Write 504 Substack Notes in a Row and Watch It Change Your Life
Ellen Scherr from Life Branches went from 0 to 1M views. She built her audience through her unique voice on Notes and her no BS newsletter. You can do it too
Raise your hand if you know who Ellen Scherr is.šš»
Ahā¦ gotcha!
When youāre 50plus you hear a lot about board certified clinical professional counselor Ellen.
Yes, I feature her in my Club but also is she present on Substack Notes, the doorway to your beautiful Substack publication, every single day. Even when she got a hip surgery a few days back.
Late summer 2025, Ellen faced a common dilemma - how to start building an audience when I donāt feel like a writer.
She reached out to me and others for advice, attended the Substack Notes Bootcamp 2025, we had a 1:1 and what she received was simple yet profound:
āStart writing and build the foundation for your house that is Substack, make it your home over time, trust the process, turn on the paid button and watch it change your life.ā
Fast forward about half a year later, and supergirl Ellen has accomplished just that.
ā°Real quickā¦ in 5 days the doors open.
Until Wednesday midnight you can join the Substack Notes Kickstarter Bootcamp 2026 with Ellen as co-host with
EARLYBIRD
and get it for $149 instead of $299ā°
Thatās not an Aprilās Fool!
Thatās because we want to support beginners and everyone who has the feeling needs some support, cheerleaders, guidance to stop hearing crickets and are in the void right now.
Ellenās journey to Substack success wasnāt an overnight success
It all started with that consistent newsletter and the publication Life Branches she built:
It was the stepping stone that eventually led her to experimenting, also on Notes where she just published her 500th note, began to gain traction when also her headlines got better, and better and better.
And from there, she started a venture that would not only bring her 1M views (!) but also help thousands of others (including me) aging out of f*cks and creating a whole new genre and category newsletter.
You may wonder:
āKristina, will everyone achieve (the same) remarkable results after writing 504 Notes?ā
Not necessarily.
Most wonāt, primarily because they wonāt stick with it long enough.
In fact, most Substack writers quit between newsletter issue 14 and 16. At this point they might have written 10 to 50 notes. Then they call it quits.
Before the newsletter can change their life as Jessica Onne shared to beautifully:
Ellenās Life Branches publication nowā¦
has 21,000 subscribers.
She had a viral essay that got shared on Reddit, LinkedIn, X, everywhere!
Ellen just became a Substack bestseller with 100+ paid subscribers1
Sheās a prolific Substack Notes writer now with lots of (semi-) viral posts.
A few weeks back her dream came true and she got featured by Oprah Daily!
And today she sent me a message telling me they covered here ONE MORE TIME on their Instagram account with a nice reel.2
This is one womanās mission getting delivered to millions of women who need to hear it.
So Iām jumping out of my skin excited, presenting you the second co-host, next to Karen Salmansohn, of this yearās Substack Notes Kickstarter Bootcamp.
With Ellen Scherr you can learn about the midlife moment when you stop pretending and why your brain is doing it. Her writing is bold, real, and honest. Her readers have the feeling she can read their minds for a reason and sheāll teach you how you can do this in the Bootcamp too.
I know from Ellen:
The goal is helping as many women as possible!
Thatās a mission and missions travel.
From zero to 20,000 subscribers in 6+ months
When the New Year kicked off, Oprah said,
āCheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right.ā
That is the whole game right there. You need a clear mission and a strong vision.
Mission answers: āWho am I here to help?ā
Ellenās mission is simple and powerful. Help as many women as possible through midlife transitions with truth and care.
Vision answers: āWhere is this going?ā
Vision is the bigger āwhy.ā Bigger reach. Bigger impact. Bigger rooms. Sometimes that room is Oprah Daily :)
When you have mission + vision, you stop writing āpostsā and ānotesā, you start writing messages that move.
Ellen is a rockstar. Hereās why
She did the hardest part.
She did not wait until she felt ready.
She wrote while it was quiet.
She kept going when it felt lonely.
She stayed committed to the mission.
And now her words are landing in the exact places her readers already trust.
If youāre looking to make an impact online, remember that itās not about overnight success but rather the commitment to show up consistently, grow your skills, and discover your true passions along the way.
So today we celebrate Ellen. Big time!!
And if youāre building your newsletter right now, take this as your sign:
Pick a mission. Paint a vision. Then publish like you mean it!
Because you never know which post becomes your doorway.
Weād love to hear your mission and vision! Share it with us in the comments.
PS.š„³š„³Letās CELEBRATE Ellen and share this post so she can inspire more and more women! By doing so you support a solo indie writer. š„³š„³
PPS. Until Wednesday midnight you can join the Substack Notes Kickstarter Bootcamp 2026 with Ellen as co-host with
EARLYBIRD
and get it for $149 instead of $299ā°
If youāre finding that you donāt care anymore what everyone thinksā¦, Instagram reel by Oprah Daily
 | A guest post by
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This sounds great. Very inspirational
I love Ellenās unique voice, her notes are hilarious and give you that āIām not alone in thisā feeling. My mission is to inspire midlife women to lift weights by making it accessible and fun. My vision is women ageing with strength, because feeling strong changes how you view and engage with life.