in a folder or a bookmarking tool (I use Raindrop)
Post them again after a couple of months
This keeps your backlog working for you and ensures your best ideas get the attention they deserve.
The Bottom Line
If you want to grow on Substack, Notes aren’t a nice-to-have, they’re essential.
They give you visibility beyond your own audience, help you build real relationships with other creators, and make it easy to stay consistent without burning out.
But like any tool, they only work if you use them with intention.
You don't have to use all these tips right away. Instead, start small.
Pick three strategies you can commit to daily, and make them non-negotiable. Once those feel natural, add the next three.
And don’t forget: Consistency compounds.
The Notes you publish today will open doors you can’t see yet: to new readers, collaborations, and opportunities.
Notes help you get seen, but what happens after that?
Join me in a free Masterclass to learn how to turn those quick interactions into long-term subscribers and paying supporters.
We’ll cover Substack’s growth tools, a repeatable publishing system, and the path to your first 1,000 subscribers.
Secure your seat before it’s too late.
Thank you for posting the 10–5 – 1 Rule. That is a fantastic goal to set.😊
Notes seem to have dropped for me. I wonder if I'm posting too much. Do you think if I'm not getting much traction at the moment, it's better to drop down to once a day, or do you think 3 is better? I've been following your tips from your previous Notes article.