Hi Folks,
Itâs been a while since I wrote a post about Substack Notes. There are over 50million active Substack users now. As a collective, weâre feeling âheavyâ in the quest to quiet the noise and strike a balance between âthe workâ and âbeing socialâ⊠it felt like a good time for an update.
I also want to say that in three different podcast recordings with prolific creators, they talk about letting the work do the work and NOT actively engaging in Notes⊠I found a lot of comfort in this.
If we are using Substack Notes as writers/ creatives/ entrepreneurs to grow consciously, itâs a REALLY fun way to grow our readership and THE best social media in town?
I love Notes - I think itâs brilliant for growth, awareness, kinship and intimacy that all help build your Substack Newsletter/ Publication and your profile.
Substack IS social media but you can also âjust write a newsletterâ1 - I also LOVE depth of connection - my subscriber only Substack Chat channel and being able to show up and chat with my colleagues there and on Substack Notes in different ways.
Substack (as a whole) IS social media
There was a while back there when we questioned itâŠ
Yes Substack is social media. Itâs a beautiful version of it though, a replacement from the frantic dopamine scroll, a chance to do things differentlyâŠ
This is that feeling of walking into a room and turning a head or two⊠but this isnât all about looks - itâs also about capturing imagination, slowing the scroll, joining conversation, cheerleading our colleaguesâŠ
That funnel (or âthumb stoppingâ invite) was exactly what I did with the note I posted above on âbloom-scrollingâ.2
It works as a note AND a note from me for 3 reasonsâŠ
people who know me and know I love gardening and teaching about online life will (and did) like it.
itâs an âeasy likeâ AND speaks to the type of strangers that like the type of work I do.
itâs a pun on doom scrolling. Itâs light and we all like a fun pun donât we?
the stats on that - this Note was a good fit with our Joyful Growth Club and so drove 3 new subs. In my experience of Notes this is still a LOW number of subs for the clicks - I wonder if I wasnât leading with the Joyful Growth Club but Creatively Conscious as a lead pub if it would have driven more clicksâŠ
If your Substack publication is your Garden PartyâŠ
The biggest mistake I see when I audit peopleâs Substack re their Notes approach is that they arenât writing enough fresh notes without links.
Itâs like a little terrarium all of itâs own in there - you have to give it tiny plants and love away from your main publication (but make sure itâs related to you).
How to GROW (personally and professionally) using Substack Notes in 2026!
â STEP ONE
MOST IMPORTANT - So to actively curate your feed for BLOOM SCROLLINGâŠand get you and your nervous system out of âfreezeâ and âfawnâ/
Your voice is as important as your nervous system - hereâs what to doâŠ
NOTICE how your body reacts when you scroll.
Imagine being at school and the teacher keepers bringing the same student to the front as an exemplar - like a BEAUTIFUL show pony day after day after day⊠that is not going to be a happy environment for you to even feel youâll get there.
What do you WANT to see in your feed?
Some of the things Iâve been enjoying seeing, engaging with and posting myself on Substack NotesâŠ
art, artistic process, BTS content
heart felt and human stories with a resolve
anything generous
And hereâs whatâs outâŠ
strong opinions that activate my nervous system
politics
the âlook at meâ posts - I know we have to promote - I just struggle with too many of those in my feed.
violence3
Itâs super simple to curate your feed - like the things you like, mute the things you donât - be ruthless!
If you like something from a newer creator - e.g âMy Mum just paid for my Substackâ, youâll see more content like that. The algorithm is furiously trying to please you.
You can mute your colleagues and people who trigger those feeling of ânot enough-nessâ or you can cheerlead them and journal into why it upsets you.
There are always two roads and one is not more righteous than the other⊠we have underdeveloped brains for the type of content and sheer volume we are being asked to process - it can feel like an absolute assault - do what you need to do to CREATE and Stay Creative on Substack.
⥠STEP TWO
Experiment with different types of Notes - see what feels âeasefulâ without judging the response.
Then look at the stats across 14 days of posting a few times a week. Note clicks, profile visits and subscribes⊠Note the ratio too. Start a google doc if itâs helpful?
Examples of other types of Note I like to writeâŠ
the misfit noteâŠ(no links) this is the note that I just feel called to write - it connects with my values and doesnât fit within one of my newsletter formats. (Two subs, One follower, over 600 clicks)
The quick shareâŠthis wouldnât necessarily drive subs but it would drive clicks and remind people to watch my live. (16 clicks)
An ad but make it colourful, this one drove two subscriptions to January Joy(ful) Growth Club with Russell and Claire so I repeated the format a couple of times with new quotes from lives.
A live video snippet (42 clicks)
â STEP THREE
Go viral! đą
I donât teach about how to go viral but I do teach you how to hold yourself when it happens. đ One of my lovely members Amy Pigott has written about it in this helpful article. Hereâs her note which went âviralâ -
Things that go viral can be; polarising, divisive, activating, cute, beautiful, funny, well written, written with ai. Itâs not unusual to see brand new creators with tens of thousands of likes on a note and creators who have built a beautiful platform with tens of thousands of subscribers with very low engagement on Substack Notes.
Thereâs just a whole mix of stuff and multitudes.
In our members chat, Iâve shared a selection of well written but easy to replicate Notes that have gone viral. You donât have to copy other Notes formats BUT lots of Notes that go viral are notes that âworkedâ on other social media and people brought hereâŠ
So, donât beat yourself up about mixing it in as part of your writing flow with your integrity intact if you want a light lift to test in the mix with your freshly written Substack Notes!
My advice is always to experiment, see what feels good in your unique self expression, have fun chatting with colleagues, lift up the newbies and know that itâs all one big para-social experiment.
âš If youâve found this helpful, hit the like button or share with your colleagues? I deeply appreciate your energy and time. đ
Claire
âš
P.S - Hereâs some video tutorials/ posts from my Substack Notes History Archive if you want to go deeper and track backâŠ
This âhow toâ guide is actually coming up two years old and Substack Notes will be three years old in April - I canât believe it.
A Notes encyclopediaâŠI love anything Sarah Fay, PhD writes about Substack Notes because she has studied it, spoken to Substack about the algorithm and has given us tonnes of tips on what âworksâ and goes viral if you want to pull that lever and a weekly thread to meet new people too.
Hereâs my FREE class on how to âjustâ write a newsletter on Substack.
Itâs taken from the Calm appâs instagram feed.
Itâs a very difficult time to be writing online and thatâs been true for some time now. You can stay informed, use your voice AND curate your feed so your nervous system isnât smashed.
Thanks Claire
Your note examples were helpful
And I appreciate your encouraging tone of voice
I like a 'misfit note'. I do that type of post a lot on IG, but need to practice more of it here on Substack.