Getting started with Notes

Tips on how to quickly find and connect with readers

Notes is the best way to reach new audiences within the Substack app. When you share short-form posts, images, and videos on Notes, they land on the home feed of your subscribers, followers, and the broader Substack network. Here, you can experiment with new ideas, share what you’re reading, and get to know other publishers. Writers and creators who post three or more thoughtful notes during the week they launch their Substack gain 50% more total subscribers than those who don’t.

Brand new to Substack, or just new to Notes? Here are four tips to get started:

1. Post an introductory video: Give potential subscribers a sense of what to expect from your Substack and who you are with a short welcome video. With one click, law and government teacher

   Sharon McMahon
   restacked her introduction video to celebrate the launch of
   The Preamble
   :

2. Preview an upcoming post: Gauge interest in ideas, test formats, and get quick feedback from readers. Venture capitalist

   Chamath Palihapitiya
   teases his monthly content series, Deep Dives, by releasing the table of contents in his notes:

3. Find your peers: People across the Substack network are eager to introduce themselves, pitch their work, and join interesting conversations. Since launching

   The Books That Made Us
   ,
   M. E. Rothwell
   has discovered 50 contributors and thousands of subscribers by posing questions and amplifying fellow writers in notes:

4. Share your discoveries: Give new followers and subscribers a window into your world by posting links, photos, videos, or observations about daily life.

Fashion writer

Viv Chen

shares observations and quips:

Beyond his weekly newsletter of 10 things that inspire him, artist

Austin Kleon

highlights thought-provoking ideas from other Substacks:

Utopian researcher and novelist writer

Elle Griffin

shares a snapshot and life update:

Pulitzer prize-winning author

Junot Díaz

jokes about the latest episode of “Love is Blind”:

It may take a moment to find your audience in Notes, but your existing followers and subscribers can help. Let them know on your social channels and in your next Substack post that they can keep up with you on Notes by downloading the Substack app.

Read more: How writers and creators are using Notes to reach more subscribers

Notes is a casual place for experimentation and to build a relationship with your readers. Get started here: