notessamuele onelia

Drop Your Website - 650 Subs Per Post

The Story

Tom posts a recurring format on LinkedIn and Substack Notes: “Drop your website below, and I’ll give you a custom growth idea.” (Source 1).

He then replies to each commenter with an actual suggestion, “usually something I’ve already written about in the newsletter. At the end of each reply, I include a link to subscribe.” (Source 1).

The post performs predictably. From a single LinkedIn instance: 250 new subscribers. From the Substack Notes version: 400 new subscribers. Combined ~650 per post (Source 2).

Tom’s mechanic for repurposing: “I can repurpose existing ideas from past newsletters, which drives traffic back to my website. Plus, some people even publish their own posts about my advice, which drives even more traffic!” (Source 2).

Side benefits beyond the subscriber numbers: “These posts get massive reach, drive hundreds of new subscribers, and often spark conversations with founders, marketers, and creators I’d never have met otherwise.” (Source 1).

A spreadsheet built up over time: “I now have a spreadsheet showing marketing leaders from Amazon, WalkMe, Honeybook (and others) all asked me for advice.” (Source 2).

Tom’s framing of why it works: “It’s one of the most effort-intensive tactics I use, but also one of the most rewarding… it’s not a gimmick. It works because it feels like what it is: real help, one person at a time.” (Source 1).

Lesson for Creators

The post is bait, but the bait is a real meal. Most “engagement bait” gives nothing back, which is why audiences learned to ignore it. Tom’s version is the opposite: each commenter gets a personalized, actually useful suggestion. The subscribe link at the bottom converts because the value already landed. The other lesson is content recycling done right — Tom isn’t writing 30 fresh ideas in the comments, he’s pointing each commenter at the existing newsletter post that solves their problem. The newsletter becomes the answer key, not the pitch.

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