As many of you know, I started Substack in April 2023, life happened and it wasn’t until December 2023 that I decided to give it a proper go.
As I reflect on this month, and my whole journey on Substack, this is what I know for sure:
You don’t need to have a perfect plan to step forward
You can change the plan as many times as you want
Taking a break isn’t bad, you can easily pick up where you left off
Being yourself is enough, you don’t need to try to be anyone else.
I have been living and breathing this, and loving my time on Substack!
However, there is one part of Substack that has me stumped.
A couple people have said they haven’t been able to upgrade to a paid subscription and I’ve had to sheepishly tell them it’s because I don’t have it turned on.
I turned off paid subscriptions and pledges because I was afraid of the pressure and the distraction it might cause.
It did allow me to flourish, but I also wish it wasn’t a hang up.
I recently listened to
’s piece “How radical thinking will help you get unstuck”, and I realised I was stuck!What if turning on paid makes this joyful place becoming less joyful? Should I come up with a valuable paid offering first? Should I just turn paid on with nothing extra? Why do I find it so easy to give, but so difficult to receive?
Anna suggested asking “a trusted friend or mentor for their perspective and genuinely listen.”
So as my trusted reader, could you help me get unstuck? Can you give me your perspective on the $$ situation?
I want to get unstuck, I’m ready to become unstuck - any advice would be gratefully received! (I’m trying out the survey function for anonymous / private advice. If you want to leave your name, you’re more than welcome! It’s a one question survey!)
My April (real) numbers
I love it when people open up about their journey, especially the nitty-gritty details of starting something new. Here's me, sharing it all, stepping into the Substack world with no email list to my name.
Total subscribers: 722
Started: 0
April-Nov: 7
Dec: 20
Jan: 163
Feb: 196
Mar: 175
April: 161 loooovely people joined! 🥰 Thank you and welcome! 👋
Total posts: 21
Apr: 1
Oct: 1
Dec: 6
Jan: 5
Feb: 4
Mar: 4
Apr: 4
I’ve been posting every week since the start of December. I took a week off in March.
Total recommendations: 61 (10 written recommendations)
Dec: 1
Jan: 14
Feb: 15 (2 new written recommendations)
Mar: 13 (4 new written recommendations)
Apr: 18 AMAZING subscribers recommended musings by mika, thank you, thank you! 🥰 (I also received 4 new written recommendations, which was so generous and kind💕)
Total subscribers from recommendations: 161
Jan: 6
Feb: 14
Mar: 50
Apr: 78 of you joined through recommendations in April! 😱
Revenue: $0
It is a totally free newsletter. I turned off paid subscriptions and pledges.
Things I tried:
I tried using the chat thread to do a “challenge”. I was starting my 7-day Gentle Reset and wondered if others wanted to join in. I used the chat thread but I think with the lack of build up and with no notifications, there wasn’t a lot of engagement. It was good experiment though and I got a lot out of the reset! Have you seen people do challenges on Substack 7 day, 30 day etc? What have you seen that works?
What I learned:
I can extend myself grace, and hope others will extend grace to me when my newsletter is a day or two “late”. Earlier this month, I did nothing on Substack while we got my son ready to leave to go overseas. My heart was tender after he left so I took some time to myself. Then, last week, I was with my mum for an operation, so my time was taken up with that (all is well and she had an excellent recovery). Consequently, I wasn’t ready to push publish on my Friday deadline.
Someone asked whether I give a heads up when a newsletter is going to be late. Personally, I don’t. I figure a lot of people are reading a lot of things on Substack, so as a free publication, a late or missing newsletter is unlikely to bother most people. I usually end up talking about why I needed to take a step back in the following newsletter.
Even when things feel like they slow down, you never know what’s around the corner - keep going! I wrote about plateauing after doing nothing on Substack, then things picked up after I published that piece, including one about how to joyfully thrive on Notes. You kindly shared it with your readers, which in turn introduced my writing to them. Thank you so so much!
Recommendations are powerful. When you subscribe to a new publication, you're often given the option to subscribe to their recommended reads. Some publication pages even feature these recommendations. Recommendations can help increase visibility. The key to receiving recommendations is to write pieces that deeply resonate with your audience. Patience is key, as many new writers may not be aware of this feature (sometimes, Substack automatically provides a button to recommend a writer whose newsletter you're reading or on their profile in the app). I wouldn't suggest recommending a writer with the expectation of receiving one in return. Instead, focus on spreading positivity! Generously recommend writers you enjoy and leave them an encouraging comment. You're sure to brighten their day!
What I’m struggling with:
Getting the courage to turn on paid. I want to, but part of me isn’t sure whether I should create something extra for paid subscribers or to just offer the paid subscription and keep everything free?
✍️ Let me know in the comments: Did you turn on paid straight away? Do you offer something extra? Do you have it turned off like me?
Want to read what happened before?
March 2024: The power and pressure of celebrating milestones
February 2024: Dashboard detox: Avoid the ups and downs of subscriber growth
January 2024: How the heck did I jump from 27 to 180 subscribers?!
December 2023: What do you do if you're not growing as fast as others?
November 2023: The turning point: Resurrecting and restarting my Substack
April 2023: Did I just have a mini meltdown from setting up Substack?
Turn them on Mika! And start with putting nothing behind it, if you already have people asking to support you, you give them a chance that way. You can always start putting things behind paywall later. Don't put too much pressure on this, you are doing awesome, we love your style and openness 💚
Congratulations 🎉 one wonderful year on Substack and the start of many.
I feel like everyone worries alot about paid Vs free ... I see it talked about alot and it is a very personal decision 🙏
I'm not turning on paid yet ... I want to be thoughtful about what a paid membership looks like for me and what I'm doing.
Truthfully I'm not a huge fan of paywalling and want to give the same level of content free for all... I've hated getting to know a writer to suddenly be slapped with a paywall. It feels like being turned away at the door.
I'm here because I want to write and build a community ... Going paid is a progression but one I'm not after yet !