Substack introduces 'Notes', a tweet-like feature for short posts

Newsletter platform Substack has announced a new feature called "Notes," which allows users to publish small posts containing items like quotes, comments, images, and links.

The feature will appear in a dedicated tab that offers separate feeds for content from users' subscribed sources and their extended Substack network. Users can "restack" posts, similar to retweeting on Twitter, and see familiar icons for likes, replies, and reshares.

Substack's co-founders say the feature is part of their effort to offer healthier incentives for quality content creation rather than content optimized to go viral. They argue that their subscription-based business model offers better incentives than Twitter for creators to focus on audience trust and attention.

While Substack is aware that troll behaviour could be an issue, the company is promising to build a system to let users control the boundaries of their subscription universe to keep trolls out and valuable contributors in.

The Notes feature will be available to all users in the coming days. Substack's move to offer a tweet-like feature appears well-timed, as creators on Twitter are still waiting for the revenue-sharing model Elon Musk promised in February.