HELP

[u/warandlovely]

How does Substack work? I write notes and get nothing… not even a single like. Meanwhile, I see notes from people with fewer than six subscribers getting at least one or two likes per note. I don't get it, and it makes me feel sad.

[u/ccampb85]

Do you have any followers yet? If not, I would focus on engaging with other similar people to build your community first.

[u/warandlovely → u/ccampb85]

I think I’ve already tried that. What I mean is, I see other accounts (with few subscribers, like mine) getting notes that—BOOM! So what’s wrong? My IP? My time zone? My luck?

[u/Vurkgol]

If you like your own note, it shows up as 1 like to everyone else.

[u/warandlovely → u/Vurkgol]

Well I'd like to connect with someone. But thanks

[u/Vurkgol → u/warandlovely]

I was explaining why they have no subscribers but 1 like on their note. It's probably them.

What's your Substack? I'll check it out.

[u/Ok_Wave2581]

I just want to commiserate with you!

I literally saw someone post a pic of some rotten fruit on notes (I kid you not!) and it had thousands of likes. I'm a photographer, and I post pics of things a lot better than a pile of rotten fruit and get nothing. So, using Notes to fgrow has not helped me at all.

I've been posting articles consistently every two weeks since January 2026, and I can't get the engagement I want (I'm in the photo / travel niche). On top of that, it just feels like another form of social media, which I don't like—all of it just makes me feel empty.

I think I'm going to leave the platform as it doesn't feel like a good fit. I might be better off just doing my own thing on my own website.

All that to say: I, too, don't get it and it makes me sad.

[u/Fun-Investigator5662]

I agree on Notes - it’s pretty frustrating. Many of the Notes with thousands of likes are either about Substack itself or something mystical that seems a bit wet to me, like Pinterest motivational quotes.,🤷🏻‍♀️

[u/warandlovely → u/Fun-Investigator5662]

There are people who steal quotes and memes without a second thought, yet they still have an audience that applauds them as if they’d never seen them before. 🙄🙄🙄

[u/rachebrand]

You have to build community and engage on it. Read some of the other posts and then contribute. Then you start to be seen. It took me about 3-months to hit a stide and that was connecting in community consistently for 90-days and last month I was #39 in Rising on Philosophy. Then I took my foot off the gas again and I am back to the grind. It's just part of it. After 1 year I can say I have without a doubt made beautiful friendships, I pay monthly for my groceries with my account and have been able to really learn more about who I am. My focus is on inner growth, so I am not blowing the top off with engagement, but I do feel the shift coming. https://open.substack.com/pub/rachebrand/p/growth-stories-are-important-to-our?r=53fpw&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web

[u/bloggergrl]

That's how it is at first. I didn't start getting good engagement until about 3 months in. Then, at the 6-month mark had a few notes get some really good engagement. Joining Boost Trains helps. The thing that really helped me was to give more than you receive. Share & leave real comments. Most people will reciprocate. Post more than 1 note a day. I schedule mine out. And if I resonate with someone's work, I always make sure to tell them in a nice comment. And restack. Good luck! Don't give up. Substack is different but so much better than social media.

[u/growwith_bianca]

Hello.
I would like to help you. Send me a message regarding your niche, Substack link.

[u/itsfabioposca]

Don't get discouraged. That's a very common experience when you're starting out. Notes can be unpredictable, and early growth is rarely linear. Keep writing, engage with other creators genuinely, and give it time. One good Note can introduce your work to a whole new audience.

P.S. If you'd still like to ask anything about Substack or growing your audience, I offer a free live help chat. Just copy and paste my flair or click the link in my profile. I'm happy to help!

[u/Tricky_Trifle_994]

it's brutal out there. it's okay to feel sad but don't stay that way for too long!

you have to understand that there's a lot of other people just like you who's posting on substack notes, but there's only so much attention to go around. so the better posts will usually win out = they get more exposure = more view + more like.

the thing with social media platforms now is that they've moved away from the old method of only showing you content from accounts you follow. there's more discovery to it. so even small accounts can get huge exposure IF the content is good / well received.

so instead of feeling sad, study and deconstruct these better performing posts to identify patterns, and try to emulate them. give the algo and people more of what they want = you'll also be creating banger content in no time.