How To Stop Substack From Turning Into Another Social Media Race

Using Notes without sabotaging the platform’s unique feature

In 2020, NPR posted the article “Tired Of The Social Media Rat Race, Journalists Move To Writing Substack Newsletters”. In the said post, Substack co-founder Chris Best said that journalists are moving to the platform because they are already tired of the pressure of creating viral content on Facebook and Twitter.

Substack was then supposed to be a haven, a refuge for writers who are serious with their work and who are exhausted from the need to create clickbait, sensational or viral posts.

Just four years later, after Substack launched the Notes feature, there is much talk about whether it could be turning into another social media platform.

What are Notes?

Substack defines this feature as follows:

“Notes is a feature where writers can publish short-form posts and share ideas with each other and their readers. Through Notes, writers can share posts, links, images, quotes, and comments with their subscribers and the greater Substack network.”

Whose notes can you see?

Substack says that you will see Notes from the people you follow and subscribe to as well as those from publications recommended by Substacks you’re subscribed to.

Notes is a feature I have long wanted to have

Even before writing on Substack, I wanted to have this feature from my old personal blog. Aside from my regular blog posts, I wanted to have a separate space for other stuff I wanted to share but don’t seem to fit among my regular articles.

What are these “other stuff”? They can be simple photos that gave me inspiration, a short excerpt from my diary, or an update on the latest book I’m writing.

Now on Substack, I think one purpose of “Notes’ is to easily update us about the latest when it comes to the publications we’re subscribed to.

Initially, I thought this wouldn’t be a problem since I’m receiving direct emails from Substacks I’m subscribed to. But when you’re subscribed to a huge number of publications, you can appreciate Notes as a tool to notify you about stuff you could easily miss.

This also gives me the opportunity to explore other publications that I may find interesting and worth subscribing to. If I’m not yet sure about subscribing, I can follow a Substack for a while and see whether I can eventually add them to my regular subscriptions.

Aside from this, Notes also functions as a playground where writers can freely share a bunch of other stuff with their followers, extras that allow the writer to get more intimate and real.

I love Notes. I just hope that it can be used well.

These days, however, there is a lot of talk about some writers’ fears that Notes would turn Substack into a kind of social media they tried to avoid in the first place.

Some people can’t imagine it becoming another Twitter. Personally, I can’t imagine it being another TikTok or YouTube shorts. While I do watch reels and other short videos, the existing social media channels for such is enough for me. I wanted Substack to be different.

Here are some of my ideas to prevent Substack from turning into another social media race:

1. Post only relevant content

Let’s not post something just for the sake of posting. Let’s ensure that other people will get something beneficial from our Notes, whether current followers or potential ones.

We don’t want to flood the Notes feed with irrelevant content that would defeat the purpose of this feature.

2. Don’t overuse it

While we can use it regularly, let’s do our best not to post more than our followers can absorb.

Remember that you’re not the only publication using this feature. Let’s keep it as a place of diversity, discovery and engagement where each one has a chance to be found and responded to.

3. Follow only the people you read

Don’t follow more than you can handle. Let’s not make this a follow-for-follow game but an opportunity to follow the publications that we can truly read and like.

4. Focus on building a supportive community

Rather than focusing on likes, clicks and follows, focus on building a supportive community. An authentic community is one that will be with you all the way, engaging with your posts, providing constructive feedback and letting you know that you’re not alone in your work.

5. Avoid clickbait content

Don’t post an attractive headline without delivering on your promise! It’s not a place to get views and think that you’d get paying subscribers unless you deliver true value to people.

The True Power of Notes

The true power of notes is its ability to open new doors for writers on the platform. It gives writers a place to discover other publications, engage with fellow writers and create something valuable and beautiful.

Instead of turning it into another social media trap, let’s use it to share our best works, give our followers our most valuable finds and create a network of users who are more intimately acquainted and supportive of each other’s works.

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