So you want to repurpose your content from blog posts to Substack Notes?
Smart move. With content creation being so time-consuming, why not make each piece work harder for you across multiple platforms?
Most creators spend hours crafting the perfect blog post only to let it live in just one place. That’s like cooking a gourmet meal for just one person when you could feed a crowd.
For example, I had YouTube videos about note-taking and the Zettelkasten that didn’t take off, but the same information/content on Medium actually did and helped me launch a profitable course and added almost 3,000 new subscribers to my email list in 4 months. This difference is due to various factors such as the audience, the algorithm, the timing, and so on…
Let’s dive into how you can effectively transform your blog content into engaging Substack Notes.
Why You Should Repurpose From Blog Posts to Substack Notes
Blog posts are thorough, detailed, and typically optimized for search engines. They’re the cornerstone of many content strategies.
But Substack Notes? They’re built for social discovery and quick engagement.
Repurposing your blog content to Substack Notes allows you to:
- Reach Substack’s growing community of readers
- Test which ideas resonate with a different audience
- Create more touchpoints with potential subscribers
- Maximize the ROI on content you’ve already created
- Boost visibility with minimal additional effort
The Main Differences Between Blog Posts and Substack Notes
Before you start copy-pasting your blog content, understand the key differences between these platforms:
Blog Posts:
- Typically 1,000-2,500 words
- Structured with headers, subheaders
- SEO-focused
- Comprehensive coverage of topics
- Often more formal in tone
Substack Notes:
- Short-form (up to 300 characters)
- Conversational, personal tone
- Designed for quick consumption
- More casual and immediate
- Built for engagement and shares
Why You Should Post on Substack Notes
Substack Notes launched in 2023 and is still growing, meaning there’s less competition than on established platforms.
The Notes feature is tightly integrated with Substack’s newsletter ecosystem, making it easier to convert readers to subscribers. Plus, Substack’s algorithm tends to favor regular posters, giving consistent creators an edge.
Many experts are finding Notes to be an excellent “gateway drug” to their paid newsletters. A thoughtful Note can quickly demonstrate your expertise and entice readers to subscribe for more in-depth content.
Build Your Swipe File Of Winning Substack Notes Content
Okay, so the best way to actually find or actually write for Substack Notes is to find content that is already performing well. The reason is because each platform has its own rules.
On Substack Notes, you’ll notice certain patterns in successful posts:
- Thought-provoking questions perform well
- Hot takes on industry news get engagement
- Personal stories with universal lessons spread quickly
- Clear, actionable tips get the most saves
So you want to find specific examples to understand what exactly to extract and rewrite.
PRO TIP: One of the best ways is to always find creators who are new to the platform and actually get a lot of traction. The reason why you don’t want to model the gurus is because they already have traction so they can actually get away by doing things that might not necessarily work for you as a small account.
Yes, this requires a bit of upfront work. But it will be well worth it.
And in case you want a shortcut…
There’s a free social media swipe file that you can grab here. (yup, it’s free.)
Set up an Automation to Turn Blog Posts to Substack Notes
Okay, so now that you’ve actually had these laid out, what you can do is you can create an automation. As soon as you post on your blog it will then actually perform and actually use this for Substack Notes.
And this is where AI can, you know, come into play.
You can use tools like n8n, Make (formerly Integromat), or Zapier to create workflows that trigger when a new blog post goes live.
Here’s a simple workflow example:
1. New blog post published (trigger)
2. Extract key points from the post using AI
3. Format those points into Substack Notes style
4. Generate 2-3 Note variations
5. Schedule them to post over several days
A simple prompt for step 2 might look like:
“Transform this blog post into 3 separate Substack Notes of 250 characters or less. Focus on the most thought-provoking points, and format them in a conversational tone with a clear call to action. Include one question that encourages reader engagement. Make each note standalone but related to the main topic of [BLOG POST TITLE].”
You can test different prompts to see which ones create the most engaging Notes from your blog content.
The beauty of this system is that once you set it up, you’ll be consistently active on Substack Notes with minimal additional work, driving more readers back to your full blog posts and newsletter.
For more tips on how to repurpose your content and grow your audience with less work, sign up for my free emails below: