I had one note go viral, it kind of still is I think, and so far it got me 1600 new subs (I'm new here and was at 300 a week ago when this started). I'm grateful but also feel like I'm scamming them or like I didn't earn this... they signed up without reading my writing, right? Is that a crazy reaction?
Wrote my first post yesterday and today I wrote my first story the response w was unbelievable I'm working to get better and someday I be as good as everyone else
Mr. Sami Sharaf, you are not the only one. I had no clue either. And I have been writing on Medium.com and trying to seriously get my Substack Newsletter off the ground.
I just started my Substack journey today. Haven’t even sent out the first post yet. So for me, this is truly motivating! 😇 thanks for this information kristina!
Thanks for sharing the update on Notes, Kristina. I am new to Substack and still finding my way around the platform so posts like this are helpful. You've inspired me to post a daily note. 🙂
Really enjoying Notes and sharing more personal peeks. And I'm looking forward to seeing what really strikes readers through getting that little notification! Thanks for this Kristina.
What an insightful read, Kristina, thank you! I had totally diverted my attention to X, but you're giving proof that Notes is also the place to be! You'll be seeing more of me there!
About 40% of my subscribers come from within the app, not Recommendations. I guess it's notes.
I think my case study is particularly significant for new users of Substack that can't count on an existing audience. I didn't import email subscribers nor DM share my Substack link anywhere.
Until now, I only saw hockey sticks happening to creators who already had hundreds or thousands of subscribers and dozens of published articles.
Ciao Alberto. Indeed a great case study. I believe you mentioned in one of your articles that you had experimented with Notes but to draw insights on what worked, and could trigger a lift, you needed a large sample size. Any key lessons for us to apply ?
It's hard to draw precise conclusions, because there are no analytics for Notes.
I tried to limit the number of variables by doing a specific set of actions and excluding external traffic.
Based on what I did and what I can see:
- engaging with other people's content accelerates everything
- you also need to regularly publish notes (and articles), so that people find something when they land on your profile
- meta posts (how to grow on Substack, your achievements on Substack, your subscribers' feedback and results, and so on) are always a sneaky shortcut to higher engagement
- formatting for mobile readability is essential
- notes published during the US daytime perform better
- top-performing notes get likes and comments even 3 days after publication
- notes that teach something (not meme, quotes, personal updates, jokes...) don't go viral but can get dozens of likes and comments.
From observing other people:
- quotes, jokes, memes, personal updates with photos have a higher chance of going viral
- a larger following (about 1000 or more) may give you a higher baseline of likes and comments
That said, beware meta posts. They always brought more likes, comments and subscribers than my average.
But, most of these subscribers are interested in your growth, not necessarily in your content. So, if you're not going to write about something close to "how to grow on Substack", don't take those notes as signal about the effectiveness of your strategy.
Thank you so much for sharing these very insightful observations, very helpful indeed.
I hadn't appreciated the nuances you bring on meta post vs content that resonates with readers. I also find on Notes that sometime even though there are no/few likes, they seem to drive views (although difficult to prove without specific traffic info)
It's great to have this perspective as I continue to refine my approach.
I had one note go viral, it kind of still is I think, and so far it got me 1600 new subs (I'm new here and was at 300 a week ago when this started). I'm grateful but also feel like I'm scamming them or like I didn't earn this... they signed up without reading my writing, right? Is that a crazy reaction?
Wrote my first post yesterday and today I wrote my first story the response w was unbelievable I'm working to get better and someday I be as good as everyone else
Awesome, Emilio! I'm rooting for YOU!
Thanks God bless you and your family forever
I didn’t know. Can you make money from Notes too?
Mr. Sami Sharaf, you are not the only one. I had no clue either. And I have been writing on Medium.com and trying to seriously get my Substack Newsletter off the ground.
This is a great feature. I can’t wait to “use” it for the first time :)
I just started my Substack journey today. Haven’t even sent out the first post yet. So for me, this is truly motivating! 😇 thanks for this information kristina!
Thanks for sharing the update on Notes, Kristina. I am new to Substack and still finding my way around the platform so posts like this are helpful. You've inspired me to post a daily note. 🙂
I rarely get any subs via notes. Only followers…
https://open.substack.com/pub/emilyalexandraguglielmo/p/the-meaning-of-god?r=2mtps5&utm_medium=ios
Turning notes into bank notes
In my first days on Substack I have only written notes—no newsletter, zero posts. But today I already got my first subscriber 😯
Oh that's cool! How long have you been writing here and on Notes specifically? ❤️
It’s been eleven days now. And I got three subscribers.
Oh that's good!! Keep going 💪
You’re doing great!
So notes made you $ because they subscribed? I want to make sure i understand.
Hi Krista, of course there's more to it but yes. People might have been following me for a while and then one post on Notes made the difference.
This can be an idea, a photo, a quote, a question, a life lesson shared.
A friend of mine is writing al lot about US politics she's getting new paid subscribers via Notes.
Another one is writing about Michael Luhmann Medium is the message, and this way got a new paid subscriber.
Since it's here all about recurring income, Substack calculates then how much money you could make with this one person.
Monthly costs 9 this would be 108 or annually 90 bucks or founding tier.
If 2 or 3 subscribe they add this to the the other recurring income so that they'll tell you what the ARR annual recurring income will be.
Does this help?
Really enjoying Notes and sharing more personal peeks. And I'm looking forward to seeing what really strikes readers through getting that little notification! Thanks for this Kristina.
Hi Jeannette 👋
Notes is a wonderful and lovely space to be. I'm there 2-5 x per day posting some thoughts or slices of life.
I live to connect with other stackers through gardening, corporate life, marketing, my newsletter but most importantly my personality
I love gardening and art and will share about that too. So happy to find a place where we're people first!
What an insightful read, Kristina, thank you! I had totally diverted my attention to X, but you're giving proof that Notes is also the place to be! You'll be seeing more of me there!
You have to! Check out my video with David. We'll also soon do a Notes challenge here together. Will announce more this week.
https://youtu.be/dPmnbNfC0A8?si=pn_mIUe45Fj16gZo
🔥🔥🎉🎶❤️
So amazing!!
I love Notes and I shared that I got almost 1/4 of my subscribers in the last 30 days because of Notes 🎉💕
See? It's a growth MACHINE :) Thanks for showing up today I know you had to leave early
It's awesome!!
It's my pleasure:-)
Thanks for being so kind Kristina 🤗
Thanks for the mention.
About 40% of my subscribers come from within the app, not Recommendations. I guess it's notes.
I think my case study is particularly significant for new users of Substack that can't count on an existing audience. I didn't import email subscribers nor DM share my Substack link anywhere.
Until now, I only saw hockey sticks happening to creators who already had hundreds or thousands of subscribers and dozens of published articles.
Ciao Alberto. Indeed a great case study. I believe you mentioned in one of your articles that you had experimented with Notes but to draw insights on what worked, and could trigger a lift, you needed a large sample size. Any key lessons for us to apply ?
Key lessons about notes in particular?
I was thinking more around Notes, based on all your experimentation. I would think it's largely dependent on networking first.
It's hard to draw precise conclusions, because there are no analytics for Notes.
I tried to limit the number of variables by doing a specific set of actions and excluding external traffic.
Based on what I did and what I can see:
- engaging with other people's content accelerates everything
- you also need to regularly publish notes (and articles), so that people find something when they land on your profile
- meta posts (how to grow on Substack, your achievements on Substack, your subscribers' feedback and results, and so on) are always a sneaky shortcut to higher engagement
- formatting for mobile readability is essential
- notes published during the US daytime perform better
- top-performing notes get likes and comments even 3 days after publication
- notes that teach something (not meme, quotes, personal updates, jokes...) don't go viral but can get dozens of likes and comments.
From observing other people:
- quotes, jokes, memes, personal updates with photos have a higher chance of going viral
- a larger following (about 1000 or more) may give you a higher baseline of likes and comments
That said, beware meta posts. They always brought more likes, comments and subscribers than my average.
But, most of these subscribers are interested in your growth, not necessarily in your content. So, if you're not going to write about something close to "how to grow on Substack", don't take those notes as signal about the effectiveness of your strategy.
Thank you so much for sharing these very insightful observations, very helpful indeed.
I hadn't appreciated the nuances you bring on meta post vs content that resonates with readers. I also find on Notes that sometime even though there are no/few likes, they seem to drive views (although difficult to prove without specific traffic info)
It's great to have this perspective as I continue to refine my approach.
Much appreciated Alberto