Notes in a Nutshell + The 4 types of Notes that get traction

In a nutshell, Notes is our internal social media network. It’s where most of the growth happens.

You’ll find it by going to your avatar in the upper right of your screen on your homepage or dashboard: AVATAR » DROPDOWN » “HOME”

Notes is Substack’s “home” and the tab should be called Notes, but it’s not :)

As you can see, Notes looks a lot like other social media platforms—an amalgamation of the other platforms: old-school Twitter with a dash of Instagram, a dose of Facebook, and a drizzle of LinkedIn.

Back in the beta run of Notes in 2023, which I was lucky to be part of and was mainly the Substack team and some invited writers, it seemed like Notes was going to be a whole new kind of social media. That’s what Substack said they wanted and still want.

But Notes is social media run by an algorithm, and the humans on Notes determine how the algorithm ultimately behaves. The longer Notes was around and the more people who came to Substack from Facebook, Instagram, X, etc., the more Notes started to look like any other social media platform.

So use my guidance below, and you’ll know what types of Notes to post (because these are the ones that get traction), which is the first step. We want your Notes to be you, not AI, which is key to Substack. You being you.

The 4 types of Notes that get traction in 2026

+A few others to try

1. Tweet

It’s that simple: text only, short, pithy or poignant or hilarious or (unfortunately) combative.

2. Photos (á la Instagram)—but with a caption that could stand alone

The image and the caption/text each do work separately. For our purposes in the Notes Boost Challenge, do a really good job of describing the image of your Note.

3. Stories (á la Facebook)

Two quick ways to tell better stories on Notes:

Make sure there’s a surprise at the end.
Start in the middle, where it gets juicy. How? Write the Note. Then cut the first part of it (three sentences or three paragraphs—whatever it takes).

Here’s an example of one with a surprise.

4. Life updates (á la Facebook)

We love them.

Return to the Substack 2026 Pathway here:

The Substack 2026 Pathway

Sarah Fay, PhD

December 11, 2025

Read full story

Other types and modes of Notes

⚪️ Introduce yourself on Notes.

The introduce-yourself Note will has become a Notes classic. Introduce yourself on Notes—even if you’ve been on here a while:

Text only
A hello
Your Substack in a very short sentence—VERY IMPORTANT!!! You need to know your Substack DNA for this to work
Bulleted features—VERY IMPORTANT!!! You need to be ultra clear as to what people get on your substack or who it’s for
An invitation for people to join you/subscribe/say hello in the comments

Better if it’s about your Substack and invites people to it:

⚪️ Quote someone else but make sure it’s a quote that actually means something to you and relates to your Substack.

(No Bartlett’s—and please don’t quote Nietzsche unless you’ve actually read him)

⚪️ Use a photo in an ironic and delightfully funny way.

⚪️ Be funny (please).

⚪️ FORMATTING: Use white space to slow scrolling readers down (think like a poet).

⚪️ Write a quote or thought that means a lot to you on a sticky note or piece of paper, take a photo, post the photo.

⚪️ Mark milestones, even if they’re supposedly small, i.e., you’ve been on here 12 hours.

⚪️ Share a photo of your workspace and why it’s amazing.