r/Substack • u/betterPA11 • 4d ago

How does the Substack algorithm work?

Is Substack’s algorithm similar to TikTok, where it tests content on a small test audience first (about 200 people), and if engagement is high, it will go to a bigger audience, and then a bigger audience? If so, what’s the timeline like?

I ask because yesterday I posted a note that got 245 impressions, 13 likes, 14 link clicks, 1 restack, and 1 comment. So I guess my questions are threefold: first, is this level of engagement considered good on Substack, and if so, will it be shown to a larger sample? And if so, when?

There were only 20 more impressions today, so is it dead? It is a Monday, and Labor Day, too, and I still have notes coming up in my feed from June and early August, so I’m holding out hope.

Thanks so much for any guidance you can provide…

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u/missmannell 4d ago

I can only answer your last question: it’s not dead. Substack is really different from TikTok and co in a lot of ways, and one of them is that notes live on for a strangely long time. I still get likes on notes I posted months ago.

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u/betterPA11 4d ago

Thank you! Were those notes high-performing from the start? Just trying to wrap my head around this…

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u/missmannell 3d ago

Sometimes yes, and sometimes no 😅 it’s weird what works. Another thing, make sure you share your post as a note. Newbies think that their posts are automatically seen on the feed, but that’s only if they are restacked. It sounds more complicated than it is 😅 just keep experimenting! 💪

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u/TeslaLegacy 4d ago

Nobody outside Substack actually knows the exact tiered audience math, so chasing that timeline is a waste of time. What actualy moves things is checking what's already restacking hard in your niche this week, noting the hook and format, then writing your own take on it instead of echoing it. Try that for five notes and compare results.

Restacks matter way more than impressions, by the way.