My Substack in numbers and thoughts, February 2025

A review of the shortest month that flew by

I really did try to get my lines straight. The view is stunning, but the people who planned the Aulanko observation tower in 1906 clearly didn’t consider the photographers of the future—struggling to make sense of all these lines.

Dear,

Should we write (create) on vacation?

For me, the answer has always been yes. Vacations and travels are incredibly creative periods for me. Free from the demands of client work (which I love, but let’s be honest—it’s still work), my mind gets to wander freely.

Writing and photography usually comes easily to me while I’m on holiday—except for that one time in Norway (2016) when I couldn’t create anything until the last few days of our road trip.

I was terrified.

Creating while on vacation reminds me how important it is to appreciate the day-to-day grind—and how much we’d benefit from bringing a little of that magic into everyday life. After a holiday, it’s easier to maintain the habit of consistent creating—at least for a while, before the rat race slowly creeps back in. (Yes, even for us solopreneurs.)

And here we are, post-holiday, writing another installment of my monthly review. The first half of this post is public, and the second half is for paid subscribers.

As a (monthly or yearly) paid subscriber, you’ll get a seat in my writers’ groups (EN and/or FI) and access to my paid content. If you'd like to upgrade your subscription, you can do so here.

What I published on Substack in February?

Here’s what I published in February:

English:

There's no art without mediocre work

My Substack in numbers and thoughts, January 25

Finnish:

Mitkä ovat parhaat tavat kasvaa Substackissa?

Substackin maksullinen sisältö voi olla menestyvä digibisnes

February was a busy month for me—I took a week off (the images in this post are from our little trip to Hämeenlinna), and as we all know, it was also the shortest month of the year.

Taking a vacation with a 3yo is… intensive. But worth it! Here we are visiting Häme castle.

My Finnish content didn’t gain much traction in February. The chart below shows that the highest peaks happen on days when posts are sent to the whole list. That’s not surprising, given how small the Finnish section of my audience is. But at the same time, it’s clear that it’s not performing well on Substack either.

Now, on March 3rd, the numbers speak for themselves: I should focus on my English content. I still feel it’s important to write about Substack in Finnish for my comms business—since there’s so little content on the topic—but it shouldn’t be my main focus.

On the other hand, my goal is to publish an English article each week and a Finnish one biweekly. In February, I managed to stay on track with my Finnish posts—but unlike January, I didn’t publish five articles, just two. 😅

I also renamed the Finnish section Substack Suomi (“Substack Finland”). I considered creating a separate publication under that name but, for now, decided against it.

I need a Notes strategy

And I need it now.

I don’t want to spend more time on yet another social platform without a clear goal. So, how am I going to come up with a strategy? I’m booking a consulting session—with myself.

Yesterday, I spent a solid three minutes digging through my 22-year blogging history to pinpoint my most-read content. Turns out, three minutes was plenty.

Looking back at my good ol’ blogging days, I can see the topics that have always resonated with my readers:

• Photography

• Branding, strategic thinking, and running a creative business

• Dogs

• Books, reading, and literature

• Travel

You’ll notice writing isn’t on the list—because I rarely write about writing. I just write.

Do these topics still excite me? Absolutely. They’re an integral part of how I think and create, and I’ll keep typing away about them for as long as I live.

It’ll be interesting to experiment with different content on Notes. My strategy? To create a strategy that doesn’t require a rigid plan. Not the easiest approach, but I’ll figure it out. Worst case, I’ll outsource it to my comms business (which is just me wearing a different hat).

I want to keep Substack light and fun, focusing on the writing itself. But I also want to take advantage of Notes—it seems like the best way to grow, given that my social media following is mostly in Finland.

Photography is going to be a big part of my Substack Notes strategy. I posted this one after visiting Aulanko Forest Park. On the go, I use Snapseed on an iPad to edit the photos.

Let’s dive into the numbers—how did my Substack grow in February?

My Substack growth in February

I’ve entered a steady phase with Substack growth, and it feels good.

Most of my new subscribers still come from Finland, but that’s okay since they’re finding me through Substack. The platform’s recommendation system has been my biggest source of new subscribers—which is pretty amazing.

The only downside? With about 95% of my new subscribers in February being Finnish, Substack now seems convinced that I want to reach more Finns. It’s clear my content is primarily being shown to Finnish Substackers. When algorithms shape visibility, this is the result—it’s not always up to us to reach the people we want to reach.

The paid content begins here. 🫶🏼