The Substack Notes Algorithm Doesn’t Care How Good Your Writing Is. It Cares About This.
I spent 18 months and 900+ Notes figuring out what actually makes the algorithm work for you. Here's what I found.
Most writers on Substack believe the same thing about Notes:
If they could just write better Notes, they’d grow faster. If they could find the perfect hook, the perfect format, the perfect topic — the algorithm would finally reward them and the subscribers would come.
So they spend time crafting each Note carefully. They study what other writers are doing. They try different formats, different topics, different posting times.
And their subscriber count barely moves.
Here’s what I figured out after 18 months and 900+ Notes: The algorithm isn’t reading your writing and judging the quality of your prose.
It doesn’t care if your hook is perfect or your formatting is clean. It cares about something else entirely.
Most writers don’t know this about Notes. It took me a while to figure it out too.
Your Substack subscribers and your Notes followers are not the same people. You could have 5,000 subscribers and almost zero Notes followers.
When you start writing on Notes, those subscribers aren’t automatically seeing your stuff. You’re building a separate audience on a separate feed — which means everyone starts from the same place.
A brand new writer can build a Notes following just as fast as someone with 10,000 subscribers. The algorithm doesn’t care how big your list is. It cares how consistently you show up.
Mike Cohen, Substack’s head of machine learning, has said the goal of the Notes feed is to get people to discover, subscribe, and ideally pay.
To do that it needs to understand who you are. That takes time and repetition. Most writers never give it that chance — they post randomly across different topics and the algorithm never builds a clear picture of who to show their work to.
Pick three content pillars and stick to them for at least 90 days. That’s the fastest path to the algorithm working for you instead of ignoring you.
The difference between Notes that bring subscribers and Notes that just feel productive.
There’s a massive difference between Notes that bring subscribers and Notes that just collect likes. Most writers never figure out the distinction.
Hamish McKenzie, Substack’s co-founder, has talked about how the platform is designed to connect writers with readers who will actually subscribe — not keep people scrolling.
The algorithm is looking for Notes that create genuine connection and drive real subscription behavior. Story Notes do this better than almost anything else.
Restacking matters too. When you restack writers in your niche, you give the algorithm a clear signal about who your audience is.
One or two strategic restacks a day — your own best older Notes and writers in your space — keeps those signals strong and helps Substack surface your work to the right new readers.
The third signal the algorithm is looking for that most writers completely ignore
Genuine community.
Engagement between writers signals to Substack that real connections are being built.
This doesn’t mean dropping shallow comments everywhere. It means showing up authentically in conversations and supporting writers in your niche consistently.
Every Tuesday I run a free Notes Boost in my Substack Chat. Over 300 writers show up every week to share their latest Note and support each other.
The engagement feeds directly back into the algorithm. Anyone can join — just look for my Boost in Substack Chat.
Do all of this consistently for 90 days — clear pillars, right Note types, strategic restacking, genuine community — and the growth starts compounding in a way that finally feels like the platform is working with you instead of against you.
Let me show you how to grow your Substack in a simple sustainable way.
📌 I have a two core trainings to help you start growing your Substack in a sustainable way, without burning out over getting overwhelmed.
My Six-Figure Substack Growth Masterclass is the complete foundation.
Your story, your positioning, your voice, the Notes system, and how to monetize once the audience is building. It’s the strategy behind 17,000 subscribers and $100K+ in revenue — laid out simply so you can build it too:
The Notes Growth Workshop is for the writer who wants to grow right now.
This Notes Growth Workshop will teach you the specific Note types that consistently bring subscribers, the daily routine that takes 20 minutes, and the strategy that teaches the algorithm exactly who you are.
Here’s what’s inside:
Stop guessing what to post — the specific Note types that consistently bring subscribers not just likes, with real examples from my own growth to 17,000+ subscribers
Write Notes in 5 minutes or less — so this never becomes another exhausting task competing for your limited time every morning
The restacking strategy — how to restack your own content and other writers strategically so the algorithm knows exactly who your audience is
The content pillar system — how to pick your three pillars and stick to them for 90 days so the algorithm finally figures out who you are and who to send your way
A 20-minute daily routine that compounds — because consistency only works if it’s sustainable and doesn’t burn you out in three weeks
And this week when you join, you also get my Notes Writing Playbook as a bonus.
It’s 30+ of my best prompts and Notes templates to help you write your Notes more quickly and come up with better ideas every single morning.
The Workshop teaches the system. The Playbook is what you open every day when you sit down to write. You can join below:
Over 300 writers have gone through this system and built real momentum on Notes.
Writers who showed up every day with no clear direction — and left with a routine, a system, and a Substack that finally started growing consistently.
Question: Do you have clear content pillars for your Notes or are you posting whatever feels right that morning?
Drop it in the comments — genuinely curious how most writers approach this.
Starting today, I'm testing your 20-minute Notes system for 30 days straight. I want to see what happens when you follow the same method but without 17,000 subscribers amplifying your reach.