How to use Substack Notes to grow your audience and still feel like yourself
Tips for using Substack Notes to build connection, share your writing, and reach new readers—without turning your work into marketing.
Substack Notes can feel confusing at first.
Is it social media?
A feed?
A place to promote your work?
In reality, Substack Notes work best when they’re treated as conversation. Having a plan for your Notes can help the impact.
Used well, Notes help your writing travel further without turning your work into content for the sake of visibility.
Substack Notes are short posts that appear in the Substack network feed.
They’re designed to help writers:
Share small thoughts and reflections
Highlight longer Substack posts
Engage with other writers
Build visibility within the Substack ecosystem
They’re where connection happens.
Substack Notes the perform the best
Substack Notes are not mini blog posts.
They perform best when they feel:
unfinished (in a human way), as in a pondering, or a question
conversational
personal rather than polished
A Note should feel like something you’d say out loud to one person.
What to write in Substack Notes
Effective Substack Notes tend to be:
Short and clear
Focused on one idea
Written in natural language
Ideas that I see consistently work well:
A short reflection from your week
A line or paragraph from a recent post
A genuine question for readers
A thoughtful response to another writer’s work
Lead with the most important line
Only the first line of a Substack Note is guaranteed to be seen.
Instead of easing in, start with:
the insight
the question
the tension you’re noticing
Clear opening lines help your Notes be read, replied to, and shared.
Use one idea per note
Notes travel further when they do one thing well:
name a feeling
ask a question
offer a single reflection
Long, multi-point Notes are often skimmed.
How often to post on Substack Notes
There’s no perfect frequency.
A gentle, sustainable guideline:
2–5 Notes per week is plenty
It’s okay to go quiet when life requires it
Consistency supports visibility.
Authenticity builds trust.
Trust lasts longer.
How to share your Substack posts using notes
You can absolutely share your own posts.
A helpful balance:
One post share for every few conversational Notes
When sharing, frame it as an invitation rather than promotion.
For example:
I wrote this considering…... Sharing in case it meets you where you are.
This tone encourages reading without pressure.
Engage with other writers is helpful
One of the most powerful ways to grow on Substack is by commenting thoughtfully on other Notes.
When you:
respond with care
add something meaningful
speak in your real voice
You’re introduced to new readers in a context of trust.
This builds community — not just numbers.
Recommending other writers on Substack
Recommending writers you genuinely read and value is one of the most generous growth practices on Substack.
When you recommend others:
you strengthen the community
you support meaningful work
you often build reciprocal visibility naturally
If you are going to recommend another, it is a good idea to include why to help give insight into why others might be interested too.
Hot Tip: Use Substack Notes to test ideas
Notes are an excellent place to explore ideas before writing a full post.
You can:
share a question you’re sitting with
name a half-formed thought
ask if something resonates
The responses often reveal what readers are ready for next.
Substack tends to reward writers who stay.
Those who write with care, connect, and come back for the long run.
You don’t need to use every feature or be everywhere.
Choose what feels aligned.
Choose what feels sustainable.
Genuine audiences are built slowly, and Substack Notes, used gently, can be part of that growth.
I have collated these tips into a checklist for Notes, download it here.
Subscribes get a thank-you Poetry book & SEO Checklist:
How do you interact with Notes? - What do you enjoy about it? Would you please comment so we can share our views and understand this wonderful space we are in:
The Series at a Glance
Part 1 – How to Start a Substack (The Essentials)
Setting up your publication, choosing a name, and understanding the basic tools.
Part 2 – What to Write on Substack & How Often to Publish
Finding your voice, choosing a sustainable rhythm, and building confidence.
Part 3 – How to Grow a Substack Gently (Free vs Paid)
Subscriptions, paid options, and slow, intentional growth.
Part 4 - The SEO checklist I follow to help share my work and stay true to my voice
Writing with authenticity, and still getting seen.
Part 5 - How to use Substack Notes to grow your audience and still feel like yourself
Tips for using Substack Notes to build connection, share your writing, and reach new readers—without turning your work into marketing.
