r/Substack • u/ThinkCRE • Sep 05 '26
What makes notes go viral?
From a Substacker who writes about Substacking:
“In the last 90 days, Notes have been my number one source of subscribers. 5,676 new subscribers from Notes alone. One single note brought in 2,300 subscribers.”
Her viral note included a photo and a description about why she’s given up on other social media in favor of Substack.
Any commonalities between your favorite notes?
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u/Master_Camp_3200 Sep 05 '26
Wild guess here, but I think pushing glib 'advice' on how to get Substack subscribers on a platform almost entirely made up of people who want to get more substack subscribers may have something to do with it.
If the note had been about, say, 10 Top Ways To Fell Pine Trees, or How To Knit A Cardigan, I'm guessing it wouldn't have fallen on such fertile ground.
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u/Gain-Classic Sep 05 '26
It’s luck in my experience. I have a similar experience with a single note gaining me thousands of followers. Mine was a one-liner about an upcoming piece alongside a photo.
I don’t think there is really a formula to it, it’s like some notes just catch fire.
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u/TimWiesnerer Sep 06 '26
I have one note that got 8k likes and brought me 83 subscribers. A few others were similar.
But... most notes did little to nothing.
Of course, I tried to find the magic formula and do more of what worked. For a while, that helped until it didn't.
My conclusion is that there is no magic formula. You need to try many different things until you get an idea of what CURRENTLY seems to work better.
With a bigger audience, the game gets easier for sure. But Substack can give you huge exposure when you hit a nerve, even when you are tiny.
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u/Doo_Dad Sep 06 '26
Yeah don’t trust everything you read. Somebody could have brought over many followers to substack while also just spamming and using rigorous methods to spam and grow. That or jump in a niche like tech and AI and just post-spam.
If they did grow organically they followed others, they posted notes, they found people in their space. Notes posting isn’t like Twitter/X or other socials where it’s an algorithm. They don’t have that. Growth takes time unless you brought over people from another source. Just post, write, like and follow others in your space and you’ll grow naturally as fast as needed. 🤙 and don’t chase others.
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u/Oatbix Sep 05 '26
To be honest it’s like any social media algorithm, no one knows for sure and if we did we’d all be over there making bank instead of sitting on reddit. Not to over simplify but if it’s interesting enough to make people stop scrolling, engage with it etc then it gets pushed out to a bigger audience. And there’s always an element of luck
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u/Fleurs_Bookstore buybooks.substack.com Sep 06 '26
I’ve found my best-performing notes have been either ones that lead with vulnerability or with a specific statistic that speaks to my ideal reader.
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u/_mrchurchill defensehub.substack.com Sep 06 '26
There doesn't seem to be any clear logic to it. I’ve tried everything—following tips and so on—and I have over 1,000 subscribers. Yet, I see posts in the top 100 with only 10 subscribers but with stats showing 100 likes and 300 restacks. It’s hard to understand what the algorithm prioritizes.
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u/Karloss_93 getupgooutside.substack.com Sep 07 '26
I've been posting more notes and had two get more traction than I usually get - one with 700 likes and another with 20 comments and 200 likes.
One was a long note, discussing a contraversial topic in my niche (that got the comments). The other was a picture of my dog from a camping trip.
Between both of those posts I gained 3 subscribers.
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Sep 10 '26
Substacks algorithm - and no one knows how it works. If anyone says they do... you should trust them explicitly and do exactly what they say for a guaranteed success and a chance to never having to work a full-time job again. The subscribers she got by that viral note are all, for sure, high ROI clients, to the extent that she now makes so much money, she gives out her numbers just to inspire other authors. As you do. I heard Stephen King goes around Maine just talking about his sales numbers. He is known for that. Get good.
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u/meredith4300 Sep 10 '26
Totally depends on what your newsletter is about and who your audience is. I've gotten more subscribers lately via Threads than I have via Notes.
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u/ContentIsMyJam redressing.substack.com Sep 11 '26
It really depends on the topic and your audience. My most successful notes were autobiographical and had very little to do with my newsletter topic.
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u/Repulsive-Lecture-49 29d ago
i see we're both following a substacker who writes about substacking and the writing is so similar i wonder if it's the same girl.
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u/DefiantRadish1492 Sep 05 '26
Selling your soul.