Thank you, Yana, for such a thorough and insightful analysis! Your breakdown of the emotional and practical elements behind virality on Substack really resonates. Especially the power of vulnerability and personal stories, it’s a reminder that authenticity connects deeply beyond just content quality. I also appreciate your emphasis on consistency and community engagement; those often get overlooked but clearly play a huge role in growth.
Your examples show how combining raw human experience with targeted messaging creates notes that not only get likes but also meaningful subscriber growth. The practical tips, like crafting strong hooks and using a conversational tone, feel actionable and grounded.
I'm curious, from your data, did you notice any particular themes or topics that tend to perform better besides storytelling and motivation? Also, how do you balance sharing personal stories without drifting too far from your newsletter’s core focus?
Hi Wallace, yes it’s in point 2: 2. Speak to a Specific Pain or Desire of Your Audience
Identify the struggles, fears, and dreams of the people reading you, and make that the focus of your Note. Writing for writers, you frequently address issues in your newsletter (in my case — “I don’t have expertise…”, slow growth, or the desire to quit). When you pinpoint a real problem, readers instantly relate.”
I try to stay within the topics of my newsletter, 99% of the time. My personal stories are connected with it. That helps to grow subscribers.
I was pleasantly surprised to learn 100+ likes on a Note is considered good. Which is now a double edged sword, because I’ve had only one Note reach that & can feel myself chasing the likes 🫣
Yana, your analysis of Substack notes using ChatGPT is an interesting exploration of AI in content engagement analysis. In my experience, virality often hinges on timing and relevance. How did these factors play in your observations?
Relevance is a must, that’s why I try to get the content to match my audience needs. As for the time, I never took that seriously, but this analysis revealed some interesting patterns. What do you think of them?
I think the system is politely set up, at least for me because I asked nicely, to mitigate my follower count and even hide it from my dopaminergically extrasensitive perceptions.
Interesting that you use images sparingly and find that they clutter the small screen. I’ve found the opposite. Of course I have a fledgling subscriber base and low reach & engagement on my notes in general.. but from what I have seen to date, is that my image based notes usually out preform my text based notes.
I started a little photo series called “magical little signs that kids live here” where I just post photos of my kids toys in cute and strategic places around the house (I write about parenting & family relationships) and that seems to resonate well with my audience. So I think it’s more niche dependent.
Hi Tania, yes, in your case that could definitely work. I just haven't found emotional enough topic to post images about :) Maybe I should think about that more :)) Thank you!!
I still haven’t found a formula for creating viral content neither on Substack nor anywhere else. Some writers say it's more effective to spend time commenting on others' posts. That is definitely helps building connection and brings more engagement to your own work.
Another point you mentioned in your article really resonated with me: consistency. As you said, 'keep showing up regularly.' I totally agree with that! Haha, but honestly, showing up regularly is tough for me. Persistence isn’t really my strength, and that’s probably why I’m struggling to make an impact in my writing journey.
Thank you, Amer. I understand, it's not only you if that's comforting :) A lot of people struggle with consistency. Notes specifically take me 15 minutes per day, not more. And it's totally worth it :)
I’ve been collecting the real lessons no one tells you about sales—like how to earn trust when your product isn’t perfect, or why most pitches flop before you open your mouth.
I share one short, practical idea each day (free) for those who want to sell with more clarity and less noise.
If you’re into high-impact selling without the fluff, you might enjoy it.
Interesting insights. I’m a newbie on Substack, and I haven’t really gotten any likes or gone viral yet but my second post got the most views. It was about my motivation for writing and sharing my story, and I even added a sweaty post-run selfie. I didn’t expect anything at the beginning of my Substack journey, but it already feels like a huge success to me. https://davidrunninghome.substack.com/p/running-home-2-context
damn this is just extraordinary
Thank you so much, Khyati! It was very helpful for me too
Thank you, Yana, for such a thorough and insightful analysis! Your breakdown of the emotional and practical elements behind virality on Substack really resonates. Especially the power of vulnerability and personal stories, it’s a reminder that authenticity connects deeply beyond just content quality. I also appreciate your emphasis on consistency and community engagement; those often get overlooked but clearly play a huge role in growth.
Your examples show how combining raw human experience with targeted messaging creates notes that not only get likes but also meaningful subscriber growth. The practical tips, like crafting strong hooks and using a conversational tone, feel actionable and grounded.
I'm curious, from your data, did you notice any particular themes or topics that tend to perform better besides storytelling and motivation? Also, how do you balance sharing personal stories without drifting too far from your newsletter’s core focus?
Hi Wallace, yes it’s in point 2: 2. Speak to a Specific Pain or Desire of Your Audience
Identify the struggles, fears, and dreams of the people reading you, and make that the focus of your Note. Writing for writers, you frequently address issues in your newsletter (in my case — “I don’t have expertise…”, slow growth, or the desire to quit). When you pinpoint a real problem, readers instantly relate.”
I try to stay within the topics of my newsletter, 99% of the time. My personal stories are connected with it. That helps to grow subscribers.
I was pleasantly surprised to learn 100+ likes on a Note is considered good. Which is now a double edged sword, because I’ve had only one Note reach that & can feel myself chasing the likes 🫣
:) the idea is to get more engagement because that brings you subscribers.
Yana, your analysis of Substack notes using ChatGPT is an interesting exploration of AI in content engagement analysis. In my experience, virality often hinges on timing and relevance. How did these factors play in your observations?
Relevance is a must, that’s why I try to get the content to match my audience needs. As for the time, I never took that seriously, but this analysis revealed some interesting patterns. What do you think of them?
Thanks for the article. Very helpful for me
thank you so much, Steve!
Thanks for all these details. I will surely try using them. Let’s see, fingers crossed!
Fingers crossed yes :) They work for me and I see them work for other people as well. Thanks, Neha
One falls flat indeed.
I think the system is politely set up, at least for me because I asked nicely, to mitigate my follower count and even hide it from my dopaminergically extrasensitive perceptions.
You can hide subscribers yes :)
love this analysis, thank you!
Thank you Melissa!
Inspiring. Thank you!
Thanks Clara!
This is super helpful actually, thanks!
Thank you so much, Egzona.
Interesting that you use images sparingly and find that they clutter the small screen. I’ve found the opposite. Of course I have a fledgling subscriber base and low reach & engagement on my notes in general.. but from what I have seen to date, is that my image based notes usually out preform my text based notes.
I started a little photo series called “magical little signs that kids live here” where I just post photos of my kids toys in cute and strategic places around the house (I write about parenting & family relationships) and that seems to resonate well with my audience. So I think it’s more niche dependent.
Hi Tania, yes, in your case that could definitely work. I just haven't found emotional enough topic to post images about :) Maybe I should think about that more :)) Thank you!!
I still haven’t found a formula for creating viral content neither on Substack nor anywhere else. Some writers say it's more effective to spend time commenting on others' posts. That is definitely helps building connection and brings more engagement to your own work.
Another point you mentioned in your article really resonated with me: consistency. As you said, 'keep showing up regularly.' I totally agree with that! Haha, but honestly, showing up regularly is tough for me. Persistence isn’t really my strength, and that’s probably why I’m struggling to make an impact in my writing journey.
Any how this is only my opinion.
Happy Substack Notes
Thank you, Amer. I understand, it's not only you if that's comforting :) A lot of people struggle with consistency. Notes specifically take me 15 minutes per day, not more. And it's totally worth it :)
I’ve been collecting the real lessons no one tells you about sales—like how to earn trust when your product isn’t perfect, or why most pitches flop before you open your mouth.
I share one short, practical idea each day (free) for those who want to sell with more clarity and less noise.
If you’re into high-impact selling without the fluff, you might enjoy it.
https://thesalescode.substack.com/about
I love sales :)
So helpful! Thank you for sharing. I'm excited to practice so I can acquire this skill. Now I have some criteria to shoot for.
I'm so happy it's helpful. Thank you Robin! Let me know how it worked out for you
Interesting insights. I’m a newbie on Substack, and I haven’t really gotten any likes or gone viral yet but my second post got the most views. It was about my motivation for writing and sharing my story, and I even added a sweaty post-run selfie. I didn’t expect anything at the beginning of my Substack journey, but it already feels like a huge success to me. https://davidrunninghome.substack.com/p/running-home-2-context
Fingers crossed for your fast growth :)
Thorough, complete, and practical. Appreciate you sharing these lessons with us.
Thank you so much, Craig. Yes, I think they can be helpful to all of us
I have entirely changed how I will approach notes based on what I learned from your essay. I had no Notes strategy before. Now I do. Thank you. 🙏
Thank you so much, Craig! i’m so happy it helped!!