Substack Notes: Mastering the Discovery Platform (Without Losing Yourself)

The storefront strategy that attracts genuine readers instead of algorithmic luck.

Substack Notes Strategy Algorithm Mastery

Over the past two weeks, I've shared why most Substack advice backfires and how to master the tech stack—your newsletters and subscriber relationships. Today, I want to dive into the second system: the discovery platform, where Notes live and where most creators either burn out in a hustly churn and burn… or disappear entirely.

Here's what I've learned: Notes operate on completely different logic than newsletters, but most creators either ignore them completely or approach them with entirely the wrong strategy.

The creators who figure out how to use Notes strategically—without losing themselves in the performance trap—build something sustainable. The ones who don't either burn out from constant posting or give up because "Notes don't work for them” (or it’s too much like social media).

I want to explore what I've learned about the difference.

The Discovery Platform: Your Creative Storefront

Notes operate on "browsing energy"—people are scrolling, sampling, deciding whether to pay attention. It's closer to social media than email, which means it follows social media rules, not newsletter rules.

But here's the key insight: Notes aren't supposed to be your primary creative outlet. They're your storefront window.

Picture a Spanish patisserie with its beautiful glass display case.

The baker doesn't put every single pastry they've ever made in that window. That would be overwhelming chaos. Instead, they carefully curate what goes on display: a few perfect examples that represent their range, arranged to catch the eye and make people want to step inside.

The window display isn't trying to feed you a full meal. It's designed to pique your curiosity about what else might be available inside the shop.

Most creators get this backwards. They either try to cram their entire bakery into the window display (overwhelming) or they put up a sign that just says "GREAT PASTRIES INSIDE" without showing anything (boring).

Neither approach works.

The magic happens when you understand that your Notes are curated samples designed to give people a taste of your perspective and make them want more.

How to Use Notes Strategically

Show your process, not just your conclusions

Instead of posting the finished pastry, show people the interesting ingredient you're experimenting with. "I keep thinking about why we resist our own creative impulses, and there's this weird contradiction I can't shake..." is like letting people smell the vanilla you're working with—it draws them in without giving away the whole recipe.

The unfinished thought invites engagement because it makes people feel like they're part of your creative process, not just consuming your final product.

This is the opposite of how most creators approach Notes. They either share polished insights (which work better in newsletters) or random thoughts without any hook (which get ignored). The sweet spot is sharing the questions and contradictions that are driving your thinking.

Engage with other creators like you're neighbors in the same market

Think about how the most successful small businesses operate in a thriving marketplace. They might know what the coffee shop next door is brewing, occasionally recommend the cheese shop across the street when a customer asks, and generally participate in the life of the neighborhood rather than just focusing inward.

When you restack something, you're essentially saying "this reminds me of something interesting" and adding your own flavor to it. When you comment thoughtfully, you're joining the neighborhood conversation. When you genuinely engage with other creators' work, you become part of the community fabric rather than just another vendor shouting for attention.

I've watched creators build significant followings on Notes not because they're constantly promoting their own work, but because they're consistently adding value to the broader creative conversation happening around them.

The key word is "genuinely." People can immediately tell the difference between someone who's engaging because they're interested versus someone who's engaging because they're trying to get noticed.

Use Notes to test ideas that will resonate broadly

If you're considering writing a long piece about creative resistance, don't disappear for two weeks to create the definitive article. Put a small sample of that thinking in your window first.

Share the question that's driving your exploration: "Why do we sabotage the work we most want to do?" See how people respond. What questions do they ask? What stories do they share? What aspects generate the most interest?

Sometimes that sample gets more attention than you expected, and you realize there's huge appetite for this topic. Sometimes it gets little response, and you pivot before investing weeks in a piece that won't resonate. Either way, you're learning from real market feedback rather than guessing in isolation.

This isn't about optimizing for engagement—it's about understanding which of your curiosities have energy worth exploring further.

Master the art of the subtle invitation

The difference between invitation and desperation is confidence. A good patisserie doesn't need to put "PLEASE COME INSIDE" signs all over their window. The quality of what's displayed does the inviting.

"I explored this question more deeply in today's newsletter" works because it assumes people are smart enough to find you if they're interested. "Subscribe for more insights like this!" works like a desperate "PLEASE BUY SOMETHING" sign—it actually pushes people away.

The best Notes creators I know rarely mention their newsletters directly. They just consistently put interesting thoughts in their window display, and people naturally become curious about what else they might find inside the shop.

The Notes Mindset Mistakes That Kill Your Growth

Expecting newsletter-level depth and engagement

This is about expecting Notes to do what newsletters do, not about cramming newsletter content into Notes format. You're trying to build deep, lasting relationships through quick interactions, or expecting the same level of thoughtful engagement you get in newsletter comments.

Signs you're doing this: You're frustrated when Notes don't generate the same depth of response as newsletters. You're trying to have complex, nuanced conversations in a space designed for lighter touch. You're posting complete thoughts rather than conversation starters. You're treating Notes like a mini-newsletter rather than as their own strategic tool with different purposes.

The result: You feel like Notes aren't "working" because you're measuring them against newsletter outcomes instead of Notes outcomes.

Performing instead of participating

The difference between performing and participating is subtle but crucial. Performing means you're constantly thinking about how to get noticed, how to stand out, how to get more engagement. Participating means you're genuinely interested in the conversations happening around you.

Signs you're performing: Every Note is designed to get maximum engagement. You're constantly checking likes and restacks. You're posting Notes just to stay visible rather than because you have something to say. You're engaging with other creators' work only when it might benefit you.

The result: Your Notes feel calculated and strategic rather than authentic and interesting. People can sense when you're trying too hard.

Using social media metrics to measure success

Notes success isn't measured the same way as traditional social media success. The metrics that actually matter:

• Genuine conversations with other creators

• Discovery by new potential subscribers who become engaged readers

• Community participation and relationship building

• How often your Notes spark interesting discussions

• Connections that lead to collaboration or deeper engagement

• Quality of the community you're attracting, not just quantity

The mistake is optimizing for likes and restacks while missing the relationship-building opportunities that make Notes valuable for sustainable growth.

The Notes Strategy That Actually Works

Here's what I've noticed about creators who use Notes effectively: they understand that Notes are designed to help potential readers discover their work, not just to network with other creators.

The discovery platform surfaces your Notes to people who've never heard of you. These aren't creators looking to connect - they're potential readers browsing for interesting content. Your job is to create Notes that make these people curious about your perspective.

The creators who succeed on Notes create content that works on two levels: it's authentic to them, and it's interesting to people who don't know them yet.

They share genuine thoughts and questions, but they frame them in ways that invite broader engagement. They're not trying to go viral, but they're not just talking to themselves either.

This means your Notes need to be more accessible than your newsletters, but more substantial than typical social media posts. You're looking for that sweet spot where your authentic voice meets genuine curiosity from strangers.

Why This Approach Works

When you create Notes that genuinely reflect your thinking while being accessible to new people, something interesting happens. You attract readers who are actually interested in your perspective, not just people who were impressed by a clever one-liner.

Your Notes become a filter that draws in people who want to think about the same kinds of questions you're exploring. When these people subscribe to your newsletter, they're genuinely interested in going deeper with your ideas.

This creates better engagement in your newsletters because your subscribers found you through genuine interest in your thinking, not because they stumbled across a viral moment that didn't really represent your work.

What's Next

This covers the discovery platform—how to use Notes strategically without burning out or losing yourself in the performance trap.

Next week, I'll share the pattern I've noticed in creators who seem to have cracked the sustainability code: how they create a feedback loop between the tech stack and discovery platform that makes their creative work stronger and more sustainable than anything you can build on traditional social media.

The approach combines everything we've covered so far into a system that supports your creative development while building genuine audience relationships.

About The Creator Retreat🌳

If something in this post made you pause, nod, or rethink how you show up on Notes—you’re probably the kind of creator who doesn’t want to just post more and continue to play the social media algorithm game.

You want to post with purpose.

Inside the Creator Retreat for paid subscribers, we offer monthly workshops and guest presentations from Substack Creators who are succeeding at this kind of small-slow-growth approach that is authentic, honest, and built in integrity.

If you want support from a team who are building the same way—we’d love to have you inside.

Become a paid subscriber and get the real-time tools, insights, and support to grow your Substack with clarity and integrity.