Member-only story
On Losing Subscribers
Reach is less important than resonance.
I lost some newsletter subscribers this week.
Not in any kind of tragic accident or anything-that would be terrible.
No, I mean they unsubscribed when I sent my weekly newsletter.
It’s not like this is an abnormal event; they didn’t subscribe in any huge numbers to make me wonder what happened. It’s something that occurs every week after I hit that “publish” button.
And you know what? It really doesn’t bother me-for a couple of reasons.
The first reason can be explained with a simple formula:
Attraction > Attrition
That is, I can count on a net positive every week, as I attract more subscribers than I shed.
The second reason is I know there will always be people who don’t agree with me, or for whom my writing isn’t relevant. And that’s okay.
I’m an acquired taste. In a sea of fast food, I recognize that my offerings sometimes equate to more of something like a seven-course meal. There’s certainly more to digest, and it’s richer-that is, it makes people think. And not everyone wants or needs to be put to that kind of ordeal right now.
