Substack Notes Isn’t Just About Posting, It’s About Participation

If you’re treating Notes like a content platform instead of a networking space, you’re likely missing the part that actually drives growth.

If you’ve been posting on Substack Notes for a while and not seeing much growth, it can be incredibly frustrating. You’re showing up, sharing your work, and doing what seems like all the “right” things, but your Notes aren’t gaining traction and they’re not converting into subscribers.

In last week’s post, How Substack Notes Actually Work, we talked about how the algorithm functions and why Notes exists in the first place. You may have walked away from that thinking, “Okay, I understand this better now,” but still found yourself wondering why your own Notes don’t seem to be doing much for your publication.

This is not an uncommon problem, and it doesn’t mean you’re doing something wrong in a technical sense. It usually means there’s a gap between understanding how Notes works and using it in a way that actually leads to growth.

To explain this, I want you to imagine that instead of being on a virtual platform, you’re at a networking party.

In the corner of the room is a person standing alone. Every so often they call out, “Hey everyone, over here! I would love to share more about my work. It’s really interesting and important. I write about managing your finances.”

You can probably imagine how that plays out. People avoid eye contact, give a polite smile from a distance, and continue their conversations elsewhere. Even if that person has something valuable to say, the way they are showing up makes it difficult for anyone to engage.

Now imagine that same person moving around the room instead. They join conversations, ask questions, respond to what others are saying, and contribute in a thoughtful way. They might say, “What do you do?” or “That’s really interesting, is it similar to this?” or “I hadn’t thought about it that way, what do you think about this?”

In that version, they become part of the conversation. People naturally respond, ask them questions in return, and begin to form a sense of who they are and what they do. When they eventually mention their work or offer a business card, it feels like a natural extension of the interaction, not an interruption.

Substack Notes is a digital version of this kind of environment. When you only share your own content, you are essentially the person standing in the corner calling out to the room. Even if you are noticed, there isn’t enough context or connection for people to engage.

When you participate in Notes by liking, commenting, restacking, and responding to others, you are the person moving through the room, joining conversations, and becoming familiar to the people around you. Every interaction leaves a small trace of who you are and what you write about, and over time those traces add up.

This is where it becomes important to step back and consider what you are actually trying to build on Substack.

Some people are focused primarily on growing their subscriber numbers. They may need to demonstrate audience size for a publisher or a project, or they may simply be motivated by seeing that number increase. Others are more interested in building a smaller but highly engaged community—people who consistently read, comment, participate in chats, and show up for live events.

Most of us fall somewhere in the middle. We want growth, but we also want the right people. We are not just trying to increase numbers; we are trying to build something that feels sustainable and meaningful over time.

The way you use Notes should reflect your goal.

If your goal is purely numbers, you might prioritize frequency and volume, spending as much time as possible posting and especially engaging in order to increase visibility. You will likely see results from that approach, but it can also become difficult to sustain.

If your goal is to build an engaged community, your approach will look different. You will be more intentional about what you share, who you interact with, and how you show up in conversations. You will pay attention to the kinds of people your Notes attract and adjust accordingly.

For most people, the goal is a balance between the two, and that is where the network effect of Substack Notes really comes into play.

When you subscribe to other publications, especially those with overlapping audiences, and begin to engage with their content in a thoughtful way, you are gradually becoming visible to the people who are most likely to be interested in your work. When you leave a comment, restack a Note, or respond to a conversation, your name appears in those spaces. Other readers see you, click through, and begin to connect the dots between your interactions and your publication.

Your Substack “business card” that shows up when people hover over your name in the comments sections or Notes feed.

Over time, this creates a series of small ripple effects. One interaction leads to another, and then another, and gradually your presence becomes more familiar within that network. The platform begins to understand who your content is for, and the people who are already engaging in similar spaces begin to notice you.

This is not something that happens overnight. You are not going to restack a single Note and suddenly see a surge in subscribers. What you are doing instead is building relationships and visibility over time, in a way that compounds rather than spikes.

That is why time is such an important part of this process. The more consistently and intentionally you show up, the more those small interactions begin to add up into something meaningful.

This is also where many people get stuck.

They understand that they should be engaging. They understand that Notes is about participation. But they are not quite sure how to do this in a way that actually aligns with their goals, their content, and their audience. They may engage inconsistently, or without a clear sense of direction, and then wonder why it still isn’t translating into growth.

Understanding how Notes works is the first step. Learning how to use it intentionally is the next one.

That is exactly what I focus on in my Next Level Notes Workshop. We move beyond the basics and look at how to use Notes as a system, how to engage in a way that supports your long-form content, and how to build visibility that actually leads to subscribers over time.

If you’ve been showing up on Notes and not seeing the results you expected, this is where things start to click into place.

You can learn more about the workshop here (access is free for paid subscribers):