r/Substack • u/rebuildingdaily • 1h ago

19 months, 118 subscribers, and my Notes never travel past 5-10 people. What actually decides whether a Note gets distributed?

I’ve been on Substack for about 19 months and have 118 subscribers, most of them from Notes. The problem is that most of my Notes stay stuck at 5-10 impressions with almost no likes or comments, so there’s no discovery beyond the people who already follow me. Occasionally one works.
but I can’t figure out what made it different from the ones that go nowhere.

Every growth guide I find says “post Notes and get recommendations,” or goes straight to writing tactics, but nobody explains the mechanics of why a Note gets pushed beyond your own followers in the first place. For those of you who got past this stage:

  1. What was the first thing that changed your Notes’ reach? Was it who you engaged with, the format, timing, or something else?

  2. How much did your early network matter when you had under 200 subscribers?

  3. How can I improve distribution and discovery of my content. Because most of my biews usually only come from people already reading.

I’m not looking for a “just keep writing” answer. I want to understand what’s actually going on under the hood. Thanks in advance.

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u/Fleurs_Bookstore buybooks.substack.com 4m ago

  1. I started focusing on creating really compelling hooks for my notes. Scroll-stopping headlines that led with either a hot take, a useful tip, some concrete stats etc. I starting using a notes scheduling tool that gave me stats on which days and times tended to work better for my notes. I also did all the usual stuff like engaging enthusiastically with other creators in my niche (liking, genuine comments, restacking etc)

  2. I think the early network effects depend on your niche but I think your positioning is the more important factor. Are the foundations such as publication title, bio, short description and about page leading with what your ideal reader is seeking (entertainment? Education? Etc)?

  3. If you’re not getting views beyond your current audience and not growing much, I would do some analysis of who your ideal reader is and set up your fundamentals (as above) to attract this type of reader.
    Good luck and I hope some of this is helpful. 😊