So you want to repurpose your content from Substack Articles to Substack Notes?
I get it. You’ve already put in the work creating thoughtful newsletters—now you want to extend their reach without starting from scratch.
You’ve spent hours crafting those Substack articles. They’re packed with value, but they’re also sitting there, possibly underutilized. And now you’re wondering if those same ideas could find new life (and new audiences) on Substack Notes.
The good news? They absolutely can.
Why you should repurpose from Substack Articles to Substack Notes
Here’s the thing about content that most people don’t realize: you never really know what’s going to resonate where.
Back in 2020, I created several YouTube videos about note-taking. They performed okay—nothing spectacular. On a whim, I decided to repurpose that content for Medium articles.
The results shocked me.
Those repurposed pieces took off, helping me add 3,000 email subscribers and launch a profitable five-figure course in just 12 weeks.
This difference happens due to various factors:
- Different platforms attract different audience segments
- Algorithms favor different content styles
- Timing and context can change everything
- Format matters more than you think
The main differences between Substack Articles and Substack Notes
Substack Articles are your full-length newsletters—comprehensive, detailed, and delivered directly to subscribers’ inboxes. They’re the main event.
Substack Notes, on the other hand, is Substack’s answer to Twitter/X. It’s a short-form, scrollable feed designed for quick thoughts, updates, and interactions.
Key differences:
- Length: Articles can be thousands of words; Notes typically range from 1-3 paragraphs
- Format: Articles have subject lines, formatting, and sections; Notes are casual and conversational
- Discoverability: Notes can reach non-subscribers more easily in the Notes feed
- Engagement: Notes encourage quick interactions and responses
- Purpose: Articles deliver comprehensive value; Notes build community and connection
Why you should post on Substack Notes
Substack Notes offers an incredible opportunity that most writers miss:
It’s the perfect “top of funnel” to attract new subscribers who might never discover your longer articles.
When your Notes get engagement, they can spread to audiences beyond your current readership. It’s like having a built-in distribution network that your articles alone don’t have.
Plus, it’s the perfect testing ground for ideas before you develop them into full newsletters.
What makes a good Substack Note
The best Substack Notes aren’t just miniature articles. They have distinct characteristics:
- They focus on a single idea or insight
- They provoke thought or emotion in just a few sentences
- They often include a question or invitation for response
- They feel conversational, not formal
- They can stand alone without context
For example, author Polina Pompliano often uses Notes to share a single powerful quote with brief commentary. These simple posts regularly get hundreds of likes and responses because they’re perfectly sized for the medium.
Another example: Writer Packy McCormick uses Notes to ask his audience thought-provoking questions about tech trends, generating dozens of insightful responses he later incorporates into newsletters.
Build Your Swipe File Of Winning Substack Notes
The most effective way to create successful Notes is to study what’s already working on the platform.
Don’t just look at big-name writers though. The secret is finding newer creators who are getting disproportionate engagement despite smaller follower counts.
Why? Because established writers can get traction based on their name alone. Newer successful accounts have to nail the format and approach to stand out.
Look for Notes that:
- Generate significant discussion
- Get reshared frequently
- Attract likes from outside the writer’s usual audience
- Prompt meaningful responses
Save these examples in a swipe file to analyze patterns in style, timing, and approach.
Download my free templates of winning Substack Notes to jump-start your collection.
Set up an automation to turn Substack Articles to Substack Notes
Okay, so now that you’ve have these laid out…
You could either do this manually like a monkey.
Hire a VA that you need to train for weeks on Fiverr…
Or (my favorite way):
You could use AI and automation tools to make this process as smooth as butter.
Here’s an example:
As soon as you publish a Substack article, an automation extracts the most compelling insight and transforms it into a perfect Note.
You can set this up with tools like Make (formerly Integromat), Zapier, or n8n. Here’s a simple workflow:
1. Trigger: New Substack post published
2. Action: Extract URL and title
3. AI step: Send to ChatGPT with this prompt:
“Transform this Substack article titled [TITLE] into a thoughtful 2-3 sentence Substack Note that captures the core insight and ends with an engaging question. Make it conversational and insightful.”
4. Final step: Send the Note to your approval queue
This takes the 30+ minutes you’d spend crafting each Note down to about 60 seconds of review time.
Stop leaving value on the table. Your existing content is a goldmine waiting to be tapped—you just need the right tools to extract those gems efficiently.
For more tips on how to repurpose your content and grow your audience with less work, sign up more my free emails below: