How Notes Actually Grow Your Substack When You Have Under 100 Subscribers
Real data from the trenches — tested when I had fewer than 100 subs
I often get the same questions in comments:
“I’m stuck at 58 after 4 months. What are your suggestions to grow on Substack?”
“2 months, 12 subscribers (my friends and family), yet hours and hours spent. I’m almost giving up, too deflated 😭😭😭. How did you get your first hundred subscribers?”
I know this feeling all too well — it took me almost three months to finally hit that 100-subscriber milestone. Until I figured out how to actually use Notes to grow on Substack.
These days I have over 1,800 subscribers, and many of my posts pull in thousands of views and hundreds of likes.
So I can say this with confidence: Notes are the main powerful growth tool on Substack. But the way Notes work when you’re just starting out — and the way they work when you already have 1,000+ subscribers — are two completely different games.
So I’m writing this post specifically for new writers with 10 to 300 subscribers — to share what actually moves the needle on Substack when you’re just starting out.
A Quick Note On The Data
Everything in this article comes from notes I published in my own early days — when I had fewer than 100 subscribers. I tracked what worked, what flopped, and what occasionally exploded. This isn’t advice borrowed from six-figure creators. It’s real data from the same starting line you’re at right now.
In this article, I’m focused entirely on what works when you have 10–300 subscribers. That’s the window where most writers either figure things out — or quietly give up.
Let’s make sure you figure it out.
The Mistake Almost Every New Writer Makes
When I started, I did what any logical person would do: I wrote about my topic.
I write about AI. So my notes were about AI — useful, professional, on-topic. Clever prompts, new features, practical tips.
Around 7 likes per note. Maybe 2 comments. Zero new subscribers.
I couldn’t understand it.
Then one day, almost by accident, I wrote something completely different. I’d just hit 44 subscribers. It felt slower than I’d hoped. So I shared that — the milestone, the doubt, the small celebration anyway.
Surprisingly it got 132 likes. 31 comments. 20 new subscribers. Overnight.
Same writer. Same audience. But different approach and completely different result.
That was the moment I understood what notes actually are.
The Conference Room vs. The Coffee Shop Principle
This is the mental model that changed everything for me.
Your newsletter posts are conference presentations. Structured, authoritative, on-topic. People subscribe because your expertise is real and they want to learn from it.
Your notes are the coffee shop conversations after the conference. Relaxed, human, honest — the kind of conversation where someone leans across the table and says “honestly, here’s what I’ve been struggling with lately.”
People subscribe because of the conference.
But they engage, share, and actually become your readers — because of the coffee shop.
Most writers only ever show up to the conference. They write notes the same way they write posts — just shorter. And then they wonder why notes don’t convert.
The notes that bring subscribers aren’t the ones that teach the most.
They’re the ones make the reader feel something. Recognition. Warmth. Curiosity. Encouragement. The quiet relief of reading someone else’s honest moment and thinking: that’s exactly where I am.
But Content Alone Isn’t Enough
Even the most resonant note won’t grow your account if nobody sees it.
When you have 3-10 subscribers, almost nobody sees anything you publish. That’s just the reality of Substack.
This is where most new writers go wrong. They spend 100% of their time writing — perfecting posts, crafting headlines, editing prose — then hit publish and wait. And hear crickets.
The fix is what I call the 70/30 Rule.
First months on Substack: Spend 70% of your time on communication. Only 30% on creating content.
Substack’s algorithm doesn’t primarily track how much you publish. It tracks how many meaningful conversations you start, how many people engage with your work, and how actively you participate in the community.
In practice, the 70% looks like this:
Actually read 5–7 posts from writers in your niche (read, don’t skim) and like them
Leave 3 genuinely thoughtful comments on other writers’ posts — not “Great post!” but real responses that add something to the conversation
Spend 30–45 minutes writing your own content
When you show up genuinely in other writers’ spaces, they notice. They visit your profile. They read your work. They subscribe.
It’s not a trick — it’s how real communities work.
Why The Same Note Can Flop One Month And Explode The Next
Sometimes two authors with the same size audience post the exact same thing — and for one it takes off, while for the other it barely gets a couple of likes. What’s the difference?
The day and time you post? Sure, that plays a role. But it’s not the main thing.
Let me show you with my own example.
When I had 96 subscribers, I published this note:
I’m not sure if this note will work with the small number of subscribers I have, but I want to support everyone who’s recently started their journey on Substack. To help you get more visibility, please drop your link below and let’s read each other’s posts. I’d love to check out your Substack!
And it did pretty well.
Here’s what it gathered:
11,537 impressions
231 likes
397 comments
330 profile visits
+79 new subscribers in two days
In just a couple of days, I went from 96 subscribers to 175.
But a month before, I had published a nearly identical note.
Dear Substackers who are enjoying the slow but steady pace of building something meaningful - Let’s support each other! Drop your link below! I love discovering new voices! 💕 😃
It got just 41 likes, 36 comments, +3 subscribers.
Same type of note. Completely different result.
The difference wasn’t the note. It was the month of consistent work that came before.
Before that note took off, I had been:
Publishing 2–3 notes a day, almost without exception
Using photos to make notes stand out in the feed
Actively engaging with other beginning writers
Publishing one long-form post per week, without fail
The note didn’t explode because it was brilliant. It exploded because the ground had been prepared.
Consistency built enough visibility and trust that when the right note came along, the algorithm had something to amplify. This is the secret.
But there's something else we need to talk about.
Consistency Without Direction Is Just Wasted Time — Here's The Fix
But here’s the risk we should talk about.
Consistency only compounds if you’re doing THE RIGHT things consistently. If you’re publishing 2–3 notes a day in the wrong format, with the wrong hook, for the wrong audience — you’re just building momentum in the wrong direction.
Before you commit to a month of consistent work, you need to know what’s actually worth publishing. What’s working, what isn’t, and why.
That’s exactly why I built The Substack Notes Engine Playbook — an AI -powered Substack growth system.
14 adaptive prompts with step-by-step frameworks to help you build a notes system that works for your niche, grow your audience and attract engaged readers.
Or, if you're already posting notes but not getting results, quickly identify what's not working — and how to fix it.
No technical skills required. Just the free version of any AI tool: Claude, ChatGPT, or Perplexity.
This AI prompts pack includes:
Step-by step instructions on how to collect information both manually and automatically using AI
Prompts for audit why your notes aren’t getting engagement and how to fix it
Competitor Comparison Prompts to see what’s working for other authors and how you can adapt it to your own niche
Prompts to build an effective notes system tailored to your niche and your content
Here’s what changes on your Substack after you apply this playbook:
Your notes start getting more likes — not occasionally, but consistently, week after week, as you refine your formula based on real data rather than guesswork.
New subscribers arrive from your notes which become your main growth engine.
Your posts get higher open rates — because the readers your notes attract are genuinely interested in what you write, not random passersby.
Comments start appearing under your notes and posts. Real conversations, not silence.
You stop losing subscribers. When your notes speak to the right people, the wrong audience stops subscribing — and the right one stays.
And instead of spending an hour every morning wondering what to write, you sit down with a system, pick a note type, follow the structure, and publish in 15 minutes.
You will also get Ready-to-use swipe file with my 30+ best-performing Substack notes, including the notes that each brought me between 100–200 new subscribers, complete with data (impressions, likes, and exactly how many subscribers each one drove).
Each note is organized by type, so you can use them for inspiration or direct comparison analysis.
This system saved me 3-5 hours per week - time I now use for writing actual posts instead of stressing over notes.
Right now, you can get The Substack Notes Engine Playbook for $17.
Price goes to $34 in a week — grab it now.
With this playbook, you’ll find your true engaged audience — people who genuinely care about what you write. Get your first 1,000 subscribers!
Dear authors, what's your biggest struggle with Notes right now — coming up with ideas, getting engagement, or staying consistent? Tell me in the comments. I read every single one, and if something isn't working for you, I'm happy to take a look and tell you exactly what I think is going wrong. Let’s grow together!
Great article, very insightful. Thanks for the help
"The notes that bring subscribers aren’t the ones that teach the most." - It turns out that I'm one of those authors who try to impart more knowledge and benefit. :) Your article made me think. Thank you.