The Substack Roadmap: How to Grow Using Notes, Posts, and Chat

A 5 min read to boost your growth on Substack

“Post more and hope people find you” is terrible advice. I learned that the hard way publishing steady posts, getting polite opens, and feeling like I was yelling into the void. The game-changer wasn’t publishing harder. It was connecting three simple features Substack already gives you: Notes (discovery), Posts (depth), Chat (community). Use them as a unified flywheel and growth stops being luck it becomes a repeatable system.

Below’s the exact roadmap I use (and what turned a messy newsletter into an active, growing community).

Why most creators stall

Creators treat Notes, Posts, and Chat like separate tools. So their Notes don’t convert, posts don’t retain, and chat stays empty. The truth: each feature plays a different role in the funnel. When they feed each other, every piece of content becomes a growth engine.

Magnet 1 — Notes: where discovery happens ✨

Notes are short, public, and fast-moving : Perfect for being seen.

Aim: Pull new readers into your orbit.

Tactics & actions

Write 1 bold, short Note daily (20–80 words). Make it opinion-first , the hook carries the discovery.

Comment 5x/day on relevant Notes from other creators. Don’t self-promote: add value. That’s how profile visits happen.

Use “drop” prompts: Drop your best post below 👇 these create reply storms and put you in front of new audiences.

Quick template:

Hook sentence → one insight → tiny CTA (reply, drop, try).

Magnet 2 — Posts: where depth converts 🧭

Posts are your home base. This is where strangers become subscribers.

Aim: Give practical value that’s worth bookmarking and sharing.

Tactics & actions

Publish 1 flagship post per week (600–900 words). One strong system or idea, no fluff.

End every post with a short “If you liked this, try this” block linking to:

• A Note that seeded the idea,

• A related post,

• An invitation to chat.

Include 1 tangible action the reader can do this week (not vague motivation).

Post footer block (reuse every edition):

“Liked this? Try these quick reads: [post 1] • [post 2]. Join the chat for practice and feedback.”

Magnet 3 — Chat: where fans become friends 🗣️

Chat isn’t for broadcasting. It’s for conversation, accountability, and amplification.

Aim: Make the chat the place people want to come back to.

Tactics & actions

Start a weekly ritual: Boost Thread (drop your latest post + read 2 others). Pin it.

Run 1 micro-challenge per week tied to your post (e.g., “90-minute deep work before phone : who’s in?”).

Feature 2 community posts in your next edition ; recognition converts lurkers into participants.

Rule: No link-dumping. Ask for takeaways, results, or one-line summaries.

The flywheel — how it all fits together 🔁

1. Note (discovery) → new reader clicks your profile.

2. They read a Post (depth) → subscribe.

3. They join Chat (community) → engage and bring others.

4. Chat replies become content for new Notes and Posts. Repeat.

5. Small, consistent cycles beat random viral bursts

Mini roadmap (4-week sprint) : Copy-paste

Week 1: Post a flagship edition. Daily: 1 Note + 5 comments on others. Start Boost Thread in chat.

Week 2: Post again. Feature top 3 chat contributions in a short Note. Keep daily Notes.

Week 3: Run a 7-day micro-challenge tied to a post. Encourage reporting in chat.

Week 4: Compile a roundup (community highlights + top posts). Push Boost Thread again.

Do this consistently and your reach multiplies , not linearly, exponentially.

Quick rituals that make it stick

10/5 Rule: 10 minutes creating Notes, 5 minutes replying to others : Daily.

Post-to-Chat loop: publish → post a chat prompt linking to it → respond to every chat reply for 24 hours.

Feature habit: every edition, highlight one community member’s post : recognition feeds virality.

“New here? Hit subscribe : We turn ideas into systems every week 🚀”

Final: growth is a conversation, not a campaign

People don’t subscribe to newsletters. They join conversations. Treat Notes as the soapbox, posts as the curriculum, and chat as the living room where people rehearse and amplify your ideas. Use the three together and you don’t chase growth ;Growth finds you.

Hope you found this useful do tell me how you applied the lessons discussed here

-Alex Warden

MindFuel