Hey, it’s Dave, coming to you from the past (scheduled post) to let you in on some super-secret news and information you only get because you’re one of the chosen (aka subscribed to The Hungry).
June and early July are always incredibly busy for my family, and between our busy schedule and some unforeseen health issues, I’ll be taking the next 30 days (+/-), and Hungry Fridays will return in mid-July.
My son is about to have one of the most grueling summers of his life. Between swim practice and meets, junior lifeguard training, and water polo practice, he’ll always be somewhere doing something, and we will be right along with him.
Also, about four weeks ago, I got hit with a severe case of Shingles all across the left side of my head. The initial symptoms have gone away, but I’m left with residual pain and numbness, skewed vision (it literally changed my eye so much, I need a new glasses prescription), and nerve damage that ranges between sharp pain and an annoying tingle that keeps me awake at night.
The hardest part has been not being able to see well until my new prescription comes in. I’m closing one eye as I write this just to be able to see straight. #truestory
After talking with my doctor, they let me know that it could partly be due to unrealized stress, which was enough of a wake-up call for me to take time off.
I Can’t Quit You
Although the newsletter will be on hold for a few weeks, I can’t stop working, or I might gauge out these eyeballs before I get my new glasses. I’ll use my downtime to work on some things in the background to help make The Hungry even better when I return.
• Leaner & Cleaner
There’s a business newsletter I read often called TLDR, and I’ve always appreciated the no-nonsense aspect of it. It’s light, clean, and easy to read. I want something like that for The Hungry because I sometimes think it’s getting too flashy or complicated. I don’t know what this looks like but expect a bit of an overhaul the next time I send a note.
• Focus, Dave!
No matter how often I try to remind myself to stay focused on the singular goal for this year, I often find myself chasing shiny things, even if they support the main thing. One of those things is monetization and how to make this a more viable publication.
Something I’ll be working on over the break is how to refocus my energy and find a more natural way to bring in the dollars instead of chasing new ideas that feel detached from the main objective. That may not make sense for some, but many of you can relate to the shiny object syndrome. I’ll be working on that.
• Socially Awkward
Instagram is a hot mess right now, and the new developments with AI scraping are upsetting, especially when I went through the process of attempting to opt-out and was denied (If you’re UK or EU, you will have much better luck). It legitimately has me curious if it’s possible to build a following on a newsletter without social media.
A lot of people are running to Cara right now because of the AI thing. Last week, I discussed why that may not be a great option if you’re trying to grow a business since your potential customers won’t be there. I could probably get away with being on the platform, but with the bit of diving I’ve done into Cara, I’m not seeing the evidence that it’s a viable solution.
I don’t know what the future holds for my social media presence, except I’m less inclined to be there unless I know I can make an impact. Everything I do going forward will be to bring people to this newsletter. I no longer trust social platforms to share my messages, and I’m sure many others feel the same.
Other Notable Things
I also wanted to share some other news and bits with you because they are exciting and may be for you, too.
• Can I Support Your Newsletter?
I’m going to start sponsoring some relevant creative newsletters. Maybe we can work together if you have a newsletter and would like to be thrown a few extra dollars to support your efforts. Reply to this email with the link to your newsletter archive and answer these questions:
- How many subscribers (small lists are ok)
- Core audience demographic
- Email Open Rate
- Link Click Rate
Could you send me that info, and we can talk? I’d love to support newsletters of all sizes, and if our audience is a good match, I’m willing to accept the opportunity.
• Dropping Bombs
One thing I hear a lot from people when they consider starting their newsletter is not knowing what to write. One thing I will be adding to the arsenal soon (maybe even during the break) is a resource to help creative people develop new content ideas every week. I’ve teased this in the past, but it’s finally time to put it into action because I know it can be a valuable tool for people stuck for ideas. Expect that to drop in the next few weeks.
• Invited to Dinner
Another newsletter I read regularly is Inbox Collective, written by Dan Oshinsky. This week, Dan reached out to me to invite me to get together with a small group of LA-based content creators to talk about newsletters and business. Dan is a big player in the newsletter space, and I was surprised to get the invite.
That happens next week, and I’m eager to report back after the event. I may write about that in my personal newsletter/blog, so if you want a quicker update than July, go ahead and check out The Dave.
• All in on ConvertKit
This one isn’t a me thing as much as a you thing. ConvertKit is the service I use to publish The Hungry, and I swear by the company. I recommend it as an email service provider and digital product solution, but in the past, I recommended it with reservations. It was more costly than some services and may have more bells and whistles than some people need.
Last week, the CEO of ConvertKit made a significant announcement that they are rebranding the company to Kit.com, and one of the biggest changes they’ve already made is to make the service cheaper. Now, if you have less than 10,000 subscribers, you can get their base-tier offering for FREE! That’s just bonkers, and it’s a direct response to Beehiiv making a similar announcement earlier in the year, except ConvertKit allows you to sell directly on the platform, and Beehiiv hasn’t introduced that option… yet.
In short, if you’ve been thinking of switching ESPs, have a look at ConvertKit. I stand behind the product and would recommend it even if I wasn’t an affiliate partner.
Yes,
ConvertKit is an affiliate partner, and even if they weren't, I would still recommend them. If you use the link, you will never pay extra for using the link, AND you will help support The Hungry if you use it.
I Love These People
A few weeks back, I reached out to a few subscribers to ask the important question, “What has The Hungry done for you?”
I got lots of great feedback and promised to thank them publicly. Please give these fine individuals a click and check out their links (all vetted by me).
Michele M., Kim, Dave, Nathan, Meredith, Peter, Sarah, Veronica, Michelle, Ron, Joel, Wade, Teresa, Cliff, Robin, Amy, Jo, Paul, Kevin, Brooke, Dustin, Tommy, Laidric, Jenny, Lauren, and Michele B.