Magnetic Notes: 10 examples of Notes that grow your audience (with stats)

Borrow these ideas for your next round of Notes on Substack.

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Notes was a game-changer for me.

The first few months of my Substack journey were largely stagnant - hardly any growth, barely any sense of community.

I wouldn’t have stuck around for very long if I hadn’t discovered Notes.

Once I started posting there on a regular basis, my audience began to grow steadily. There’s always an ebb and flow to that growth, naturally, but the line continues diagonally upwards on my subscriber dashboard graph.

Reliable email audience growth, driven by Substack’s in-built features.

And all for free.

So what exactly constitutes a good Note? And by “good”, I mean one that convinces scrolling passers-by to subscribe to your publication. The kind of Notes that draw people into your orbit like a magnet.

Let’s take a look at some examples of the converting Notes I’ve posted on Substack.

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1. Formatting, FTW

One of the things I love most about Notes is the formatting options available to all users.

That’s right, all users. Not just those who pay for blue check marks (… ahem, Twitter).

In the example below, which to date remains one of my most popular Notes, I made good use of the strikeout option to emphasise my message:

Super simple and super, duper effective.

That Note has driven almost 300 free subscribers to my publication so far (it continues to circulate):

Formatting is a great way to help your Notes stand out - don’t be afraid to get creative with them.

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2. Thoughtful structuring

Don’t downplay the importance of your Note’s visual appeal.

Yes, what you write matters most, but how you present your words can make a big difference to how well they’re received.

This Note (another viral one from last year) has a reductionist flow that draws the eye down to the key message in bold:

And again, it remains a solid driver of free subscribers to my publication:

Use sentence length to keep your Notes visually-appealing and encourage readers to spend that crucial extra second ingesting your words.

It could be the difference between them choosing to subscribe to your publication, or just move on.

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3. Your story matters

Now for a more recent example.

In this Note, I made use of formatting to juxtapose the positive and negative sides of my story, then left my readers with a simple - but uplifting - reminder:

It’s still bringing in new subscribers, but more importantly, it helps relay an important message based on my personal journey.

Personal story + important message = personal brand development.

The more your readers understand your context, and why it makes you someone worth listening to, the more trust and goodwill you’ll garner in future.

Note is an excellent tool for anyone hoping to build a personal brand online.

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4. A picture’s worth 1,000 words

Don’t overlook the impact images can have on Notes, either.

I shared this snap from a New Year’s Day walk by the coast. It brought in a handful of free subscribers and - crucially - reminded my audience once again that I am, in fact, a real person (which is vital right now):

Photos are incredibly effective on Notes - definitely sprinkle a few through your personal feed if you can.

And they don’t have to be picture-perfect, either.

In fact, maybe it’s better if they aren’t - that photo of your dog with the corner blotted out by a stray thumb is leaps and bounds more effective at conveying your humanity than something spat out by Midjourney.

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5. Lists are awesome - make them

This one will probably come as no surprise.

Lists are super effective on Notes, and on social media in general.

They force readers to pause their scroll and take in your words. And, better still, they’re good free subscriber drivers:

Interestingly, despite getting a similar level of visible engagement to the previous Note, this one generated more clicks and a greater number of free subscribers.

Not sure what to list?

Just walk your readers step-by-step through a process that’s familiar to you, or give them a rundown of things you use on a daily basis (eg. the software or platforms that make up your toolkit).

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6. Repetition repetition repetition

If you want to really drive home a point, repeat it.

In this Note, I made use of bold formatting and sentence structure to emphasise my message, then buttoned it with an encouraging final line.

Even something as simple as that still produces subscribers and gets a solid level of engagement.

If you have something important to say, it’s worth repeating over and over (within the same Note or across several).

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7. Strong statements are scroll-stoppers

Want to stop a scroller in their tracks? Make a strong statement.

Even if you’re just sharing an opinion you firmly believe in, it’ll force your reader to stop and consider whether or not they agree.

If they do, great - they may even subscribe. If not, that’s fine too - you’ve initiated some discourse.

Don’t be afraid to put strong statements out there, and don’t dilute them with words/phrases like “I think” or “Maybe.”

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8. Paint a picture

Notes don’t just have to be short, punchy statements.

In fact, some of the best ones are longer. They give you more opportunity to paint a picture for your readers.

Tap into what scrollers are passionate about. Tap into their fears and frustrations. Make them stop scrolling and cry “Yes!” when they read your words.

Tip: if you have a story to share that’s not quite long enough for a full post and can’t really be extended into a teaching point, make it a longer Note (and then save the link for later, in case you want to use the story again).

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9. Invite engagement

Engagement is often the difference between a social media post that lives for days or dies off immediately.

Fortunately Substack isn’t just as algorithm-driven as other platforms, but nevertheless, getting people to engage with your content is always helpful.

This Note has fewer likes than some of the previous examples but far more comments, and has generated more free subscribers:

It’s incredibly simple. Readers love engaging with this sort of thing.

Of course, something as open-ended as this will sometimes draw trolls, but that’s what the block button’s for.

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10. Mixing personal story + formatting + lists

Let’s finish with a Note that hasn’t yet generated any free subscribers, but mixes together a few of the techniques we’ve looked at so far:

This single Note includes a personal anecdote, formatting, lists and an uplifting takeaway line.

It’s possible it didn’t generate any free subs because it wasn’t restacked (hard to reshare that one as it’s so date-specific), but it still did some work as a personal brand builder (now people know I’m almost 40!).

If it deepens your connection with your audience, it’s always worth it.

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Notes Q&A

And now, as promised to my subscribers in yesterday’s Chat thread, I’ll answer a few questions about Notes.

What’s your favorite type of note? ~ Lisa

I’ve always been partial to the short and sweet one-or-two liners, as they’re usually just my unfiltered thoughts transferred from my head onto Substack. But there’s also something nice about sharing a great photo you’ve taken (especially if it’s of a dog!).

When someone restacks my note, I want to say thank you, but find it slow and somewhat difficult to navigate to their restack. Do you think it's okay if I just tag them in a thank you comment below my original note? ~ Cheryl

Yes I think tha’s 100% ok, Cheryl. Notifications can be confusing sometimes and tracking down a restack can be time-consuming. They’ll see and appreciate the tag mention!

I’m NEW—I’d like to get my notes out on other platforms…..how do I post on Instagram when they REQUIRE a picture? Or do they? I am totally new to ALL of this! ~ Dawn

Great to have you here Dawn!

I’d suggest screenshotting your Note on your phone, cropping it down to tidy it up a little, and then posting it as an image on Instagram. Your caption could simple invite followers to subscribe to your Substack (make sure to put the link in your Instagram bio). I’ve done this on TikTok and the response is always positive.

Does a video on a Notes post have a better chance to go far and wide as opposed to only the written words? ~ Kathy

Honestly, I don’t know for sure. I’ve actually found that videos get less engagement than text-only Notes because I don’t think they’re a priority on this platform (yet, maybe).

Substack has an older demographic than the video-based platforms and I suspect most users still prefer text-only. But it’s always worth experimenting with over time.

Do you repost notes (e.g. 1-1 copy ) or do you always change something (e.g picture few words)? What is your experience with reposts? ~ Marion

I reshare my own Notes 4-5 hours after originally posting them, just to ensure my entire audience has a chance to see them.

There’s no need to change anything about the first post but you can always restack with a comment, allowing you to add an extra thought or two to the original. You can do the same with Notes written by others.

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Try these next:

• I ran a 42-day audience growth experiment on Notes. Here's what I did, and everything I learned

• 6 Ways to Become Notable on Substack by Boosting Your Visibility

• How to use Notes (Member Resource Hub)

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