3 Substack Notes Experts Spill Their Growth Secrets

I interviewed 3 experts on Substack notes…

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Most writers on Substack have under 1,000 subscribers.
The real problem is discoverability.

If you want to grow on Substack, you need people to find you first.

The quickest and easiest way to get in front of FAR more people is by using Substack notes (properly).

I’ve been studying Substack Notes every day for a month.

I read over 10,000 Notes and tracked what actually spreads.

I even bought SubstackNotes.com because I’m that obsessed.

I noticed that most notes get zero traction (no likes, no comments, and no restacks). But some notes take off and go viral.

I wanted to know the difference, so I interviewed three people who are crushing it with Substack notes.

I added my own thoughts on notes, along with their unedited answers to my questions.

Nothing edited.

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Landon Poburan

Landon has 8,500+ subscribers on Substack. Instead of being all over the internet, Landon has found success focusing on Substack.

He conducts interesting experiments and shares his actual results, like this piece on posting 10 notes per day.

Here is Landon’s Substack

Full Q&A (verbatim)

Q: How often do you post on Notes, and how many new readers or subscribers has it brought you?

I post daily on Substack Notes. My goal is to post between 1–3 times. On average, I’d estimate I post between 2–5 Notes per day. According to my dashboard, “Substack App” has generated me 5,287 (67%) of my subscribers.

Q: What do you usually post, and what’s your main goal with Notes?

Every piece of content serves a purpose. Some are designed for visibility (attention), some are designed for authority and engagement, while others for sales (monetization). I post a mix of types over the course of a week. I’ve posted Notes that received 17,000 likes and generated me hundreds of new subscribers. But I’ve also posted Notes that received 0 likes but generated me leads and sales. My focus with Notes leans towards visibility (attention/growth) and I incorporate various styles to maximize this. However, I am testing things daily in an effort to discover what’s working as the algorithm evolves.

Q: What kind of Notes perform best for you?

Most of my viral Notes have been short text-based posts that are less than 5–7 lines. However, I have had successful posts that were longer. The most successful type of posts for me are challenging commonly held assumptions, personal stories, and vulnerable admissions/confessions.

Q: How do you engage with other people’s Notes?

While “commenting” is a commonly recommended strategy for growth, I don’t do it as much as one may think. I spend around 30 minutes per day responding to comments on my own content — that could count as engaging with others. However, my approach to what I’ll refer to as outbound comments is to “comment in the margins.” Adapted from the writer Nicole Gulotta, not everyone has the time to dedicate 30–60 minutes a day to commenting. But we can accomplish a lot by bookmarking 5–10 people we want to connect with or opening Substack and commenting while we’re on the bus, waiting for a Starbucks, sipping coffee, or at the barber shop.

Q: What’s one thing you wish you knew when you first started posting Notes?

I can’t recall exactly when I first started publishing Notes. But I know it took me a while before I expanded beyond my weekly newsletters and added Notes into my routine. At first, posting them here and there. And then eventually building a consistent routine of posting daily. I may have missed out on some early growth as a lot of stuff went viral in those early days!

Q: Do you have a tip or trick for Notes that others might not think of?

Something people might not realize is that I’ve had the exact same Substack Note go viral four times. Copy, paste, post. Not “restacking” it. But posting it again. It’s easy to become fixated on the next post we need to write and forget about the library of content we’ve already validated. One trick I use every week is re-using previous top-performing Notes. Sometimes, I modify them slightly, other times it’s posted verbatim. While I have many strategies, I think this is widely overlooked.

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Matt Giaro

Matt also has over 8k subscribers on Substack. Instead of going after vanity metrics like subscriber count, Matt focuses on what actually brings in a solid income.

Here is an example piece from Matt about his Substack notes growth strategy.

Here is Matt’s Substack

Full Q&A (verbatim)

Q: How often do you post on Notes, and how many new readers or subscribers has it brought you?

When I first got started on Substack, my goal was to post at least 1 per day. Now on some days I don’t post anything, and on some days I post 3.

Q: What do you usually post, and what’s your main goal with Notes?

I stick to my niche to attract the right people. I don’t give a damn about going viral, as this attracts “tourists” and people who won’t buy anyway.

Q: What kind of Notes perform best for you?

It’s a mixed bag. sometimes tutorials, sometimes listicles, sometimes a quick tip. test different formats!

Q: How do you engage with other people’s Notes?

Like + comment

Q: What’s one thing you wish you knew when you first started posting Notes?

Write a lot. Vary the formats. Throw a lot of things against the wall and see what sticks.

Q: Do you have a tip or trick for Notes that others might not think of?

Simply sticking to it. After a few days of being consistent and still getting ignored, you’d be tempted to throw in the towel. But don’t. Audience building is a process.

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Claudia Faith

Claudia also has nearly 8k Substack subscribers. She makes interesting posts about her Substack journey.

Here is a piece she wrote about how she went from 0 to over 1k USD per month in less than 6 months on Substack.

Here is Claudia’s Substack

Full Q&A (verbatim)

Q: How often do you post on Notes, and what kind of results have you seen?

I usually post 2–3 Notes per day and then restack each one about four hours later. It’s hard to measure exactly, but a lot of my new readers come through Notes.

Q: What do you usually post, and what’s your main goal with Notes?

For me, Notes are about visibility and sharing value. I post thoughts, questions, and insights — all with the intention of creating community.

Q: What kind of Notes perform best for you?

Personal stories and experiences always do well. Motivational and encouraging Notes get the most traction too.

Q: How do you engage with other people’s Notes?

I like and comment a lot, but I don’t repost. I like to keep my profile clean — almost like a window into who I am and what I write about.

Q: What’s one thing you wish you knew when you first started posting Notes?

Don’t be afraid to post a lot. The more you show up, the more it works.

Q: Do you have a tip or trick for Notes that others might not think of?

Yes — restack your Notes a few hours later, and even bring old Notes back. It extends your reach way more than you’d expect.

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My Takeaways

All 3 people are succeeding big time with Substack notes.

It doesn’t seem like anyone has an exact system, but they all agree on consistency and experimentation.

You don’t need to overthink notes. You do need to post.

I’d recommend posting 3 notes per day for an entire month and see what happens.

Make notes to yourself on what seems to be working and what doesn’t. See if you can find a pattern. Do more of what works and less of what doesn’t.

Interact with other people on their notes. Notes are a great way to network.

I’m going to keep experimenting with notes myself.

I’ll also share my results on my Substack Notes website.

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