State of the Newsletter (Year 1)
I thought it might be an interesting and entertaining exercise in accountability for me to periodically share the state/trajectory of the newsletter with you, since you all are the ones that make it real. The Something Interesting community is what makes the newsletter worth writing. Thanks for letting me share my passion with you. :-)
They say the first year is the longest
A year ago yesterday on December 29th, 2020 I sent out the very first edition of Something Interesting with the subject line "It’s different this time." It went out to 31 people, 24 of whom opened it. There was only one person on the email list who I didn’t recognize. One year (and 148 posts) later Something Interesting now goes out to >1k people and any given post is read by ~45-55% of them.
The Something Interesting audience remains small by internet standards but is exceptionally plugged in. Of the people on list who I know there are product and engineering leaders from Coinbase, Cointracker, Facebook, FTX, Google, OpenSea, Reddit, Robinhood, Stripe, Uniswap Laps and Wealthfront. There are founders, venture capitalists, tech executives and CEOs. There are at least 4 basis points of CryptoPunks and ~2x as many Bored Apes. I am especially proud that several writers/editors from CoinDesk, Cointelegraph and The Block are readers. Thank you for doing real journalism so that I can specialize in sardonic commentary!
Most of you found the newsletter from a friend or through one of the talks I give to various companies/organizations/venture firms. So tell your friends! It really makes a difference. Let me know if you’d like me to come speak to your organization — I love connecting with new audiences about crypto.
A handful of folks found the newsletter on Twitter, Reddit or LinkedIn. Almost none have come through Facebook. I also tried advertising on a few platforms but honestly the people who enjoy my writing don’t read advertisements and vice versa.
And of course a number of you discovered Something Interesting on Tuesday when the Letter to a Bitcoin Skeptic posts (Part I and Part II) were syndicated as a combined feature piece for Cointelegraph’s Magazine:
The paid subscription program started silently in April. As of now ~1 in 12 readers are paid subscribers — I’m exceptionally grateful for your support. Incidentally today is my birthday and if you are wondering what to get me validation of my life’s work is always nice. I’ve built up to an annual run-rate of ~$5600, which roughly corresponds to ~$2.80 an hour — at current growth rates I should reach minimum wage sometime in the first half of 2023.
Paid subscribers get access to the Something Interesting archive and discord server, occasional exclusive posts and commentary companion pieces for some of my denser posts. There is also a widely reported sense of peace and fulfillment but I am not a spiritual advisor and this is not spiritual advice. It’s just something to consider when you’re wondering how to best dispose of unsightly excess fiat.
Two companies made offers this year to sponsor a paid job listing at the end of a post. Both listings were perfectly reasonable (and relevant) — I am even friends with the CEO of one of the companies. The ads themselves seemed fine. Ultimately I decided that the trust I could offer by keeping my incentives straightforward was too precious to risk compromising. Something Interesting remains ad free.
Thank you all for reading, both those who have been with me all year and those who just joined this week. This is genuinely the best job I have ever had. Thanks for letting me chatter about crypto with you. :-)
Top performing content
Most read posts:
* Does not include viewers from the later syndication in Cointelegraph Magazine.
Most engaging posts:
Top paid subscriber posts:
The psychedelic garden blooms (Part II)
A brief history of greed and excess (Part I)
Tell your friends about Something Interesting! They deserve it.
Hi, I like your articles. Please keep doing Great job!