Substack Notes Brought Me 1000+ Subscribers Last Month. Here’s Why the Algorithm Actually Works (according to Substack)
Notes brought me 1000+ subscribers last month. Then Substack revealed how the algorithm works and everything made sense.
I gained 1000+ subscribers last month from Notes alone.
Not from paid ads. Not from grinding on LinkedIn or YouTube. Just from posting Notes on Substack.
And I finally understand why it works so well.
A few weeks ago, Substack’s team give us a sneak peak at their NYC Notes Night event. Mike Cohen (their head of machine learning who literally built the algorithm) explained everything in detail. Hamish McKenzie, their co-founder, shared why they built it this way.
Reading what they said made everything click for me.
This isn’t luck. This isn’t timing. The system is literally designed to help writers grow.
Here’s what they told us.
I was stuck until I figured this out about Notes
Let me give you some context on why I’m even writing this.
Last month: 1000+ new subscribers from Notes. I went from being stuck in the beginning at 2-3 subscribers daily to consistent 10+. Some days 20, 30, even 40+.
I’m now at 14,000+ total subscribers. Generating $5K+ monthly revenue. All in about a year.
And for months, I kept asking myself: Why does Notes work when other platforms didn’t? Why does LinkedIn feel like a never-ending treadmill, but Notes actually brings subscribers?
What’s actually different here?
Then Substack’s team explained it. And everything made sense.
Why Substack Built Notes to Work WITH You (not against you)
At their NYC event, Hamish stood in front of over 100 bestselling writers and said this:
“Most platforms don’t really care about writers and creators. They keep you trapped in a big, closed garden where you don’t own your audience, your relationships, or even your content.”
We’ve all felt this, right? You build a following on Instagram or X, then one algorithm change tanks your reach. One policy shift and you’re invisible.
Other platforms want you addicted. They want you scrolling forever because that’s how they sell ads.
They actively work AGAINST what you’re trying to do as a writer. You want people to leave and read your newsletter. They want people to stay and see more ads.
The incentives are completely misaligned.
But here’s what Hamish said next:
“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. And we’ve built our business model around that, we only make money when you make money.”
This is fundamentally different.
Substack succeeds when you succeed. They make money when you make money. They built Notes specifically to help you get discovered, build an audience, and grow your newsletter.
The incentives are finally aligned.
And the numbers prove it’s working. In the last three months, the Substack app has driven 32 million free subscriptions and nearly half a million paid subscriptions. The app is now the top source of subscriber and revenue growth for publishers.
Notes isn’t some side project. It’s becoming the primary engine of discovery on the platform.
How the Substack Algorithm Actually Works (and why it’s fundamentally different)
Mike Cohen explained exactly how Notes is designed. And the contrast with other platforms is stark.
Here’s how most social algorithms work:
“Other social feeds are largely based around time spent. You scroll the feed, and the more time you spend, the more ads you see. Their objective is to decide what ads you’ll click and show them at the right time so you do.”
Think about that. The algorithm doesn’t care if you find good content. It cares if you keep scrolling. If you stay trapped. If you see more ads.
This is why Twitter feels exhausting. Why Instagram keeps you scrolling but never satisfied. Why LinkedIn shows you engagement bait instead of substance.
The algorithm is working perfectly...for them. Not for you.
But here’s what Mike said about how Notes works:
“For us, it’s basically the opposite. We don’t care if you are someone who only wants to do longform.
If you’re interested in reading, that’s fantastic. If you like short-form text, that’s great too. We’ll keep showing you things you want to see and engage with, and if not, we’ll try something else.
Ultimately, there’s no prior belief about what’s good. It’s about what’s best for you, as long as you’re finding things you engage with and eventually subscribe and pay for.”
Read that again.
The Notes algorithm is optimized for one thing: helping readers discover work they’ll actually subscribe to.
Not time spent. Not endless scrolling. Not ad clicks. Subscriptions. Paid conversions. Real connections between readers and writers.
Mike explained it even more clearly: “It ultimately boils down to what the objective function of our feed is. The goal is to get people to discover, subscribe, and ideally pay. That’s how we built the feed.”
When you understand this, you understand why Notes feels so different.
Here’s how Notes finds your audience:
“We take a look at who you are as an individual opening the Substack app, where you are in the world, what language you speak, what things you’re subscribed to, who you follow, and what interests you’ve specified, among other things.”
The algorithm is constantly trying to understand what each reader actually wants to see. What they engage with. What they subscribe to.
And when people engage with your Notes, the algorithm learns something important: other people like this reader might also enjoy this writer.
“If we see overlaps between audiences of different publications, that becomes a virtuous cycle that feeds back into what other people who are similar might enjoy.”
This is why restacking matters. Why replying to other writers’ Notes matters. Why engaging authentically matters.
It’s not just being nice. It’s how the algorithm understands connections between audiences.
When you restack someone’s work, you’re telling the algorithm: “My audience might like this writer too.” And when they engage, it creates a connection that helps both of you reach new readers.
Why I’m All-In on Substack Notes in 2026
Now that I understand how Notes works and why they built it, I’m even more convinced about where to focus.
Notes isn’t just “working for me” right now. It’s literally designed to help writers like me grow.
This is where I’m putting 100% of my social media energy in 2026.
Not because it’s trendy. Not because some guru told me to. But because the system is actually built for my success.
Hamish said something at the event that perfectly captures what’s different about Notes:
“You might remember when social media actually felt fun. Twitter, Facebook, Instagram—those early days were exciting, even wholesome.
But as the business models evolved, they prioritised engagement over humanity. The game became: maximise addiction, not connection.”
God, I miss those early days. When Twitter felt like a conversation, not a rage machine.
“Substack’s version of a social network is an experiment in reversing that—in giving power back to writers and readers.”
That’s what hooked me about Notes. It feels like what social media should have been all along.
That’s where I’m betting my time in 2026.
Let Me Show You How to Make Notes Work for You
Understanding how the algorithm works is one thing.
Knowing which types of Notes it surfaces and rewards is another.
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 break down 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: Through this Sunday, you’ll get the brand-new Substack Notes Secrets Guide—30 “secrets,” tips, and mini hacks I’ve learned over the past year. Little things that help you write Notes that get engagement and bring subscribers. This guide doesn’t exist anywhere else.
PLUS you’ll get access to December’s 7-Day Notes Growth Challenge (starts Dec 11th). You’ll receive a new Notes template in your inbox 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.
— Wes
Really good insights here. For those who need a prompt to help with their notes, here is one you can use: https://promptquik.net/shared/b6b85073-dc3b-41e3-b1e5-e7d4ec634038