Everyone Says Substack Notes Doesn’t Work, But I Gained 10,000+ Subscribers This Year. Here’s How.
Everyone's complaining Notes doesn't work while I'm gaining 10+ subscribers daily from 20 minutes of effort. Here's what they're missing.
You see it everywhere.
“Notes is a waste of time.”
“I posted for a month and got nothing.”
“Nobody actually subscribes from Notes.”
I’m going to challenge that belief right now.
I gained over 10,000 subscribers this year, and about 70% of them came from Substack Notes. That’s 7,000+ subscribers from a platform everyone says doesn’t work.
So, either I got insanely lucky, or everyone complaining about Notes is doing it wrong.
Here’s my story. Early this year, I had the same question you probably have right now: “Writing on Substack is fun, but how in the world am I going to grow this thing?”
I was publishing consistently and writing decent content. But growth was slow and frustrating. A few subscribers here and there if I was lucky.
Then I started experimenting with Notes. Just posting daily, showing up, testing what worked. And I started something I called a Notes Boost in my Substack Chat.
That was the turning point.
Every week, writers would gather in my Chat to share their Notes with each other. Comment genuinely. Restack the good stuff. Support each other’s work. It started small with maybe 20 writers the first week, then 50, then 100. Now over 200 writers show up every week.
Here’s the best part: It’s not about gaming the algorithm. It’s a real community where people follow each other, genuinely comment and engage, and build actual relationships. It’s taken on a life of its own and become one of my favorite parts of Substack.
That community, combined with consistent Notes, is what grew my newsletter to where it is today.
The Substack Algorithm Is Actually Trying to Help You
Here’s what most people don’t understand about Notes…it’s not like other social platforms at all.
Substack built Notes specifically to help writers grow their newsletters.
Your audience is already here, reading newsletters on Substack. And the algorithm is designed to show your Notes to people who will actually subscribe.
At Substack’s NYC Notes Night earlier this year, Mike Cohen (their head of machine learning) and co-founder Hamish McKenzie explained exactly how it works.
Their goal isn’t engagement metrics or time spent scrolling. It’s subscriptions.
The algorithm looks for audience overlap and shows your Notes to people interested in your topic.
You’re not fighting an algorithm designed to keep you trapped. You’re working with one that wants you to succeed. That changes everything.
If You Don’t Know Where to Focus, Notes Is the Answer (for now)
Let’s be honest about the alternatives.
LinkedIn? You could spend hours every day posting, commenting, engaging. Maybe get a few newsletter signups if you’re lucky.
X? Exhausting. The algorithm changes constantly. You’re competing with everyone for attention.
Instagram? Doesn’t even let you add clickable links. You’re basically yelling into a void hoping people type your newsletter name into Google.
Podcast pitching? Months of effort for one guest appearance that might bring 10 subscribers if you’re fortunate.
Meanwhile, Notes brings me 10+ subscribers daily. From 20 minutes of effort.
70% of my 10,000+ subscribers this year came from Notes. Not from spreading myself thin everywhere else. From focusing on the one place where my audience already is.
Stop trying to drag people from other platforms. Your readers are already here.
The 3-Step Action Plan That Actually Works
Here’s what I did to go from zero to 7,000+ subscribers from Notes.
Step 1: Commit to 30 Days of Notes
Decide right now: 30 days, 1-2 Notes per day, no exceptions.
Not “I’ll post when inspiration hits.” Not “I’ll try it for a week.” Thirty full days of consistent showing up.
The first few weeks feel slow, and that’s normal.
That’s everyone’s experience. Consistency is what teaches the algorithm your voice, where you fit, and who should see your work. Things start clicking around week 3-4, but you have to make it there first.
Step 2: Engage With Others First
Don’t just post your Notes and disappear. Go find other writers in your niche, read their Notes, restack the good ones, and leave genuine comments that add to the conversation.
Do this BEFORE you expect anyone to engage with your content.
This is how you gain your first 100 followers and how you signal to the algorithm that you’re active and engaged. The algorithm sees you engaging authentically and starts showing YOUR Notes to more people who would actually care about what you write.
It’s not gaming the system. It’s how community works.
Step 3: Turn Your Notes into Stories
Before you post anything, ask yourself one question: “How can I turn this into a story?”
Not a tip. Not advice. A story. Your specific struggle, your breakthrough moment, the thing you learned the hard way.
Tips get scrolled past because everyone shares tips. Your story is what stops people. Stories with you in them, showing the messy middle and not just the polished outcome.
People subscribe to people, not to information they could Google.
My Results: The Proof It Actually Works
Let me give you the real numbers. 10,000+ subscribers this year, and about 70% came from Notes. That’s 7,000+ subscribers from this one platform.
Notes now brings me 10+ subscribers consistently every single day from no more than 20 minutes of writing.
That’s the whole time investment…twenty minutes to write 1-2 Notes, engage with a few other writers, and show up in my community. And it brings steady, predictable growth.
Not overnight. The first few weeks were slow while the algorithm learned my voice and where I fit.
But once things clicked, it became my most reliable growth source. No more guessing if today’s the day growth happens or wondering if this post will finally break through.
Just consistent subscribers from consistent effort. It works.
Let me show you how to grow with Substack Notes
Everything I just walked you through (the 30-day commitment, the engagement strategy, how to turn tips into stories, the algorithm insights from NYC Notes Night, etc.) that’s what I teach inside my “10+ Subscribers a Day” Notes Growth Workshop.
Inside, I put together how to:
Stop guessing what to post—discover the specific types of Notes that consistently convert browsers into subscribers, with real examples from my journey to 14K subscribers
Write Notes that actually work in 5 minutes or less—so this doesn’t become another exhausting task competing for your limited time and energy
Avoid the engagement trap—learn which Notes get tons of likes and comments but zero subscribers, so you stop wasting time on vanity metrics that don’t move the needle
Master formatting that stops the scroll—the visual tricks and structure that make people actually read your Note instead of scrolling past
Build a sustainable daily practice—because showing up consistently only works if it doesn’t burn you out in three weeks
Special bonus: When you join now, you’ll get my new “Notes Secrets Guide: 30 Tips to Grow with Notes” and my “Supercharge Your Notes with AI Guide.” New recently created guides to help you grow.
I’ve proven it works. 10,000+ subscribers and $5K+ monthly revenue in just one year.
You can join below with hundreds of writers growing with Notes:
Keep writing, Wes
Excellent read, Wes! I enjoy Substack Notes. They’re like little fortune cookie messages in my feed. 😂
I've just started getting into notes after advice from Carrie Loranger. I previously held back because I thought I wouldn't have enough to say. Couldn't have more wrong - I now have a stockpile of notes ready to go.