I’m jumping out of my skin excited — because the Substack Notes Kickstarter Bootcamp opens its doors again, and this time I’ve got a 50% OFF Early Bird BONUS just for you!
And to celebrate, I’m kicking off a mini Substack Notes series — a perfect way to see my teaching style in action.
Today, let’s talk about one of the biggest questions writers keep asking me:
What’s the difference between a follower and a subscriber? and Do followers even mean anything?
Because let’s be honest — the follower metric on most platforms feels dead. On Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, even Medium… followers don’t mean much anymore.
So when Substack introduced following on Notes, a lot of writers rolled their eyes and said:
“Great… more useless followers. I don’t want followers. I want subscribers.”
But following on Substack actually matters. I was talking with Linda Lebrun, former Substack lead, about this in an interview on The Online Writing Club show — and it’s kind of like dating.
“Following helps writers grow their audience via the Substack network, which is already home to millions of the world’s most valuable readers. We built this feature to help maximize — and not replace — subscriptions, which will always be the most important type of relationship on Substack.”
So let’s break it down through the dating lens.
Followers: The Flirt Stage
Followers are the flirts.
When someone hits Follow on Substack, they’re saying:
“I like your vibe. I’m curious. But I’m not ready to give you my number just yet.”
For me this means 26,000 people.
Here’s why that matters: inside the Notes Kickstarter Bootcamp, which I’m cohosting with Gail and Sara, we show you why it’s worth building followers — because followers are the start of your funnel.
What happens when someone follows you?
They see your Notes in their Home feed.
They can keep tabs on what you’re publishing, reading, and liking.
Some of them quietly read everything you write… until one day, they finally step forward and subscribe.
So following isn’t useless at all. It’s the first step in the relationship.
Free Subscribers: The Coffee Date
Free subscribers are when things get official. This is the coffee date stage. They’ve given you their email, which means your posts land in their inbox and in the app.
They’re saying:
“Okay, let’s see where this goes.”
Not lifelong commitment yet, but definitely more than just scrolling by.
And every free subscriber automatically also follows you — so they’re in your Notes feed and their inbox.
Paid Subscribers: The Relationship
And then there are paid subscribers. This is the commitment stage. They’re saying: “I’m all in. Here’s my heart, here’s my credit card, and yes, you can have my Prime video password too (to watch The Summer I Turned Pretty).”
They’re not just reading your work. They’re funding it. They’re in the relationship with you, long-term.
Why Followers Aren’t Useless
Here’s where a lot of writers don’t get it.
I hear it all the time:
“Followers are useless. I don’t need followers, I need subscribers.”
But here’s the truth: without followers, a lot of people would simply vanish.
Think about it. How many times have you read something, loved it, but weren’t ready to subscribe? Normally, you’d just disappear.
With following, you don’t disappear. You stick around in the writer’s network. You see them again. You get to know them. And when the time is right? You subscribe.
That’s why I tell everyone in the Bootcamp with Gail and Sara: followers are not dead weight. They’re the start of your funnel. They’re your chance to build relationships and grow subscribers step by step.
Like this? Then you gonna love The Notes Kickstarter Bootcamp 2025
…cohosted by two Bootcamp alumni
And if you want to take this even further, come join us for the Notes Kickstarter Bootcamp: Your 4-Day Notes Transformation, running September 8–11, 2025.
In just 4 days, you’ll gain the system and the mindset to take inspir-ACTION on Notes.
Here’s how it works:
3 Core Training Days: Each session is 90 minutes (60 minutes teaching + 30 minutes Q&A), live at 5 PM Berlin / 11 AM ET / 8 AM PT / 4 PM UK. You’ll master the EASY Framework — our 4-step system that makes posting on Notes authentic, more you, and genuinely enjoyable.
1 Superstar Guest Day: Featuring our Notes Superstars — alumni, tribe members, and friends — who’ll share their insights, wins, and the hard-earned lessons (the good, the bad, and the ugly) of growing on Notes.
Can’t join live? No worries. All replays and chat archives will be available within 6 hours, on-demand.
So if you’ve ever wondered how to actually turn followers into subscribers — this is where you’ll learn how to do it as hundreds of Substack newsbies have done before you:
Discover what you’re reading, liking, publishing, and subscribing to
Sync their contacts to find friends on Substack
Follow each other and explore new writers
Invite friends to join Substack
But remember: following is not the same as subscribing. It’s simply the “getting to know you” phase.
Who can see my followers?
On a reader’s profile, anyone can see who follows them and who they follow. If you have a publication, Substack will display a partial list of your subscribers, your full list of followers, and your public follows.
Do I get notified when someone follows me?
Yes. You’ll get an email and a notification in your Activity bell. And if you don’t like that, you can adjust your notification settings in Substack.
Do I get my followers’ emails?
No. Followers are a lighter-weight connection. They’re top-of-funnel. Only free and paid subscribers share their email with you.
What happens if I create a publication later?
Your followers don’t disappear. They’ll still be there. And when you launch your publication, Substack automatically notifies them so they can subscribe.
