Substack's Head of Machine Learning Reveals How the Notes Algorithm Works
and what it’s hammering toward
You already post or are thinking about posting short form stories on Notes? Cool!
However, when you have the feeling you’re talking into the void when posting on Substack’s built-in social media netwok you’re probably right. Hearing crickets is real and belongs to every Substack journey.
If you want to escape social media, experienced an algorithm change that burnt your views overnight or don’t like a toxic comments culture, well, you need to know Substack also has an algorithm. And this algorithm decides whether you get seen or not. Like it or hate it.
Luckily, Substack’s algorithm is different from the others out there. It’s better.
If you’re heart is still racing right now because you hate algorithmic feeds, do me a favour inhale and exahale…. hopefully this post can calm your nervous system and show you the Notes algorithm isn’t that bad. You simply need to get to know it. As the algorihtm can’t spek for itself, we let its father do the talking.
#1 Substack Notes algorithm as matchmaker
"The word 'algorithm' went south at some point, and I get it. It's a bit of a bummer, because not all algorithms are intentionally bad. The idea behind it is good. We want to pair you with stuff that you like, and that doesn't seem too bad."1
That’s what Mike Cohen, Substack's Head of Machine Learning, the father and designer of Notes, revealed at the Notes Night in New York.
Matching people with stuff they like is a lovely idea, isn’t it?
So when the algorithm at its core is designed to match stuff. What’s this stuff?
Stuff means it matches…
writers with their ideal reader
readers with their ideal writers
writers with writers in their niche
followers with your writing
follower’s followers with your writing
…
Substack is a real matchmaker!
Psst? Have you heard about Substack’s NEW Creator Match? It matches you with writers and creators who have an overlapping audience and can rent you theirs
#2 Substack Notes algorithm as subscriber-booster
The question is never “is this algorithm bad?” The question is: what did the Substack team teach it to fetch?
On traditional social media platforms it’s eyeballs:
more (doom) scrolling
more ads
more money
As user, you don’t really need to love anything, except the ads maybe that make you click and buy something. That’s why on these platforms there’s no real main character enegry. Sure there are lots of people getting hundreds of thousands of followers but they are glued to the platform as they can’t take their audience with them. You don’t have the email addresses of your followers.
Compared to this, Substack’s algorithm is trained to fetch… subscriptions.
“The goal is to get people to discover, subscribe, and ideally pay. That’s how we built the feed and how we continue to iterate to make sure that we’re driving subscriptions up.”
And then Mike adds:
“We’re optimizing for sign-ups and subscriptions. If you think that’s bad, then yes, that algorithm is bad. But if you don’t think that’s bad, then it can be good.”
I don’t think it’s bad. Do you?
On Substack, the algorithm only wins when it can find a match for you and this person loves you enough to subscribe. Which means the algorithm and you want the exact same thing: new subscribers that eventually also pay for your writing to sustain you as indie publisher.
#3 Substack Notes algorithm as relationship manager
Did you know? On traditional social media you’re basically interchangeable with whatever you last published. Your posts get scored by the algorithm. If your post fits it gets more reach. If not, it gets less reach.
In this case, the algorithm is per definition a gatekeeper.
Good news is: Substack’s algorithm starts somewhere completely different.
It starts with people.
“What we start with is an understanding of a user, who they follow and subscribe to. If we see overlaps between audiences of different publications, that becomes a virtuous cycle that feeds back into what other people who are similar might enjoy.”
If your readers and another writer’s readers are the same kind of humans, ping, the algorithm has learned something. Now it can send new people your way through the readers you already share!
This is why Substack is weird in the best way and a real relationship manager.
Restacking, replying, cheering someone on. That IS the growing.
Plus, nobody at Substack decides which topics deserve reach. There’s no secret list of good topics that drive lots of clicks and make people stay on the platform to see more ads.
#4 Substack Notes algorithm is a toddler
In the beginning of this post I talked about the common feeling of talking into the void, hearing crickets, having the feeling no one is seeing your posts.
I told you already this is probably true.
You want to know WHY?
Well, let me explain.
The whole algorithmic system runs on signals. Signals about who you are, where you from, what you do… (ahh that’s from Backstreet Boy (adored them in my youth) except they didn’t care who you were)
If you’re new to Notes, the algorithm has literally nothing to work with. So it’s not rejecting you or thinks your short form posts are bad. It simply has never met you.
So here’s the mental model that fixes your bad feelings about algorithms: the Substack algorithm is a toddler.
And as a mom of a toddler I can tell you:
It knows nothing.
It is not being mean.
It just needs someone to teach it things.
So teach it!
What can you do to teach the Substack algorithm all stuff you think is important?
The matchmaker can’t match you if it can’t tell what you are, so send some signals…
Start by introducing yourself by sharing who you are, why you’re on Substack and what you do
Follow writers you like to read
Restack notes you genuinely love, no matter what topic
Reply to notes and add your two cents
Toddlers love a routine, so show up consistently.
Are you doing any of this? Let me know in the comments! You can also restack this for some extra points or share your link in the comments and I’ll share it with my network of 36,000 followers.
What to feed the Substack algorithm now
My recommendation: Start feeding the algorihtm that is a toddler TODAY!
Also on my journey everything changed when I started sharing my long form posts to notes, actively writing short form posts and interacting with others in January 2024.
25% of my audience finds me through Notes and for many inside the Club Notes becomes even the #1 driver of subscriber growth, which is freaking bonkers.
Let me give you three inspiring Notes templates from the Club that are totally different but sending lots of signals to feed the algorithm and are apparently notes from the ground that work:
#1 The returning detail with Stephanie - 5,500 LIKES
Stephanie Farquhar from Unmoored had barely started on Notes when she joined 🟠the Substack for Authors Bootcamp 🟠which I was co-hosting last week with Fleur Hull.
I restacked her and her note was seen by lots of new eyeballs.
She told me in the DMs she ended up with over 100 new subscribers.
In her message she also shared:
“Kristina, the response to the notes you restacked has been bananas! And I’ve gained 25 subscribers. The best part though by far has been the connection with others!”
Steal this proven Notes format: pick one small, ordinary, sensory thing and uses it to measure something enormous. The singing is the whole story. Present, then gone, then back. She never once writes "she was struggling and now she's healing."
When [person] [was in the good time], they always [tiny specific habit].
[One funny or vivid detail about the habit.]
Then [the hard thing arrived].
The [habit ] stopped.
Today, [ ordinary moment], I [noticed the habit again].
I [what your body did] .
[What your heart did.]
#2 The contrast list with Soph - 59,000 LIKES
Soph Newman of The Ex Good Girl, from the 🟠Substack for Beginners course 🟠shared:
Steal this format: Line up the other platforms you’re writing on or used to write and hang out on. Give each one a shouty caption, then share why Substack is different from the other platforms (as I did with this post about the Notes algorithm)
#3 Describe your readers so they feel caught with Sarah and 1,666 LIKES
Sarah Stone of Starting From Zero, also from 🟠the Authors Bootcamp🟠:
Steal this format: describe your reader so precisely they feel gently caught. Sarah describes herself and by this also her ideal reader. To connect with like-minded people, name one specific kind of person (can also be you), and let those people put their hands up.
Substack is “social media with a heart transplant”
I know…the body looks familiar: There’s a feed to scroll. There are likes and shares and replies.
But the thing beating underneath is different. Substack’s team describes the goal as…
giving writers more power
giving readers the chance to vote for the culture they want with their money
That’s the “hear transplant” they are refering to2.
Which is why so many creators who quit other socials forever are escaping to Notes and also after months, somehow, are still here.
Same muscle memory but completely different heart.
Is it finished? Nope. Cohen is refreshingly cheerful about that:
“We’ll keep iterating to make sure what you’re seeing is the most relevant thing at all times. Basically, we’ll keep hammering until it’s perfect, [though that’s] not possible!”
Now you know what it’s hammering toward.
Liked it? Learned something new? Saved you time? Please consider becoming a paid member. You’ll get access to our weekly Friday lives, on-demand Substack for Beginners Course and all events.
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🛞🛞Also, make sure to RESTACK this post so more people like you can see it. Thanks!🛞🛞
Also got a viral post on Notes and want me to feature you? Please share it with me.
P.S. Need more Notes templates? I’ve got 365 for you! The (Almost) Daily Notes Writer is for you
Join the Club Chat as a forum for in-depth conversations, Qs and sharing your work: https://www.onlinewritingclub.com/chat/posts/8b04dae2-4b46-487d-a21b-a747c451c872
Thanks Kristina! Lots of great ideas here.