I Tracked Every Substack Note I Wrote for 90 Days. Here’s What Actually Drives Subscribers.
I tracked every like, restack, and new subscriber for 90 days. Turns out viral Notes barely grow your newsletter, but these "quiet" ones consistently bring 15-20+ subscribers each.
For 90 days straight, I did something a little obsessive.
I tracked every single Note I wrote. Every like. Every restack. Every comment. And most importantly…every new subscriber that came from each Note.
What I discovered completely changed how I think about Notes.
The Notes everyone told me were “successful” (the ones with hundreds of likes, dozens of restacks, comment threads going for days) barely brought any subscribers.
Meanwhile, some of the “quieter” Notes I almost overlooked were consistently driving 15-20+ new subscribers each.
Everyone’s talking about Notes right now. Substack held their “Notes Night” in NYC where they pulled back the curtain on how the algorithm actually works. Writers finally got answers to questions they’ve been asking for months.
But here’s what 90 days of tracking taught me that nobody’s saying: viral doesn’t equal growth. Engagement doesn’t equal subscribers.
The Notes that actually drive subscriber growth look completely different than the ones that go “viral.”
Here’s what I learned.
Why Everyone’s Trying to Crack the Notes Code Right Now
Notes is the conversation happening on Substack right now, and for good reason.
After Substack’s NYC event, writers are finally getting real answers about how this algorithm works. Not guesses. Not theories. Actual explanations from the people who built it.
But even with those answers, Notes still feels like a puzzle everyone’s trying to solve.
Post at this exact time. Use these specific words. Write exactly this many characters. Make it provocative enough to get engagement.
We’re all looking for the hack, the secret formula, the thing that unlocks massive growth.
Because that’s what every other platform has trained us to do. Find the loophole…Game the system…Crack the code…
So, when I started on Notes, that’s exactly what I tried to do. I analyzed what seemed to work for other writers, tested different approaches, chased engagement metrics.
But I kept feeling frustrated because my “best performing” Notes (the ones with the most likes and comments) weren’t actually growing my newsletter.
That’s when I decided to stop guessing and start tracking. 90 days of real data instead of hunches.
And what I found surprised me.
The 400-Like Note That Brought Me 4 Subscribers (Yes, Really)
Here’s what surprised me most: some of my most viral Notes brought almost no subscriber growth.
I’m talking about Notes with 200+ likes. 30+ restacks. The kind of engagement that gives you that dopamine boost.
I remember one specifically. It was a slightly controversial take about newsletter advice. People loved it. The comments section exploded with debate. My notifications were going crazy all day.
I thought: “This is it. This is the Note that’s going to blow up my newsletter.”
I checked my subscriber count that evening, expecting to see a huge jump.
Four new subscribers. FOUR.
After all that engagement, all those likes, all that visibility…four people decided to actually subscribe.
It happened again with another Note that got massive traction. Over 300 likes. People restacking it left and right. It felt like I’d “made it” on Notes.
Result? Three new subscribers.
I started noticing a pattern. The Notes that felt most successful were barely moving the needle on actual growth.
And here’s why I think it happens: these Notes were entertaining, but they weren’t clear about who I am or what I actually do.
I was optimizing for the wrong metric. I was chasing engagement instead of conversion.
Likes feel good. But they don’t pay the bills. They don’t build your newsletter.
Meanwhile, My “Boring” Notes Were Quietly Bringing 20+ Subscribers Each
Meanwhile, something else was happening that I almost missed.
Some of my quieter Notes (the ones I barely noticed because they weren’t “performing” like the viral ones) were consistently bringing in 15 to 20+ subscribers each.
Not hundreds of likes. But when I tracked back the subscriber data? These were the Notes actually growing my newsletter.
One Note I remember clearly got maybe 30 likes and 5 restacks. I almost overlooked it in my spreadsheet because it seemed unremarkable compared to others that week.
Then I noticed: 18 new subscribers that day. I tracked back through my analytics. They almost all came from that one Note.
The Note wasn’t clever or provocative. It was honest. I wrote about a mistake I’d made trying to grow on LinkedIn and what I learned from it. Simple. Straightforward. A little vulnerable, actually.
Another Note that quietly converted: 65 likes, 6 restacks, 22 new subscribers.
It was me explaining exactly who I help (newsletter writers) and what they struggle with (growing without burning out on social media). Nothing fancy. Just clear and authentic.
The pattern became obvious once I started looking for it.
These Notes had something the viral ones didn’t: they clearly communicated value.
They weren’t just entertaining. They were useful. They were honest. They had some authenticity to them.
The cute and quirky Notes might go viral. But honest, clear, valuable Notes drive subscribers. And that makes perfect sense when you understand how Substack’s algorithm actually works.
Why Substack’s Algorithm Actually Works in Your Favor
Here’s the key difference that most writers are missing:
Every other social algorithm actively works against you bringing people to your newsletter.
Post a link on LinkedIn? Your reach immediately tanks. Try to send people from Instagram to your Substack? The algorithm buries your post.
They do this because they want you trapped in their app. The longer you scroll, the more ads they show. Your success (growing your newsletter) directly conflicts with their success (keeping you on their platform).
But Substack is fundamentally different.
Hamish McKenzie, their co-founder, said it directly at the NYC event: “We want you to grow. We want you to reach as many people as possible, influence as many people as possible, and make as much money as possible. We only make money when you make money.”
The Notes algorithm isn’t designed to keep you scrolling. It’s designed to help readers find writers they’ll actually subscribe to and pay.
Mike Cohen, their head of machine learning, explained it clearly: “We’re optimizing for sign-ups and subscriptions. The goal is to get people to discover, subscribe, and ideally pay.”
Not engagement. Not scroll time. Subscriptions.
This is why the “quiet” Notes that clearly communicate value outperform the “viral” Notes that just entertain. The algorithm is literally looking for content that helps readers understand why they should subscribe.
What Actually Drives Subscribers (According to 90 Days of Data)
After tracking every Note for 90 days, here’s what actually drives subscriber growth:
Clarity beats cleverness every single time.
Notes that clearly state who you help and what they get? They bring subscribers. Notes that are funny or clever or provocative? They bring likes.
Different metrics. Different outcomes.
I have spreadsheets full of data proving this. The clearest Notes consistently outperform the cleverest ones when it comes to actual subscriber conversion.
Authenticity beats performance.
The Notes where I was honest (sharing a mistake, admitting what I struggled with, being vulnerable about the learning process) those converted at a much higher rate than Notes where I was trying to sound impressive or authoritative.
People subscribe to real humans, not polished brands.
Value beats virality.
One Note bringing 20 subscribers matters more than ten Notes bringing 200 likes each. I’d rather have consistent conversion than sporadic viral moments.
The algorithm rewards value, not entertainment.
Specificity beats vagueness.
Vague Notes that didn’t give you that gut-punch feeling when you read, or made you say “oh yeah, me too” didn’t do much for me.
Specific Notes like stories about how I failed at my first business and almost went broke, but then I bootstrapped a six-figure one-man newsletter brought consistent subscribers.
The clearer you are, the easier it is for the algorithm to show you to the right people.
Consistency beats sporadic brilliance.
My best performing weeks weren’t when I had one viral Note. They were when I posted 3 clear, value-focused Notes every single day.
The algorithm learns from consistency. Mike said it at the event: “We want to understand where you are in your flow.”
When you show up regularly with clear value, the algorithm figures out who your ideal readers are and connects you with them.
The simple formula that actually works:
Be clear about who you help. Be honest and authentic in how you share. Show up consistently. Engage genuinely with other writers.
That’s it. That’s what 90 days of data taught me.
Not viral moments. Not clever hooks. Not gaming the system.
Just clarity, authenticity, and consistency.
Why I’m Done Chasing “Likes” and Focused on Subscribers Instead
I spent months chasing the wrong things.
Celebrating when a Note got 300 likes. Feeling frustrated when those “successful” Notes didn’t actually grow my newsletter. Wondering why engagement didn’t translate to subscribers.
I was optimizing for metrics that didn’t matter.
Once I understood what actually drives subscriber growth, everything shifted.
I stopped trying to go viral. I started focusing on clarity.
The result? 10+ subscribers every single day became my baseline. Some days 20. Some days 40. Growth became predictable instead of random. Zero to 14,000 subscribers in one year. $5K+ monthly revenue.
All because I stopped doing what looked successful and started doing what actually converted.
In 2026, I’m doubling down on what the data proved works: clear, consistent, authentic Notes that communicate real value.
Not because it’s trendy. Not because some guru said to. But because 90 days of tracking showed me exactly what the algorithm rewards.
And it’s not what most people think.
Let Me Show You How to Make Notes Work for You
Understanding that “viral doesn’t equal growth” is step one.
Knowing which specific Note formats consistently convert browsers into subscribers? That’s step two.
That’s what I’ve spent the last year figuring out through constant testing and tracking. Which Notes bring subscribers. Which ones just get vanity metrics. What makes the algorithm show your work to new audiences.
And, that’s why I created 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 first access to my 7-Day Notes Growth Challenge starting this week. You’ll receive a new Notes template every single day for a week. No more staring at blank screens wondering what to write.
I’ve proven it works. 14,000+ subscribers and $5K+ monthly revenue in just one year.
You can join below with hundreds of writers growing with Notes:
Keep writing, Wes
I’m at the start of this journey but I’m definitely seeing quiet gentle growth from honest and clear notes.
My focus is subscribers and definitely not likes.
Thanks for sharing your experience.
LesliesWeekly.substack.com