The Business of Content: This indie newsletter generated over 10,000 paying subscribers
Robert Cottrell [founder of The Browser]: The browser is an email newsletter and website which recommends 5 things to read each day. Those 5 things are things that I’ve personally chosen because I think the writing is of lasting value
I add a brief explanation of why I think this is worth reading. Exactly the kind of thing you would say to a friend if you were recommending something face to face. We say this is great and this is the point it makes.
How did you initially find readers? By word of mouth. There was never any systematic or paid marketing. We were helped by the fact that when we recommended a piece then that writer or publication would be pleased and give us a hat tip or a link. It grew organically.
We don’t bother our subscribed unnecessarily. We are not constantly pitching them with requests for information or updates or preferences or tastes.
I don’t want to know which pieces on the browser each day is the most popular. I’m always worried if I find out what people what to read then I will just end up giving them more of the same. People want the browser to surprise and delight them.
We are not trying to pepper people with things throughout the day. I spend all of my day reading and then at the end of that time I choose the 5 things that really stand out from my sensibility.
I’ve been a journalist all my life so I respond only to deadlines. So I give myself a deadline.
Paid subscriptions doubled in the first two years and then doubled again in the next two years. We are still growing but not so rapidly.
There is almost always a problem of quantity. When you start recommending things that are good to read - then every curator I can think of - always seems to conclude if 5 is good then 10 is better. If 10 is good then 20 is better. . . Almost invariably the signal to noise ratio is falling over time.
I think of the browser as more of a book review than it is like the posting of links you get on social media.