The Butterfly Effect of 100 Substack Notes: A Quarter-Way Analysis
Unexpected Growth and Data-Driven Insights from 25 Days of Consistent Posting
When I embarked on the 100 Substacks Notes Challenge, I felt like an awkward caterpillar, ready to metamorphose in the Substack ecosystem. So, I had two simple goals:
To learn more about publishing on Substack; and
To maintain accountability and consistency on the platform.
Little did I know that my first Note would flutter its wings and create a whirlwind of engagement, proving that even the smallest actions can have far-reaching consequences.
The Butterfly Effect in Action
My inaugural Note turned out to be quite the social butterfly:
630 likes (my Butterfly-Note definitely felt seen)
181 comments (a chorus of crickets, this was not!)
29 restacks (pollinating other Substack gardens)
I know that this level of interaction is uncommon for a new author, and I'm grateful for the warm welcome it provided. The initial push had a positive effect on my subscriber list, setting an encouraging tone for the challenge ahead.
But, what about the rest of my butterfly notes? How did they fare over the last 25 days?
Analysing the First 25 Notes: A Data Overview
As someone who appreciates data (code for data nerd), I created a spreadsheet to track and analyse my results. Here's a summary of the findings from the first quarter of this 100-note journey:
Posting Consistency: Posted at least one note daily from 29 August to 22 September, 2024.
Content Breakdown:
All 25 notes contained text
9 notes included Substack links
8 notes featured external links
1 note was a restack (I restacked more posts, but I didn’t include them in my 100 Notes Challenge)
Visual Elements: 18 notes included images and 3 notes contained videos
Engagement Metrics
Including the viral first Note:
Likes: 809 total (average 32.36 per note)
Replies: 236 total (average 9.44 per note)
Restacks: 33 total (average 1.32 per note)
Excluding the outlier:
Likes: 179 total (average 7.46 per note)
Replies: 55 total (average 2.29 per note)
Restacks: 4 total (average 0.17 per note)
Content Analysis and Insights
To gain deeper insights, I decided to utilise Perplexity AI to analyse the data. Here are the key findings:
Image-based content consistently performs well.
Posts with Substack links show varied but generally good engagement.
Video content, while limited in the dataset, shows moderate engagement.
External links don't significantly boost engagement on their own.
Personal sharing and community-focused posts tend to receive good engagement.
Monday shows the highest average likes and second-highest average replies. This is followed by Friday and Saturday.
Strategies for Growth and Engagement
Based on this analysis, here are some strategies to consider:
Incorporate high-quality images, especially original photography and/or graphics.
Continue sharing authentic, personal experiences and reflections.
Foster community discussions and feature reader contributions.
Create themed series or challenges to maintain reader interest.
Optimise the posting schedule based on high-engagement days.
Utilise Substack's native features and cross-link between posts.
Develop recurring themes or topics to build anticipation.
Actively respond to comments to encourage reader interaction.
Analyse elements of successful posts and apply insights to future content.
Experiment with diverse content formats while maintaining focus on text and images.
Looking Ahead: Nurturing Growth
As I move forward with the remaining 75 Notes, these insights will guide my approach to content creation and community engagement. Like a butterfly's journey from chrysalis to flight, each Note provides new opportunities for learning and growth on the Substack platform.
One of the best things I’ve learnt so far is that even small actions, like consistent posting, can lead to significant results.
So, if you’re on a similar journey, let’s keep writing, keep engaging, and most importantly, keep exploring this vast Substack ecosystem. Who knows what unexpected connections and opportunities await in the next phase of this challenge?
In any case, I hope to do a four-part analysis to see if I can gain further insight into Substack Notes.
Here's to the next 75 Notes - may they bring continued growth, engagement, and discovery!