It seems like everyone I know has a newsletter, and that’s a good thing. The way I keep up with all my favorite writers is by signing up for their email lists.
But I’ve noticed a pattern.
If the newsletter I’m subscribed to is a person, then I expect it to be a personalized email. What do I mean by that?
There is a difference between a person and a brand. Sure, we are living in the age of personal branding and there is definitely something to be said about people turning their likeness into a monetizable asset. But I think we can all see the distinction between following a person who is sharing their unique perspective, and following a company who is sharing information, data, or marketing material for the business.
People need to be people. I want to read unique insight from my favorite thought leaders. That’s why I STILL read Seth Godin and Fred Wilson’s emails. I don’t follow a single “personal brand” newsletter that is 100% curated.
But in the opposite respect, all the business newsletters I follow are curated. If you’re a business or a media brand, I don’t want your unique insight. I want you to do the heavy lifting of distilling information and organizing it in a way that saves me time and resources. If you do it well enough, I may give you money in exchange.
This is why I still subscribe to Bhbusiness.com, Bloomberg, and The Census.
As A.I. becomes more prevalent, this distinction will only increase.
We will want you to be more human, not less.