Substack Diaries: The power and pressure of celebrating milestones
March 2024 recap and numbers
In March, I reached a huge milestone: 500 subscribers!
In my December update, when I got 20 new subscribers, I said “It’s easy to overlook celebrating until you have a larger number, but I believe it’s crucial to celebrate every step, no matter how small.” However, as I approached the 500-subscriber mark, I started feeling uneasy about celebrating it publicly.
Now, I know we don’t need to celebrate our milestones publicly, but that was my plan. So why was I about to abandon it?
I realised it was because of a few pesky companions of mine, namely “don’t show off”, “what will people think?”, “don’t be seen”.
Initially, I considered retreating, a pattern I've fallen into before. Then I did some powerful journaling that changed everything (I shared the “counselling session” process in a note).
This was the answer I got:
“I will celebrate it to show that it’s possible. And to acknowledge those who have decided to join me on my journey. It shows me that this little experiment, of stepping into something I love, has actually been getting traction. That the writing, which I feel heart-led to share, has been resonating.”
So I courageously, and a little uncomfortably, shared my milestone. I was not prepared for what happened next.
My pesky companions would have me worry about the “what if’s”, but guess what? In reality, what actually happened was an outpouring of support from incredible people with generous spirits, who celebrated with me wholeheartedly. (Some of you checked me out through this Note and decided to follow my journey too. Hi 👋 and welcome!!)
It was an important reminder: Don't let doubts dim your achievements. Quiet those nagging "what ifs" and trust, embrace and celebrate your journey.
My March (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: 561
Started: 0
April-Nov: 7
Dec: 20
Jan: 163
Feb: 196
Mar: 175 loooovely people joined! ☺️ Thank you and welcome! 👋
Total posts: 17
Apr: 1
Oct: 1
Dec: 6
Jan: 5
Feb: 4
Mar: 4 (including my first collaboration post with
)I’ve been posting every week since the start of December. I took a week off in March. Did you notice? 😉
Total recommendations: 43 (with 6 lovely written recommendations)
Dec: 1
Jan: 14
Feb: 15 (2 new written recommendations!)
Mar: 13 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: 70
Jan: 6
Feb: 14
Mar: 50 of you joined through recommendations in March!
Revenue: $0
It is a totally free newsletter. I turned off paid subscriptions and pledges.
Things I tried:
I did my first collaboration with . It was a blast to “meet” and chat with someone I met through Substack! We did a “turndown” experiment to combat our late-night scrolling. Marika had the great idea to weave back and forth as we reflected and reported on the experiment. I had the idea of doing cute illustrations to signpost our comments. It was really well received. (I’m doing a turndown each night as part of 🌿 THE GENTLE RESET I’m doing to recalibrate and recentre after coming back from my family holiday. I post my daily progress here (feel free to join in anytime.))
Took a week off my posting schedule. I visited a good friend in Australia in March. I tried writing while I was there, but it wasn’t flowing. I came to the realisation that I am my boss, that this is a free newsletter and I can take a break! Guess what?! The world didn’t fall apart and I was happier being fully present with my friend. In fact, during this time this Note took off and brought a lot of people to my publication:
What I learned:
Don’t be afraid to change your headlines AFTER you send it out. We’ve all probably hit publish on a headline that needed a bit more polishing. Here is your permission slip to change your headline if you have a lower than usual open rate. Why? If your email subscribers aren’t opening it, it’s likely that visitors to your publication or Substack App are not going to open it. I had a post with a 29% email open rate (vs 50%+). I went back to the drawing board and got help from
’s Headline chat. That’s how Substack Diaries was born! The next month the Substack Diaries post had a 62% open rate.The sooner we embrace (or ignore) new Substack features the better. Substack keeps introducing updates; from "Direct Messages" in February to "Followers" on our Dashboard in March, and "Notes" before that. For those with more experience here, there's probably a long list of changes they've seen. Change can be unsettling, but remember: we have the power to choose how we react. We have the choice to ignore it or embrace it, it's up to us! Holding onto frustration or feeling overwhelmed by new features might lead to burnout or loss of joy in what we do.
What I’m struggling with:
Drop in email open rates: As well as working on headlines, I’ve been wondering if email open rates go down as your subscriber number goes up. Is it something else or maybe I should ignore it all together?!
✍️ Let me know in the comments: What are your experiences or perspectives on celebrating milestones?
Want to read what happened before?
February 2024:
January 2024:
December 2023:
November 2023:
April 2023:
I’m taking part in
’ 24 Essay ClubWe are writing 24 essays in 2024
The essay about about why I decided to publicly celebrate my 501 subscribers and what happened next is 1/24
Hey Mika!!
First of all, huge congratulations on reaching this milestone. It is so important to celebrate our wins, yet just like you, I struggle with doubts as to what people will say. When I crossed 500 subscribers here on Substack, my mother said that I should write about it without fearing what others have to say because reaching here took nearly 2 years of consistently showing up every week. (And moms' are always right, right?😌) And I received so much love for celebrating this small win as well!
We see you, and we love your work so keep going!♥️
And regarding the open rate- it does fall as the subscribers grow because the denominator increases (in your case it has been rapid), so I would say that it's totally normal!
I am sure the number of unique opens you get are much more than before so that's an achievement in itself!
Hi Mika - this is important to you and you should definitely celebrate. I remember writing posts when I hit big milestones on my views. I have a view counter on my blog and I was blown away as it jumped higher and higher. It reminds us that others are on the same journey and we have something relevant to share..... celebrating that can never be a bad thing :) x