It took me two years to grow this newsletter from zero to 20,000 subscribers.
If that audience disappeared tomorrow and I had to reach my first 500 again, I’d still publish one strong full post each week.
But I’d also spend 20 minutes every day using Notes to put my ideas in front of people who hadn’t found me yet.
Not hours scrolling the feed. Not posting random thoughts all day.
Twenty focused minutes.
You can spend three or four hours writing a full post, publish it, and gain almost no new subscribers.
When that happens for several weeks, it’s hard not to question yourself.
“Maybe the topic wasn’t interesting enough, the writing wasn’t strong enough, or you’re simply not good at Substack?”
So you return the following week, spend even longer on the next post, and hope this one finally moves the subscriber count.
But a full post can deepen the relationship with your current readers and still be successful—even if it brings almost nobody new.
Full posts help subscribers understand your ideas, connect with your voice, and decide they want to keep hearing from you.
When you have fewer than 500 subscribers, you also need a consistent way to help new people find that writing.
That’s the job I’d give Notes.
I wouldn’t open Notes each morning and try to think of something clever on the spot.
I’d follow a simple routine built around three specific types of Notes:
Notes that help readers connect with my story and recognize themselves in it
Notes that show what I know and what I can help them with
Notes that create enough curiosity for someone to visit my profile and read more
Each type has a different job, but they all lead the right people back to the newsletter.
I’d spend part of those 20 minutes writing and publishing the Note, then use the remaining time to respond to people and participate in relevant conversations.
Then I’d repeat the routine long enough to learn which ideas brought profile visits and subscribers—not just likes.
Because a Note that gets engagement and a Note that grows your newsletter are not always the same thing.
You don’t need to choose between Notes and full posts. You need to give each one a clear role.
Notes put your ideas in front of people who haven’t found you yet. Full posts give those readers something more substantial to explore after they subscribe.
I’d stop expecting every full post to grow the entire Substack by itself.
Instead, I’d let my 20-minute Notes routine consistently bring new people to my profile, while one strong weekly post gave them a reason to stay.
That’s the balance I’d use to reach my first 500 subscribers again.
Yesterday, I told you about Chris Burg, a finance writer who had nearly given up on growing his Substack.
He took all three of my trainings (Notes Workshop, Substack Masterclass, and Digital Product Masterclass) and implemented them right away.
Once he stopped expecting his full posts to handle all of his growth and began using Notes consistently, he went from gaining two or three subscribers a day to 10–15.
His full posts became more enjoyable, too, because they no longer carried the entire weight of growing the newsletter.
He had a rhythm he could repeat, and he finally felt like his Substack was working.
Knowing that you should use Notes is the easy part.
Knowing which Notes bring subscribers, how to write them, and how to fit everything into 20 minutes a day is where most writers get stuck.
You’ll get the three specific Note types I use, real examples, and the complete 20-minute daily routine for turning Notes into subscribers rather than only likes.
📌 To celebrate my two-year Substack anniversary, the Workshop is on sale through August 31.
When you join during the sale, you’ll also receive my Notes Writing Playbook, with more than 30 prompts and templates you can start using immediately.
You can open the Workshop today, choose your first Note from the Playbook, and start the routine tomorrow morning.
If I had to reach 500 subscribers again, that’s exactly where I would begin.
Keep writing, Wes
📌 Question: Curious, have you been writing consistently on Notes? I’d love to know in the comments.
♻️ Restack: If you think your people would find this post helpful, would you consider restacking it? This brings it into the feed, so others can find it, too.
Comments
Nothing yet. Say the first thing.
Sign in to join the conversation.