6 Insights That Took Me From 0 to 16,000 Subscribers Using Substack Notes
Real examples from the community and the behind the scenes insights that actually work
I always get asked for my opinion on Notes.
How to use them
What actually works
And if they can really make money
Yes. They can!
Inside the Substack A to Z Bootcamp,
we’ll show you exactly how to use Substack Notes to:
grow your email list
build real relationships
and make money, not just attention
You will get:
365 proven templates and types of Notes the algorithm loves (according to Substack insiders)
the types of Notes that work right now for Club members, Bootcamp grads and friends
real examples that lead to replies, clicks, and subscriptions
When Substack introduced the feature that shows “Your Note generated $$$”, I was one of the first who won a paid subscriber by posting short form stories on Notes.
Today, seeing that notification is one of the biggest motivation boosts for my bootcampers.
I want the same for you.
This year’s Substack Kickstarter Bootcamp is for action takers like this one (thanks, you know who you are!):
If you join with the code
you’ll get 57% OFF for the next 12 hours and ALL bonuses included.
Now let’s build your Substack dream house!
Ellen Scherr Jerry Keszka and I want to build a house with you. (I just moved houses in December. This is where it’s coming from!)
That house is Substack.
Not rented land.
Not borrowed reach.
Not an algorithm you don’t control.
A house you own.
For years, I built on Medium.
It worked. But I saw the platform was crumbling and undergoing so many changes… as if a bulldozer would walz through your garden.
However, the best decision I ever made was moving off rented land and building my own house on Substack.
My biggest regret? Not starting earlier.
Today, Substack is my #1 part time revenue driver.
Subscriptions alone bring in $44,000.
(Psst! Some of my students earn more than me! Here are some examples.)
25 to 50% of my growth is coming via Notes
And 25 to sometimes even 50% of that comes from one room in the house.
Notes.
In January 2024, I opened my paid newsletter.
At the same time, I started writing Notes.
Best decision. Period.
Notes is not the whole house. But it’s a crucial room.
Substack employees call it the town square.
“Think of Notes as the town square of Substack — where writers, readers, and ideas mingle.” (Randa Sakallah, Substack’s editorial lead and head of social media)
That matters!
What Substack as a company says about Notes
At Substack Notes Night in New York, the team made one thing clear.
Notes is not built for ads.
…for influencers.
…for empty reach.
They called it the town squre for a reason!
It’s a place where:
writers meet readers
writers meet writers
ideas move through conversation
trust is built in public
They also made this clear.
Boosting other publishers.
Joining the wider conversation.
Replies that add value matter more than likes.
That is what grows newsletters now.
Not tricks. Not hacks. Not BOOST parties. No friends help friends group without purpose.
Connection!
Substack is a relational platform. It’s ALL about relationshiops.
Guess what. I used to be a relationship manager in my 20s. I connected people, brands, NGOs, big and small companies, celebrities, the media…
Some called me: super connector :)
What I see behind the scenes in the backends of the people I coach
Through the Substack Notes Kickstarter Bootcamp, my bootcamp graduates, my founding members, and people I consult privately, I see a lot of backends.
I see what works.
I see what looks quiet on the surface but converts deeply.
I see what burns people out.
And one pattern is clear.
Notes is one of the biggest growth drivers when done right.
Go check it for yourself…
https://www.onlinewritingclub.com/publish/growth
Type in your publication and then check whar drives your growth. If you say:
✅Kristina, Notes drives my growth, I’m dping my happy dance and say SEE!!
✅Kristina, no one is coming via Notes, I also do my happy dance as the potential is sooooo huge!! You can grow faster. You’re missing out on fresh eyeballs on your posts.
So here are 6 insights from going from zero to 16,000 subscribers, with Notes as one of the strongest rooms in the house.
Insight 1: Build a house. Not a tent.
A house means:
you own the land
you decide the rules
you invite guests your way
Substack lets you design the space.
Your look. Your voice. Your pace.
If you treat it like a quick growth hack, you quit.
If you treat it like a home, you stay.
Safoora knows this:
Insight 2: Notes is where relationships start
Most people think growth comes from big numbers.
It doesn’t. Remember Gthe Notes Bootcamp with Gail and Sara? We saw how many or how few subs you can generate with a viral post.
I’ve seen Notes with small reach create:
replies full of emotion
quiet profile clicks
paid subscribers days later
Not every Note goes viral. Many should not.
Some Notes are meant to connect, not explode.
The backend tells the real story.
This one from Sammie Marsalli is a wonderful example! I mean after reading this who wouldn’t subscribe pr follow! What a story and what a wonderful family.
Insight 3: You don’t need viral. You need resonance
Viral posts can bring noise. Noise doesn’t always bring buyers.
Some of the best performing Notes I see:
clear opinions
lived experience
simple lessons
honest mistakes
This one from mom-stacker Alyson Punzi is a GREAT example:
They feel human.
That is why people subscribe.
Insight 4: Notes rewards generosity
The biggest shift I see now:
In 2024 those Boost parties started. they reminded me of all the Facebook groups we had with Medium where they clapped but didn’t read each other posts.
Of course not all were the same. With the NOTES CLUB (I’ll open this again for the Substack Kickstarter Bootcamp startin next Tuesday) in my Bootcamp we always said it was about REAL and PURPOSEFUL connection not re-stack for re-stack with just short term “success” and dopamine hit.
As on ANY other social media platform, at some point the algo penalizes this. Now the “same old” small circle that meet every week is NICE to have. But even better is to build new connections with intersecting audiences (from other niches).
When I talked with Linda Lebrun from Substack on my podcast last year
…she recommended exactly this.
Not thinking too much about being strategic and more about sharing stuff you truly like (e.g. fishing, ballett, gardening) and thinking outside your niche and “Notes strategy” some “teach”.
Replying with value.
Re-stacking with insight.
Adding your two cents to the conversation.
That’s how trust as the foundation of your house and business travels.
Insight 5: Identity beats strategy ALWAYS
This is the hard truth.
If you do not love what you are building, you will stop.
Most quit in week 14 to 16 on Subtack. I talked with Dr. Julie Gurner about exactly this and her tip is: you need to be absolutely in LOVE with what you do and write about. This is how you join the top 1% in writing and in life.
In my opinion, Notes works best for identity-based writing businesses.
Who you are.
What you stand for.
Why you write.
If it feels fake, people feel it. If it feels alive, people follow. I have always said this.
Growth comes from relationships and connection.
Always has.
Pete Cataldo is a good example:
Insight 6: Consistency wins quietly.
The writers who win are not the loudest and on Notes every hour or day.
But…
They show up.
They talk to people.
They write like humans.
Looooove this from Abdulganiyinka 🤗 :
Writing like a human not a bot compounds.
That’s how Notes becomes your #1 revenue driver, not a distraction.
Why we built the Substack A to Z Bootcamp
In the Substack A to Z Bootcamp 2026 - write your way from inbox to 1K income, Jerry, Ellen, and I show you how to build the full house - in 4 days flat + 10 implementation days.
Not just Notes. The whole thing.
A place you own.
A place that feels like you.
A place people want to return to.
You’ll learn:
how each room works together
how Notes fits into the house
how to grow without burning out
You will also learn directly from people who thrive on Notes, like Ellen.
Okay… this was BONUS reveal #2 :)
You get ALL the BONUSES
Because Notes matters so much, we added powerful bonuses.
Bonus #2
365 proven templates and types of Notes that work
Bonus #1
Access to StackBuddy, the Notes scheduling tool + training session: Create 14 days of Notes posts in 14 minutes!
Long story short…
I’m deeply thankful for Notes.
It changed my business.
It changed my energy.
It changed how I show up.
No one should snooze on it.
But you also shouldn’t abuse it.
Treat it like a room where real conversations happen. That is where growth lives now.
This is the last time you can join the 2026 LIVE Bootcamp and cohort with 57% OFF
Use the code
to get 57% and ALL bonuses included for a no-brainer price.
If you want to build something you actually love, start now. Build your house together with us!