Substack Diaries: Why I'm keeping musings by mika free
October 2024 recap and numbers
After crunching some numbers, I realised my Substack wouldnāt generate income close to a part-time job. I had to ask myself if I wanted to change things to increase subscribers or add a paywallābut the answer was no.
When it came down to it, I really love how things are right now. I like how thereās no pressure. I love the wee community we have created.
As I weighed my options, I decided musings by mika would remain my fun, expansive hobby, and that felt freeing!
I love that I get to show up, be myself, and write whatās in my heart. And because I havenāt painted myself in a corner by doing things that donāt align, I have the creative energy to think of other projects AND continually show up and write for you! (I wrote about how I keep it joyful here and here.) And who knows, maybe one day, one of those projects could include a paywalled publication. You just never know!
I have had some interesting and unexpected opportunities through writing on Substack, like being a podcast guest to share my journey with
. And in October, I got to collaborate with for a Substack Notes Engagement Thread. When I first started on Substack, Claire immediately stood out to me because of her warm energy and generous support for others. Itās been really special to collaborate closely with someone I admire so much!Substack is amazing at connecting us with incredible people and has the potential to open doors for new opportunities!
So whether my metrics climb (in October, I reached 2,000 subscribers!)ā¦
ā¦or whether my metrics do crazy things out of my control (I got 67 new subscribers in October, even though the stats say I got 85 new subscribers through Recommendations. Didnāt know that was possible, but I guess it is due to unsubscribes. Ha! š)ā¦
ā¦Iām here because you all make it such an enjoyable place to share my heart.
Thank you so so much for reading what I write!
And thank you to my patrons who have financially supported my writing, even when everything is free! Iāve loved connecting in our chats and cheering on your own writing!
- āA wanderer who can't seem to put down long-term roots, a dabbler in the arts, a planner who then rebels at the planā - āAward-winning destination writer. Builder of highly engaged communities, master of the obvious, and guardian of all the sweatpants. I can either be found at the dog park or online helping Substackers up their game.ā - āTrini born sage and oracle.ā - āHonouring my experiences, feelings and emotions through my writing!ā - āš“ó §ó ¢ó ³ó £ó “ó æ Orkney Island Life | Renovation | Creating our Good Life | Creating a Sustainable Life | Learner Gardenerā - āIām a passionate writer, certified Yoga instructor (RYT500), and an Embodied Yoga Life Coach. Join me as we explore the beauty of movement, the power of mindfulness, and the joy of living fully in each moment.ā - āFunctional Medicine Certified Health Coach Candidate Dare To Leadā¢ Trained Consultant I retired from corporate to redesign my life. Healing and writing a new chapter āļøā - āLearning to let go of control, one day at a time. While exploring my struggles with anxiety, procrastination, perfectionism. And writing about random insights life throws at me.ā - āExplorer and writer, navigating towards adventure and belonging, via curiosity, courage, and connection. Found in the south Welsh mountains, in a hoard of books, drinking tea. Basically, a hobbit.ā - āWriter at the Coffee Break newsletter. I am trying to engineer my way out of corporate life using a laptop, a coffee, and a bit of persistence.ā - āIām a woman happily journeying through midlife, moving towards self-acceptance and enjoying being myself. Taking life nice and slow, all the while trying to discover more about myself, my role in the world and what makes the world go round!āAnita Dollmanits - not currently on Substack anymore
- āAn Indonesian living in the northern hemisphere. Not a writer nor an artist, just an ordinary mom seeking for creative sanctuary.ā - āI am an eccentric, sometimes curmudgeonly, old woman, with a sense of humour. Who is returning to the real world. Oh and I am pretending to be a writer by being on Substackā - āAuthor of thrillers, wife, mom of two sons and a dog. When I'm not writing or reading, I'm chasing my youngest around the soccer field, FaceTiming with my college baby, or sipping wine in the Gulf of Mexico with my sweetie.ā - āI will be 60 in July. My daughter and I are both 2e. She is a Davidson Young Scholar alumni.ā - āI came to Italy 50 years ago to experience the art I had studied. Wife of an Italian, mother of two adult children, owner of Genius Loci Country Inn in Umbria, and aspiring writer on American/Italian perspectives.ā - āExperienced Cognitive Psychotherapist and Specialist Coach for Self-Esteem. Adoring Irish Setter mum and secret letterpress creative! Love design & all things beautiful.ā - āBorn just before the Atomic Bomb, itās certainly been interesting since then . . . This is a work in progress, similar to myself . . . Trying to be human in a crowded world . . . Weeding gardens helps.āI would love to know, how have you found your journey with paid vs free on Substack.
Monthly check-in
Things I tried:
Iāve been tinkering around with my bio. Still a work in progress, but it was nice to refresh it and to be honest, I feel like refreshing it again!
Checked my welcome emails for free and paid subscribers. It was a great opportunity to include links to a couple of my newer pieces for my new subscribers.
You can turn your Note into an image! Thanks
for posting a Note about it:I could only see the option once I opened Substack on my browser:
I couldnāt see the option on my Substack App:
Substack has updated the chat feature. In the past, you could restrict the visibility of a chat to paid subscribers. Now, you have the choice to make the chat visible to all subscribers, but paywall the replies.
via said: This feature teases the discussions happening in your community and encourages readers to upgrade to participate. Check out howMarc Stein uses it:
Images from āOn Stackā Read more about it here:
What Iām struggling with:
Keeping up with reading otherās newsletters. I wasnāt able to read as much as I would have liked in October. I know there are seasons and Iāll get back to reading more soon!
October (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: 2,054
Started: 0
April-Nov: 7
Dec: 20
Jan: 163
Feb: 196
Mar: 175
April: 161
May: 355
June: 244
July: 194
August: 269
September: 198
October: 67 loooovely people joined! š„° Thank you and welcome! š
Total posts: 50
Apr: 1
Oct: 1
Dec: 6
Jan: 5
Feb: 4
Mar: 4 (including a guest post with
where we both undertook a mission to break-up with late night scrolling)Apr: 4
May: 5
June: 4
July: 4 (including a guest post with
about my thoughts on Being Enough)August: 4
September: 4 (including my first podcast with
)October: 4 (including my first Notes engagement collaboration thread with )
Total recommendations: 142 (30 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 (4 new written recommendations)
September: 6 (1 new written recommendation)
October: 1 AMAZING subscriber recommended musings by mika, thank you, thank you! š„°
Total subscribers from recommendations: 990
Jan: 6
Feb: 14
Mar: 50
Apr: 78
May: 151
June: 181
July: 161
August: 108
September: 143
October: 85 of you joined through recommendations in October! š
Total paid subscribers: 17
May: 4
June: 6
July: 2
August: 3
September: 2 (and -2: 1 left Substack completely, 1 stopped monthly subscription)
October: 2 of you decided to upgrade! It means more to me than you know! š„°
Total net revenue: US$479.56
(After 10% Substack fees, 2.9% & 30 cents per transaction Stripe fees)
May: Net US$86.43, Ā£67.53, NZ$139.30
June: Net US$175.91, Ā£137.86, NZ$287.62
July: Net US$32.72, Ā£15.15 NZ$54.95
August: US$88.26, Ā£67.15, NZ$141.67
September: US$59.63, Ā£45.47, NZ$96.84
October: US$36.61, Ā£28.14, NZ$61.31
āļø Let me know in the comments: How was October for you? How have you found your journey with paid vs free on Substack.
Want to read what happened before?
September 2024: Why showing up matters in our creative journey
August 2024: Unexpected delights
July 2024: Why numbers donāt 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?
Iām with you - happy to have patrons instead of a paywall! Itās definitely helped with the pressure of these last few months. I canāt imagine how Iād have felt if I had paid subs. Iāve been able to take time away without feeling too terrible about it. October has been hard, just trying to get to the desk to write here, instead of writing uni assignments š
I think youāre right that itās more freeing to keep it all free. I do feel itās a big commitment to keep having to show up, but for me Iām seeing it as a very low pay part time job! š Most of my posts are still free although archived after a while, with meditations and therapeutic journaling as an extra for paid subscribers who want a bit more depth. Iāll carry on like this and see how I get on. I love it here, and itās great there are so many different ways to do this. šāØ