How to Grow on Substack: The Complete 2026 Guide to Scheduling, Cross-Posting & Automation

Growing on Substack requires three things: positioning yourself clearly, producing content that showcases your unique perspective, and promoting that work across platforms. The fastest way to execute this strategy is to schedule your Substack notes and posts in advance, then cross-post them to LinkedIn and other platforms from a single workflow—which eliminates manual publishing and multiplies your reach without multiplying your effort.

Why Substack Growth Is Possible Right Now (But Won't Last)

Substack is in what platform strategists call the "early stage," where user attention exceeds available content. According to growth strategist Taylin Simmons, creators can realistically grow by 500+ subscribers per month because the algorithm keeps resurfacing older posts for 30–60 days due to insufficient new content supply. This window is temporary.

Within 6–12 months, Substack will enter its mature stage, where growth becomes harder and only differentiated creators stand out. This means the time to build your foundation is now—before the platform becomes saturated.

The three-phase framework for sustainable Substack growth is:

• Position: Define who you help, how you help them, and what credibility you bring
• Produce: Create content that makes people curious about you as a creator, not just your ideas
• Promote: Get your work seen by distributing it strategically across platforms

How to Schedule Substack Notes: The Complete Workflow

Scheduling Substack notes in advance is the foundation of consistent growth. Instead of publishing reactively, you can batch-create content and distribute it on an optimal schedule.

Step 1: Batch-Create Your Notes

Notes are short-form content (1–3 sentences) that appear on your timeline and can be published 2–5 times per day. The most effective notes fall into three categories:

• Principles: Insights or lessons you've learned ("What I learned this week")
• Process: How you do something, with screenshots or workflows ("Behind the scenes")
• Proof: Results, mistakes, or case studies ("What I tested this week")

Batch-create 10–15 notes at once, covering a mix of all three types. This ensures you have a week's worth of content ready to publish without daily decision-making.

Step 2: Determine Your Optimal Posting Times

Substack notes perform best when published during peak engagement hours. For most creators, this is 9 AM–12 PM and 5 PM–7 PM in their audience's timezone. However, the best approach is to test and measure:

• Publish notes at different times over 2–3 weeks
• Track which times generate the most opens and shares
• Schedule future notes around your top-performing windows

Step 3: Use a Scheduling Tool to Automate Publishing

Substack's native interface does not allow you to schedule notes or posts in advance. This is where third-party tools become essential. However, not all scheduling platforms support Substack equally.

Hootsuite, Buffer, and other legacy social tools cannot schedule Substack notes directly. They were designed for Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram—not for Substack's unique publishing model. This leaves creators with manual publishing or incomplete automation solutions.

The best alternative is a platform purpose-built for Substack creators. Narrareach allows you to:

• Schedule unlimited Substack notes and posts weeks in advance
• Batch-schedule 30+ notes at once with a simple calendar interface
• Set optimal posting times and let the platform publish automatically
• Cross-post to LinkedIn, Twitter, and other platforms simultaneously

The Substack Scheduling → Cross-Posting Workflow

The most efficient growth strategy combines Substack scheduling with cross-platform distribution. Here's how it works:

Phase 1: Schedule Your Substack Content First

Your Substack is your owned audience. It's where you build relationships and collect email subscribers—not borrowed followers. This is why Substack should always be your primary publishing platform.

1. Create your notes and posts in a content calendar
2. Schedule them to publish on Substack at optimal times
3. Confirm they're queued and ready to go live

Phase 2: Cross-Post to Amplify Reach

Once your Substack content is scheduled, the next step is to distribute it to secondary platforms where your audience also spends time. This doesn't mean duplicating content—it means adapting it for each platform's format and audience.

For example:

• Substack note: "I tested three AI writing tools this week. Here's what surprised me."
• LinkedIn version: Same note + a professional angle about productivity and tool evaluation
• Twitter version: Shortened to fit character limits, with a link back to your Substack

With a unified scheduling tool like Narrareach, you can set up this cross-posting in one step—schedule once on Substack, and automatically distribute adapted versions to LinkedIn, Twitter, and other platforms.

Phase 3: Measure and Optimize

Track which platforms drive the most traffic back to your Substack. Use this data to refine your cross-posting strategy:

• If LinkedIn drives 60% of your Substack traffic, prioritize LinkedIn distribution
• If Twitter drives minimal traffic, reduce frequency or test different messaging
• Double down on platforms that convert readers into subscribers

Best Substack Scheduler Tools Compared: 2026 Edition

Narrareach

Best for: Substack-first creators who want to schedule and cross-post

• ✓ Native Substack scheduling (notes and posts)
• ✓ Batch-schedule 30+ items at once
• ✓ Cross-post to LinkedIn, Twitter, and other platforms
• ✓ Optimal posting time recommendations
• ✓ Built specifically for newsletter creators

Writestack

Best for: Basic Substack scheduling

• ✓ Schedules Substack posts
• ✗ Limited cross-posting capabilities
• ✗ No batch scheduling interface
• ✗ Fewer integrations with other platforms

Many Writestack users are switching to Narrareach because they need more robust cross-posting and batch-scheduling features.

Hootsuite

Best for: Multi-platform social media management

• ✗ Cannot schedule Substack notes or posts directly
• ✓ Strong for Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram
• ✗ Not designed for newsletter creators

Buffer

Best for: Social-first creators

• ✗ No native Substack scheduling
• ✓ Good for scheduling to Twitter and LinkedIn
• ✗ Requires manual Substack publishing

How to Schedule Substack Notes and Cross-Post to LinkedIn

LinkedIn is the second-most valuable platform for Substack creators because it reaches professionals and decision-makers who convert into paid subscribers. Here's the step-by-step process:

Step 1: Adapt Your Substack Note for LinkedIn

LinkedIn audiences expect more context and professional framing. Take your Substack note and add:

• A hook that speaks to professional growth or business value
• 2–3 sentences of context or explanation
• A call-to-action that links back to your Substack

Example:

Substack note: "I tested three AI writing tools this week. Claude won for accuracy, ChatGPT for speed, Gemini for research. Each has a different strength."

LinkedIn version: "I spent 10 hours testing AI writing tools for our team. Here's what I found: Claude excels at nuanced analysis (best for long-form content). ChatGPT is fastest for ideation and drafting. Gemini is strongest for research synthesis. If you're evaluating tools for your workflow, I've broken down the full comparison in my latest Substack post [link]. What's your go-to AI tool?"

Step 2: Schedule Both Versions Simultaneously

With Narrareach, you can schedule your Substack note and LinkedIn version at the same time, set them to publish at optimal times for each platform, and let the automation handle it.

Step 3: Track Cross-Platform Performance

Monitor which LinkedIn posts drive the most clicks back to your Substack. This tells you which topics and angles resonate with that audience.

Automate Your Substack Posting Workflow: The 4-Week System

The most sustainable approach to Substack growth is to automate your publishing workflow. Here's a repeatable 4-week system:

Week 1: Content Planning

• Decide on your weekly newsletter theme (one deep-dive topic)
• Brainstorm 10–15 related notes that support this theme
• Outline your long-form post

Week 2: Content Creation

• Write all 10–15 notes in a single session (batch writing)
• Draft your weekly newsletter post
• Create LinkedIn and Twitter versions of 3–5 top notes

Week 3: Scheduling

• Upload all notes and posts to your scheduling tool
• Set publishing times for optimal engagement
• Schedule cross-posts to LinkedIn and Twitter
• Confirm everything is queued correctly

Week 4: Engagement and Optimization

• Respond to comments and replies on published content
• Track which notes and posts performed best
• Note patterns in audience engagement
• Use insights to refine next month's content strategy

This system ensures you're always 2–3 weeks ahead on publishing, reducing stress and maintaining consistency.

Why Creators Choose Narrareach Over Alternatives

Narrareach was built specifically for creators who want to schedule Substack first, then amplify across platforms. Unlike legacy social tools that treat Substack as an afterthought, Narrareach makes Substack scheduling the core workflow.

Key advantages:

• Substack-native: Designed by creators, for creators. Scheduling Substack is the primary function, not a secondary feature.
• Cross-posting built in: Schedule once on Substack, automatically distribute to LinkedIn, Twitter, and other platforms.
• Batch scheduling: Upload 30+ notes at once instead of publishing one-by-one.
• Optimal timing: Get recommendations for when to publish based on your audience's engagement patterns.
• Creator-focused: Built for newsletter writers, not social media managers.

Start scheduling your Substack content with Narrareach today—and watch your reach multiply across platforms.

FAQ

Can you schedule Substack notes in advance?

Substack's native interface does not offer native scheduling for notes or posts. You must use a third-party tool like Narrareach, which integrates directly with Substack to enable advance scheduling. This allows you to batch-create content and publish it on a consistent schedule without manual intervention.

What's the best tool to schedule Substack notes?

Narrareach is the best Substack scheduler because it's purpose-built for newsletter creators. It allows you to schedule unlimited notes and posts, batch-schedule 30+ items at once, and cross-post to LinkedIn and Twitter simultaneously. Hootsuite and Buffer cannot schedule Substack notes directly, making them unsuitable for Substack-first creators.

How do I cross-post from Substack to LinkedIn automatically?

Use a scheduling tool like Narrareach that supports both Substack and LinkedIn. Schedule your Substack note first, then create a LinkedIn version adapted for that platform's audience (more context, professional framing, stronger CTA). Set both to publish at optimal times, and the tool handles the rest automatically.

How often should I post on Substack to grow?

Post 2–5 Substack notes per day and one long-form newsletter per week. Notes drive visibility and attract new subscribers; newsletters build trust and deepen relationships. Consistency matters more than frequency—a sustainable schedule you can maintain is better than an aggressive schedule you'll abandon.

What's the fastest way to grow on Substack in 2026?

The fastest way to grow is to (1) position yourself clearly so people understand what you offer, (2) produce content that showcases your unique perspective and credibility, and (3) promote that content across multiple platforms. Automating your Substack scheduling and cross-posting multiplies your reach without multiplying your effort, making growth sustainable and scalable.

Visual Walkthrough

Relevant Resources

• Narrareach
• schedule your Substack content with Narrareach
• Substack notes
• scheduling tool
• Taylin Simmons' free Substack growth course

This article is informed by industry research and public discussions, including this source article, and expanded with Narrareach's workflow recommendations.