Reflecting on writing this newsletter 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:

1. I translate complex concepts into actionable insight.
2. It's fast read, less than 5 minutes to be exact.
3. I have radical candor and vulnerability.
4. 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:

1. 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'd rather not post. I'll need to overcome my perfectionism and considering taking accountability by attending Writer's Hour.
2. The tone of these emails will stay the same. Addressing you as a long-distance friend.... because technically that's what this group is.
3. 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.
4. 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?