This is really interesting! I post at least daily on notes and my growth is slow. But, as soon as I start posting on others' posts/notes, my notifications bell starts turning orange. I think the algorithm gives more exposure to people who connect!
I'm also concerned that getting subscribers from notes means you're preaching to the converted. Substack is predominantly a newsletter software, and I want to get more sign-ups from people who have no idea about what substack is - and don't care. I need a better way to connect with people out there in the working world, and that's the trickiest part!!
Yes! Me too. LinkedIn is my main home on social media, and I'm also trying to boost my YouTube. TikTok is ticking along and Instagram and Facebook are purely for the SEO..... I'm always thinking about what happens when the platform goes down - or it gets banned in a particular country........
This is encouraging because it can be hard to respond to posts that feel like a brick in a wall. But I find it easy to respond to another person’s often more genuine sounding response….like yours.
I’m also more interested in people who are here for the info or content, less in the game that social media can feel like.
I have found notes to be super helpful in not only in getting new subscribers but in better interactions with the community on here. I have never been about the numbers but more about having my work create connection. Notes has been a game changer in that regard.
I actually just enjoy notes for the social aspect. I do tend to subscribe to newsletters because I find the author through notes, but more than anything I just enjoy the chatter and being nosey 🤣
I'm so glad this showed up on my feed! I joined Substack a month ago and felt quite lost at first, but this article is incredibly motivating, it’s given me a glimmer of hope.I have 73 subscribers now, and I’m excited to see where I’ll be in a month. Subscribed!
Definitely agree. Notes only work well for people that have established audiences. Yet, certain "influencers" are pushing the idea that posting more Notes will magically cause you to grow, which is laughable because these same "influencers" didn't grow organically using Notes. They either imported an existing audience or got exposed to a huge audience via someone else.
I’m addicted to the orange number notification on the bell! I do enjoy interacting with others on here and have found my audience with people I actually know from a writing community. I’m trying to figure out how to build more momentum of subscribers on the app with Notes. It’s slow but progressing.
Excellent analysis, Karen, and thanks for the shout-out. You highlight an important point: correlation is not causation. While correlation is easy to demonstrate and with a large enough sample, you can even tell the statistical significance, proving the causality is more complicated. It would require randomized controlled experiments, like in A/B testing.
While writing the SQL queries and Python notebooks for my analysis, I was skeptical about the correlations I found. I believed that posting multiple daily notes would be perceived as spam and would result in canceled subscriptions. Therefore, I had to check my code multiple times and verify the logic.
I decided to perform the experiment and posted many notes, often short updates on my progress in building the Scheduled Notes tool. I had to adjust my beliefs as I saw the traffic increase and the subscriber growth. Substack Notes are a beneficial discovery tool, and posting more (relevant) notes will help those 30M Substack users find you.
Thanks for the article Karen… interesting as always. Notes conversation is extremely popular on Substack at the moment, but I have similar concerns as Nia regarding picking up subscribers inside the Substack network who are keen on newsletters rather than the subject of the article.
Hmm yes, I feel that way about Notes for my paid newsletter. I want to attract readers for that publication from outside the Substack universe. And so I don't use Notes at all with my other account.
But there are more than 30 million readers on Substack now, so for most topics there will be at least a few potential new readers who are already using the platform. I think it's worth at least exploring the possibilities.
I have been exactly the same, focusing on being off platform for my promotion. Also because I think it could be easy to get sucked into Notes comparison if you never go viral but someone on a similar topic does. But I might try and experiment for the first quarter in 2025.
Interesting analysis. I have noticed a bit more engagement since I've started engaging more with others on this platform. I've also collected a few more (free) subscribers. Your post has given me food for thought. Thanks.
As always, I appreciate your reflection and this issue for its sincerity, transparency and straight to the point way. Thank you so much for sharing!
Personally, I see notes as a great "tool" for interaction. I like to interact and meet new writers, as well as appreciate their work. By responding to notes, interacting sincerely and in stimulating discussions and, above all, resharing issues from different writers I find that I come into contact with different people who often also know my newsletter. I personally post my notes less, even if I'm trying to do it more, but when I feel it could be something fun, stimulating or interesting.
I love that there's someone willing to do all that data mining and share it. But I think there's a tipping point where people are caring too much about the data and profiting from the FOMO of it all. I try to avoid coaching my clients on this stuff because it's vague at best and I can't make promises (nobody really can)
Having said that, I'm fascinated by numbers people who have the patience to turn data into stuff 😁
This is a great article, and thank you for taking the time to break Notes down for us. My substock's growth has stagnated over the last few months, and I know that I need to do something to reinvigorate it, so I've promised myself to become very active on Notes in 2025. But even though I've been posting almost twice a day for almost the last month, my notes still get almost no engagement. It's like screaming into a void! Even when I break someone else's very successful note down into a template and try to recreate it with my own content, nothing. It's so frustrating! Probably the most frustrating social media platform I've ever been on in terms of lack of engagement. And yet somehow, it just seems to be driving me to be more determined to get this engagement!
Yes Notes can be v frustrating. You might have more fun (and better results) if you take a break from creating your own notes and spend all your time interacting with other people's notes. That's a strategy that works well for people with smaller audiences.
This is really interesting! I post at least daily on notes and my growth is slow. But, as soon as I start posting on others' posts/notes, my notifications bell starts turning orange. I think the algorithm gives more exposure to people who connect!
I'm also concerned that getting subscribers from notes means you're preaching to the converted. Substack is predominantly a newsletter software, and I want to get more sign-ups from people who have no idea about what substack is - and don't care. I need a better way to connect with people out there in the working world, and that's the trickiest part!!
I have similar concerns about picking up subscribers through notes and I still post on social media to gain audience engagement away from Substack …
Yes! Me too. LinkedIn is my main home on social media, and I'm also trying to boost my YouTube. TikTok is ticking along and Instagram and Facebook are purely for the SEO..... I'm always thinking about what happens when the platform goes down - or it gets banned in a particular country........
I agree with this for sure. Love writing on Substack though.
This is encouraging because it can be hard to respond to posts that feel like a brick in a wall. But I find it easy to respond to another person’s often more genuine sounding response….like yours.
I’m also more interested in people who are here for the info or content, less in the game that social media can feel like.
Thanks for sharing.
Yes! I didn’t leave social media just to learn the rules of another “game.” I’m here for the content and want subscribers who are too.
I have found notes to be super helpful in not only in getting new subscribers but in better interactions with the community on here. I have never been about the numbers but more about having my work create connection. Notes has been a game changer in that regard.
I actually just enjoy notes for the social aspect. I do tend to subscribe to newsletters because I find the author through notes, but more than anything I just enjoy the chatter and being nosey 🤣
I'm so glad this showed up on my feed! I joined Substack a month ago and felt quite lost at first, but this article is incredibly motivating, it’s given me a glimmer of hope.I have 73 subscribers now, and I’m excited to see where I’ll be in a month. Subscribed!
Thanks Karen, this is great info. I especially appreciate your boots-on-the-ground approach to keeping it real, fun and manageable.
Definitely agree. Notes only work well for people that have established audiences. Yet, certain "influencers" are pushing the idea that posting more Notes will magically cause you to grow, which is laughable because these same "influencers" didn't grow organically using Notes. They either imported an existing audience or got exposed to a huge audience via someone else.
Entrepeneur porn is hilarious. And everywhere I look, shaming me for for my lack of success.
I’m addicted to the orange number notification on the bell! I do enjoy interacting with others on here and have found my audience with people I actually know from a writing community. I’m trying to figure out how to build more momentum of subscribers on the app with Notes. It’s slow but progressing.
My view about notes is I am having fun making connections and interacting with them. Anyone who becomes a subscriber is an added benefit.
Pamela, me too! I'm here for the community, not necessarily the numbers.
Excellent analysis, Karen, and thanks for the shout-out. You highlight an important point: correlation is not causation. While correlation is easy to demonstrate and with a large enough sample, you can even tell the statistical significance, proving the causality is more complicated. It would require randomized controlled experiments, like in A/B testing.
While writing the SQL queries and Python notebooks for my analysis, I was skeptical about the correlations I found. I believed that posting multiple daily notes would be perceived as spam and would result in canceled subscriptions. Therefore, I had to check my code multiple times and verify the logic.
I decided to perform the experiment and posted many notes, often short updates on my progress in building the Scheduled Notes tool. I had to adjust my beliefs as I saw the traffic increase and the subscriber growth. Substack Notes are a beneficial discovery tool, and posting more (relevant) notes will help those 30M Substack users find you.
Thanks for the article Karen… interesting as always. Notes conversation is extremely popular on Substack at the moment, but I have similar concerns as Nia regarding picking up subscribers inside the Substack network who are keen on newsletters rather than the subject of the article.
Hmm yes, I feel that way about Notes for my paid newsletter. I want to attract readers for that publication from outside the Substack universe. And so I don't use Notes at all with my other account.
But there are more than 30 million readers on Substack now, so for most topics there will be at least a few potential new readers who are already using the platform. I think it's worth at least exploring the possibilities.
I have been exactly the same, focusing on being off platform for my promotion. Also because I think it could be easy to get sucked into Notes comparison if you never go viral but someone on a similar topic does. But I might try and experiment for the first quarter in 2025.
That's true ... best to make use of all sources ... 30 million is a heck of a lot!
Interesting analysis. I have noticed a bit more engagement since I've started engaging more with others on this platform. I've also collected a few more (free) subscribers. Your post has given me food for thought. Thanks.
As always, I appreciate your reflection and this issue for its sincerity, transparency and straight to the point way. Thank you so much for sharing!
Personally, I see notes as a great "tool" for interaction. I like to interact and meet new writers, as well as appreciate their work. By responding to notes, interacting sincerely and in stimulating discussions and, above all, resharing issues from different writers I find that I come into contact with different people who often also know my newsletter. I personally post my notes less, even if I'm trying to do it more, but when I feel it could be something fun, stimulating or interesting.
I love that there's someone willing to do all that data mining and share it. But I think there's a tipping point where people are caring too much about the data and profiting from the FOMO of it all. I try to avoid coaching my clients on this stuff because it's vague at best and I can't make promises (nobody really can)
Having said that, I'm fascinated by numbers people who have the patience to turn data into stuff 😁
Thank you for your commonsense approach and clear analysis of the data available, Karen.
This is a great article, and thank you for taking the time to break Notes down for us. My substock's growth has stagnated over the last few months, and I know that I need to do something to reinvigorate it, so I've promised myself to become very active on Notes in 2025. But even though I've been posting almost twice a day for almost the last month, my notes still get almost no engagement. It's like screaming into a void! Even when I break someone else's very successful note down into a template and try to recreate it with my own content, nothing. It's so frustrating! Probably the most frustrating social media platform I've ever been on in terms of lack of engagement. And yet somehow, it just seems to be driving me to be more determined to get this engagement!
Yes Notes can be v frustrating. You might have more fun (and better results) if you take a break from creating your own notes and spend all your time interacting with other people's notes. That's a strategy that works well for people with smaller audiences.
I've been making an effort to do that in addition to my own notes since I read that on your article yesterday!! Thanks for the great tip.