How Updater reaches thousands of subscribers
Tips for growing newsletters, by popular demand
Seven months ago, I was notified that my team members and I were getting laid off from The Washington Post, which was shutting down its video games section. On January 24, I saw that our layoffs were being leaked to news media, so I decided to control the narrative — I tweeted confirmation of my layoff, and I followed it up with a link to my Substack.
My messages got the attention of journalists with larger internet footprints, such as Yashar Ali and my former colleague Taylor Lorenz.
That’s my first tip for growing a newsletter: Ride the coattails of a viral moment. The Post layoffs drew national attention and plenty of coverage. I grew my first several hundred subscribers on the day I launched the Substack because of this timing. Obviously, I’m not suggesting that you also get laid off and launch a newsletter on the same day, but capturing audience from events people are already talking about can help.
I’ve just returned from two separate trips to D.C. where I gathered a ton of material. Some of it is for an Esquire profile on Bethesda Games’ Todd Howard, coming soon. And some of it was from a journalism conference, where I learned tips on creating an impactful newsletter.
Rather than sit on calls for hours explaining my journey to freelance journalists and creators looking to achieve the same, I’ll share all of my learnings here. I’ll also tease my next scoops and early reporting on upcoming coverage.