Reflecting on writing a newsletter for 6 months

What it's like writing for 6 months...

💌 I started this newsletter 6 months ago in March 2023. I sent my first email to 11 friends who subscribed to my new project.

I didn't know where this would go, with no plan for acquiring new readers or content for what I'd write. I managed to come up with 4 promises for why you should subscribe:

I translate complex concepts into actionable insight.
It's fast read, less than 5 minutes to be exact.
I have radical candor and vulnerability.
My advice is good because I increased 8 designers' salaries by avg $64k.

It was Cod Philosophy🐟.I wasn't confident that people really wanted to read what I had to say, so..... I'd put a cat sticker so they had something interesting to look at. Here's one.

In the last 6 months, I've written 16 pieces. I was inconsistent with my posting schedule, going from biweekly, to weekly, and no posts for a month.

Things I learned:

To build increased readership, I need to improve my consistency in posting. Every Monday at 8 AM! I have been struggling with this because if I don't have anything of quality to say, I rather not post. I'll need to overcome my perfectionism and considering taking accountablity by attending Writer's Hour.
The tone of these emails will stay the same. Addressing you as a long-distance friend.... because technically that's what this group is.
Being a firm believer in the power of vulnerability and being openly self-critical to normalize as a human living our truth. Leaders are not absent of feelings, and I want to live my truth.
It's been a lot of trial and error between:
1. length: long-form depth (~5+ min read) vs. a light broad (<3 min read)
2. relevancy: topics that resonate with you ie. time management, work-life
3. tone: professional vs goofy
4. value: did you learn anything?
5. loyalty: do you get consistency and quality?

The Good:

My subscribers grew by 145.45%, from 11 to 27. The engagement rate is at 85%, and as a result:

I gave an ADP Career Talk in April with 280 attendees.
I made a few new design friends that are in Amazon and non-Amazon.
Designers who execute my strategies told me they found it valuable. :)
I'm finding my voice, one week at a time.
It's the most I've ever written in my lifetime.

Why would you want to subscribe? Well, why wouldn't you? If you like this content, consider supporting it financially. It’s a way of showing support by buying me 1 coffee a month or 9 a year. ☕️

I'm still figuring out what you care about, what I want to write, and how do I respect your inbox. Will you reply with feedback on my content? and what you'd like to know?