Gratitude spotlight: I am beyond grateful for the support of , and and your lovely messages! It’s always such a wonderful surprise when readers upgrade. So, thank you! 💕
Hello lovely friends, and welcome back to Substack Diaries, where I candidly share what’s been going on with my life and my Substack journey (including numbers) every month.
Did anyone else feel like August just flew by? Midway through the month, I noticed a steady number of new subscribers, and I couldn’t figure out why at first. Then I realised it was thanks to
, who shared a lovely Note linking to the August “Find Your Tribe” post. Her journey really resonated with a lot of people! It got over a hundred comments and a thousand likes, and I ended up with lots of new subscribers! (Hi! 👋) It’s such a sweet reminder of how much power there is in community and sharing - and creating a compelling introduction, like Rosie did!One of the highlights in August was working with
. I got to work on some of the The Sparkle Summit - Substack x Publishing engagement threads and help gather details from the incredible presenters. If you didn’t catch The Summit, I’d really recommend taking a look—the speakers were so inspiring. I also had the chance to help out with Claire’s Substack, Sparkle on Substack, during her summer break and book launch. Claire is so committed to her community, that she asked for my help to make sure everyone felt welcome and supported. You know me—I’m always happy to dive into have a chat in the comments! When I started writing on Substack, I would have never guessed that this opportunity would even be possible!On a personal note, I’ve been listening to The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle, and it’s really shifted things for me. I didn’t realise how much of my day I spent dwelling on the past or worrying about the future. The book has helped me catch myself when my mind starts to spiral, and now I remind myself that in this moment, I’m safe, and I’m okay. It’s such a small change, but I’m feeling less in my head and much more content. It’s definitely something I’m still practicing, but it’s already making such a huge difference.
Hope you’re all doing well, and I’d love to hear how your August went!
Monthly check-in
Things I tried:
I stepped out of my comfort zone and did my first podcast interview!
from Wild Cozy Free was so easy to talk to. We recorded for an hour and then chatted off the record for another hour! The episode will be dropping soon.I decided to stop sending emails for the 'Substack Accountability Corner' Chat to avoid cluttering your inbox. Even without the email, we had 67 replies this week—10 more than last week! Join us for the Accountability Chat on Mondays (NZ) and the Light Ups Chat midweek.
What I learned:
If an idea doesn’t go away, it’s time to act on it. I just couldn’t shake the idea to share how I managed to start and stay on Substack, despite often being paralysed by perfectionism or struggling with consistency in other areas of my life. I loved reading the comments on the posts How I’ve kept the joy in my Substack journey and Ditch perfection: 5 tips for a creative rhythm that works for you. Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts! You are my people!
Since there was a fifth Friday/Saturday in August, I took a break from my weekly posting to enjoy our family holiday where we celebrated our daughter’s graduation. It was a great reminder of the importance of taking time to recharge and cherish moments with loved ones.
What I’m struggling with:
The beginning of the month Mika has lots of ideas and goals. The end of the month Mika is usually more tired and often feels bad for not completing all the goals set by beginning of the month Mika. I’m trying to figure out the best way to navigate the enthusiastic, optomestic Mika with the Mika who needs a slower pace at the end of the month.
August (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: 1789
Started: 0
April-Nov: 7
Dec: 20
Jan: 163
Feb: 196
Mar: 175
April: 161
May: 355
June: 244
July: 194
August: 269 loooovely people joined! 🥰 Thank you and welcome! 👋
Total posts: 42
Apr: 1
Oct: 1
Dec: 6
Jan: 5
Feb: 4
Mar: 4
Apr: 4
May: 5
June: 4
July: 4 (including a guest post with
about my thoughts on Being Enough)August: 4
I’ve been posting every week since the start of December. I took a week off in March and August.
Total recommendations: 135 (29 written recommendations)
Dec: 1
Jan: 14
Feb: 15 (2 new written recommendations)
Mar: 13 (4 new written recommendations)
Apr: 18 (4 new written recommendations)
May: 36 (8 new written recommendations)
June: 21 (7 new written recommendations)
July: 6
August: 11 AMAZING subscribers recommended musings by mika, thank you, thank you! 🥰 (4 new lovely written recommendations)
Total subscribers from recommendations: 762
Jan: 6
Feb: 14
Mar: 50
Apr: 78
May: 151
June: 181
July: 161
August: 108 of you joined through recommendations in August! 😱
Total paid subscribers: 15
May: 4
June: 6
July: 2
August: 3 of you decided to upgrade! It means more to me than you know 💕
Total net revenue: US$383.32
(After 10% Substack fees, 2.9%+30 cents per transaction Stripe fees)
May: Net US$86.43, £67.53, NZ$139.30
June: Net US$175.91, £137.86, NZ$287.62
July: Net US$32.72, £15.15 NZ$54.95
August: US$88.26, £67.15, NZ$141.67
✍️ Let me know in the comments: How was August? Are you finding that time is just flying by?!
If you’ve found the Substack Diaries helpful, and you’re in a position to do so, here is the link to upgrade (currently NZ$55 a year (as of today US$35/£27)). If you are unable to, or are happy to stay on the free subscription, that is totally ok with me too! I’m just glad you’re in our supportive community.
Want to read what happened before?
July 2024: Why numbers don’t tell the whole story
June 2024: The impact of recommendations
May 2024: How May became a month of transformation
April 2024: One year on Substack (kind of)
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?
I am endlessly inspired by your energy and boundless positivity- thank you so much!
Yay congrats Mika! It’s a JOY to work with you. ✨✨