5 AI Prompts To Help You Crush Substack Notes In 2025
These blew me away as a Notes expert
Click. Copy. Paste.
Click. Copy. Paste.
Every Friday, without fail, I go into my Substack Notes Archive Sheet and input new Notes I’ve written. It is insanely valuable to me. I track likes, comments, and restacks mostly.
Take a look!
On another sheet in this archive, I’ve painstakingly tracked about 23 topics that tend to go viral for me without fail.
This isn't just busy work. This data has helped me gain thousands of subscribers over the last 15 months.
While everyone else is shooting in the dark, I'm using a targeting system.
This is called the content flywheel, people. You test, analyze, make a plan, then test again. As much as I love writing whatever I want, it’s good to know what my highest-performing Note topics are so I can keep hitting on them and grow more.
The Notes Analysis System That Changed Everything
Recently, I took this a step further. I uploaded my entire Notes archive to Claude for advanced analysis.
What happened next blew my mind.
Claude identified patterns I hadn't seen in 15 months of tracking!
It told me:
"Hey Tom, people freaking LOVE when you write about X topic."
"Did you notice whenever you share personal stories about your wife, you get 3x more engagement?"
"You talk about this stuff over and over but never monetized it?"
"Here are 7 Note ideas you could write tomorrow that would blow up."
In this article, I'm sharing my complete system so you can do the same.
Step #1: How To Create Your Substack Notes Archive
Here’s a video tutorial teaching you how to make a basic Substack Notes archive.
Here’s my Google sheet template.
Hit File → Make a Copy to copy it to your own Google Drive.
Most people skip this step.
They have NO IDEA what's working and what isn't.
Just by doing this, you're already ahead of 90% of Notes writers.
Step #2: How To Import Your Notes Data To Claude For Analysis
After you’re done compiling your Notes, you’re ready to start analyzing them with Claude. Go to Claude and follow the directions I give you in this video.
Step #3: 1 Prompt For Deep Notes Analysis
I want you to see the power of Claude, so I’m going to give you one prompt to copy/paste into Claude verbatim here along with the .csv of your Notes archive.
#1. Prompt for analyzing core Note writing themes and performance
Analyze my Substack Notes archive CSV with these specific instructions:
STEP 1: INITIAL DATA REVIEW
First, examine the CSV structure and confirm you can access:
- Total number of Notes
- Date range
- Content
- Engagement metrics (Likes, Comments, Restacks if available)
STEP 2: THEME IDENTIFICATION
Identify exactly 4 core thematic categories in my writing:
- Look for clear patterns in Note topics and subjects
- Ensure themes are distinct and well-defined
- Focus on content substance, not just writing style
STEP 3: NOTE CLASSIFICATION
For each Note in my archive:
- Assign it to ONE primary theme
- Base classification on the main purpose/message of the Note
- Pay special attention to Notes about relationships vs. personal growth
STEP 4: PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS
For each theme:
- Calculate average Likes, Comments, and total engagement
- Identify which themes perform significantly above my overall average
- Note any performance trends over time
STEP 5: HIGH-PERFORMING SUBTOPICS
For each of my top 2 performing themes:
- Identify 2-5 specific subtopics that consistently generate above-average engagement
- For each subtopic:
* Provide a clear label for this specific content focus
* Share 2-3 example Notes (title + metrics) as evidence
* Explain why this subtopic seems to resonate with my audience
STEP 6: SPECIFIC CONTENT RECOMMENDATIONS
For each high-performing theme:
- Suggest 2-5 specific post ideas based on successful subtopics
- For each idea:
* Provide a title that matches my writing style
* Include a potential opening hook
* Explain why this specific topic would likely perform well
IMPORTANT: If you encounter any difficulty analyzing the full CSV, focus on a representative sample of Notes to identify patterns and trends. What This Prompt Gave Me
This 1 prompt gave me a 1,700-word behemoth of a Substack Notes Strategy.
I got:
4 common themes I write about
A ranked list of my highest performing themes
3 subtopics to focus on more in my 2 highest-performing themes
6 recommendations/ideas for future Notes that would perform well
Just in this one prompt. It’s insane. I hope you try it out.
The Advanced Prompts That 10X'd My Strategy (Paid Subscribers Only)
The free prompt will give you a solid foundation.
But that's just scratching the surface.
For those serious about CRUSHING IT on Notes, I've developed four additional prompts that take your analysis to a whole different level.
Prompt #2: Your Complete Substack Monetization Strategy
This prompt shows you:
What topics your audience would actually PAY for
Which product types make sense based on what they engage with
A detailed business plan with potential products, paid subscriber benefits, and price suggestions
Exactly which Notes to expand into paid content
Prompt #3: 18 Viral Note Ideas You're Not Seeing (But Claude Will)
This doesn't just give you generic ideas.
It gives you:
10 specific Note ideas that'll hit like a truck
3 different angles for each one to test what works best
Opening lines written exactly how YOU write
5 topics you haven't tried but should
3 contrarian takes that would make you stand out
Prompt #4: Turn Your 5 Best Notes Into 1,000+ Word Articles
This prompt finds:
Your 5 Notes that are BEGGING to become full articles
A complete blueprint for expanding each one
Done-for-you intros written in your style
Risk factors to avoid that could kill the magic
Prompt #5: Strategic Notes Competitor Analysis (Without The Guesswork)
This is the secret weapon almost nobody is using:
It shows you exactly why that person in your niche is getting 5-10X your engagement.
What topics they've claimed that you could take over
Their exact writing patterns + topics that trigger likes
How their strategy and style differ from yours
How to create a 30-day plan to increase engagement
Your Next Steps
Create your Notes archive using my template
Try the free prompt to get your basic analysis
Become a paid subscriber to get all five advanced prompts
Watch your Notes strategy transform from guesswork to science
The difference between Notes success and failure isn't writing better sentences.
It's knowing exactly what your audience wants to read, and delivering it consistently.
These prompts give you that power.
Subscribe now to get instant access to all five prompts and transform your Notes strategy today. Not to mention get 50 monthly credits to the NoteSmith and NoteFinder! :)