Most creators make posting harder than it needs to be. A pinnable image gives your content a better chance of getting shared, saved, and discovered later. 🚀 ✨That matters on Substack, but honestly it matters everywhere. A strong vertical image helps your post look more polished and more intentional no matter where you share it. Here’s the easy method I use on Substack. (if you're new to the idea of Substack come join us!) Substack already makes the image for you. You do not need to go design a brand-new Pinterest graphic from scratch every time. 🔥Here’s the process: 1. Create your post first Write the post, format it, and get it ready to go. 2. Publish it This is the key step. The share images are created after the post is live. 3. Go to the Share page Once the post is published, open the share options for that post. 4. Download one of the 2:3 vertical images Substack generates This is the magic. Substack has already created a shareable vertical image you can use. 5. Go back into your post editor Add that image into the post itself. 6. Update the post It will not resend to your subscribers, so no need to panic. You are simply improving the post and making it more shareable. That’s it. Easy peasy.💪 🤔Why add a pinnable image to all your content? Because a pinnable image makes your content easier to: - save - share - restack - recognize - circulate longer A good image gives your post another life outside the platform where it was originally published. 📌It also helps people who do use Pinterest quickly grab something they can share. And even for people who never touch Pinterest, vertical images still make your content feel more complete and more visually appealing. ⁉️A few quick questions to ask before you update the post: - Does this image make the post more clickable? - Would someone want to save or share this? - Does the visual match the promise of the post? Bottom line: 🐾Do not let your content sit there without a visual asset that can travel.

Many creators publish thoughtful posts on Substack but still struggle to be found. Search plays a bigger role than most people realize. Substack posts can appear in Google results, inside Substack search, and in topic feeds. A well-structured post can continue bringing readers to you long after the day it was published. That means one well-optimized article can become a long-term visibility asset. Today’s Notes Boost Challenge will help you do exactly that. Create one SEO-friendly Substack post using the simple structure below. Step 1. Choose a Phrase People Actually Search Start with a simple search phrase that your ideal reader might type into Google. Examples: • How to Start a Podcast on Substack • Substack Marketing for Coaches • Grow a Substack Newsletter • Substack Tips for Spiritual Entrepreneurs This phrase becomes the focus keyword for your post. Use it in: • your title • your subtitle • your first paragraph This helps search engines understand what your article is about. Step 2. Use Headings to Structure the Article Headings help both readers and search engines understand your content. They also make your post easier to skim on mobile. Use H2 headings to break your article into clear sections. Examples: Step 1. Choose a Search Phrase Step 2. Use Headings to Structure the Article Step 3. Add Supporting Keywords Think of headings as signposts guiding readers through the article. Step 3. Add Supporting Keywords Naturally You do not need to repeat your keyword constantly. Just include a few related phrases naturally as you write. Example for a Substack podcast article: • Substack podcast setup • growing a podcast audience • monetizing a Substack podcast • Substack podcast tips This reinforces the topic without making the article feel forced. Step 4. Add an Image With a Clear Name and Caption Images can help your article appear in search results too. Before uploading your image, rename the file using your keyword. Example: substack-seo-tips-for-coaches.jpg

Using Substack & Skool as a Leverage Pair There’s a quiet shift happening right now. People who once taught locally, casually, or “on the side” are realizing something powerful: their knowledge doesn’t have to stay small just because it started as a hobby. Crochet teachers. Piano instructors. Bakers. Artists. Stylists. Guitar players. What they all have in common isn’t the skill itself - it’s the moment they decide to bring it online with intention. And the magic happens when Substack and Skool work together. 🧶🧶🧶🧶🧶🧶🧶 Caroline & the Crochet Circle Caroline started by sharing what she loved: crochet. She didn’t begin with a big launch or a complicated funnel. She shared patterns, tips, encouragement, and progress. Over time, her consistency and clarity attracted the right people — not just followers, but learners. Inside the Crochet Circle community on Skool, that steady growth compounded. This year, Caroline earned her star, placing her in the top 1% of her niche. That didn’t happen because she chased virality. It happened because she: - Created value-first content - Showed up inside a community - Let trust build naturally - Gave people a place to belong 🥐🥐🥐🥐🥐🥐🥐 Henry Hunter & Crust & Crumb Academy Henry didn’t set out to “build an online business.” He loved bread. Sourdough. Process. Craft. The satisfaction of creating something real with your hands. By sharing that passion publicly, then anchoring it inside Crust & Crumb Academy, he turned a deeply tactile, offline skill into a thriving global community of home bakers. People don’t just learn recipes. They learn together. That’s leverage. 🎹🎹🎹🎹🎹🎹🎹 Rositsa & the Piano Community Rositsa teaches piano — something traditionally tied to one-on-one lessons in one place.

You’re posting on Facebook…And it feels like shouting into the void. You try Instagram…And suddenly you’re competing with people who are louder, flashier, younger, dancing, pointing, or pretending their life is a highlight reel. You know you’re good at what you do. You know you help people. And yet… there’s no real momentum. No steady growth. No sense that things are compounding. Just more content… more effort… more frustration. Here’s the thing most coaches and spiritual entrepreneurs don’t realize: It’s not that your message is weak. It’s that social platforms aren’t built to reward depth, expertise, or wisdom. They’re built to reward: - Interruption - Virality - Performance - Popularity And if you’re a coach, healer, guide, or practitioner, that can feel… gross. You don’t want to be an influencer. You don’t want to perform your life. You don’t want to dance for attention or turn your work into clickbait. You want to be visible because you’re good at what you do. Because you’ve lived it. Because you’ve studied it. Because people get results with you. But most social platforms don’t care about that. Why It Feels Like You’re Working So Hard for So Little Here’s what’s actually happening behind the scenes: - Facebook throttles reach unless you pay or spark constant engagement - Instagram rewards trends, not teachers - Your content disappears in hours, sometimes minutes - Nothing compounds — every post starts from zero again So even though you’re “posting everywhere,” you’re: - Repeating yourself - Recreating content endlessly - Starting over every single day That’s not momentum. That’s burnout in disguise. The Real Problem Isn’t Visibility - It’s Where Your Visibility Lives Momentum comes from content that stacks, not content that vanishes. From platforms where: - Your ideas stay searchable - Your expertise builds authority over time - New people can discover your work months from now - You don’t have to perform to be seen

If you’re growing a community on Skool, you’ve probably felt this tension: You love the conversations. You love the people. But growth feels… slow. That’s because Skool is incredible for connection — not discovery. And that’s where Substack comes in. Think of it this way: - Substack = visibility, reach, and trust - Skool = depth, conversation, and community Substack helps people find you. Skool helps them stay with you. Here’s why using both together is powerful: 1. Substack gives you built-in discovery Your posts can be found through Google, Substack search, recommendations, Notes, and shares — even when you’re not “promoting.” 2. Skool gives you a home for real conversation This is where relationships deepen, questions get answered, and community actually forms. 3. Substack warms people up before they ever join Skool By the time someone joins your Skool community, they already know your voice, your values, and how you think. 4. You stop relying on constant posting everywhere Instead of chasing attention, you create a simple flow: Content → Connection → Community 5. Your community becomes calmer (and more intentional) Not everyone needs to be in Skool. Substack lets people engage at their own pace - and join when they’re ready. If you’re building (or want to build) a Skool community, Substack isn’t extra work - it’s leverage. And once you see how they work together, it’s hard to unsee it. 👇If you’re new here: Check out the Start Here / Getting Started on Substack guides in the Classroom Then introduce yourself in the feed - or add yourself to the Community Directory so people can find you. This space exists so you don’t have to figure it all out alone 💜