Be Known Well.
Newsletter
Foundations
Bundle
A hands-on workshop PLUS mastermind for business owners in Austin building thought leadership
Next Cohort Begins Aug. 6th
Be Known Well.
Newsletter
Foundations
Bundle
A hands-on workshop PLUS mastermind for business owners in Austin building thought leadership
Next Cohort Begins Aug. 6th
Be Your Target Client’s Favorite Writer
Take a look at this table below…
Those numbers are from a recent article by Tim Ferriss about how AI is killing the non-fiction book industry, and they show changes in his domestic print sales for all five books over the last few years.
Very cool of him to share this with all of us.
Now, here’s his big point: as LLMs become the go-to source for information, people are skipping books, websites, blogs, and even newsletters more and more.
Sounds like bad news for content marketing, right?
Wrong (and I have the data to prove it).
If, like Tim, you’re the kind of person who really cares about sharing cool, useful insight, this is one of the best things that could have ever happened to help you stand out.
It’s not that readers aren’t reading anymore. They just want more from the voices they pay attention to.
As Tim put it in his piece, “The market for information is collapsing into the chatbot. The market for transformation—for sitting with one mind, at length, on a subject it has bled for—might just get smaller, weirder, and more interesting.”
So every person who’s competing with you by putting out boring, vague, cookie-cutter content about your industry is about to get obliterated (if they haven’t been already).
The only people left standing will be the ones who actually have a point of view, and something interesting and transformational to offer people.
Now, let me show you something I’m pretty proud of…
This is something we call a cohort analysis of readers of my main newsletter, The Austin Business Review.
It analyzes readers, based on what month they subscribed, and shows what percent of them are still reading every month after that.
As you can see here, despite growing popularity of LLMs, somewhere between half and two thirds of all readers are still actively opening, even SIXTEEN months after signing up (which is way higher than the norm).
So readers aren’t disappearing. They’re just being choosier about what they pay attention to.
This course is about how to make sure they choose you.
It includes a bunch of the best insights I’ve collected over years of doing this for myself, my clients, and for companies like Hampton and The Hustle.
And it’s got 1-1 sessions built in so you and I can dig into your specific newsletter, assess where you’re at, what’s working, and what can improve.
Plus, a year of ongoing accountability + office hours to help you grow.
“In a way, we’re reverting to the earlier days of the Internet,” Tim says in his article.
As you’ll remember, that was an excellent time to build an audience.
-Ethan Brooks
Curriculum
What’s Inside?
The workshop is made up of…
4 live Zoom sessions (recordings shared)
3 one-on-one calls directly with me
2 editorial feedback Looms (see below)
PLUS a free year’s membership in my newsletter mastermind, with…
A Slack community to ask questions & learn from others
Office hours with me (every 2nd and 4th Tuesday of the month)
Amazing guest experts
IRL get-togethers
In short… The insights and accountability you need to build your newsletter into what you know it can be.
Here’s The Schedule…
Session 1. Getting Your Newsletter Setup Right
Aug. 06 – 3PM CT
There are so many tools out there, and so many opinions on what to use, it’s overwhelming. The first thing we’re going to do is a quick review of exactly what you actually need, and what you don’t, so you can finally feel completely confident about the tools you’re using, and the automations and analytics you have set up.
Private 1-1 Session: Reviewing Your Setup
Session 2: Creating Content People Love
Aug. 13 – 3PM CT
This session is focused on what it actually takes to create killer content, week-in and week-out, that gets noticed and shared by leaders in your industry. We’ll talk about the five tools I use every week, how I find fascinating stories no one else is talking about, STAYING CONSISTENT, what to do when you don’t feel like writing, and more. Lessons here will keep you in the game longer than anyone else, which is the key to getting all the rewards.
Editorial Feedback No. 1: Async Review of Your Newsletter
Session 3. The Audience Growth Barbell
Aug. 20 – 3PM CT
We’ll look at the two important sides of growth: low-lift methods that help you grow easily, and more focused, high-touch methods that get the TOP names in your industry to read and love your email. I’ll show you how I leverage LinkedIn to reach my exact reader, why interviews are one of your secret weapons, how to get people to talk about you, and more. The things you learn in this session will open more doors than you can imagine.
Private 1-1 Session: Reviewing Your Growth Plan
Session 4. Turning Attention Into Money
Aug. 27 – 3PM CT
Having an audience doesn’t automatically translate into money. You need to know how to marshal attention toward your most important offers. In this session, we’ll talk about the most common ways to monetize newsletters, valuable and overlooked real estate in your newsletter, how to build profiles of your readers based on their interests, and how to use all three of those to reach the right prospects at the right time.
Editorial Feedback No. 2: Async Review of Your Newsletter
YOUR FINAL 1-1…
…is yours to keep. Use it now or in the future to get 60-minutes on my calendar to talk through specific challenges.
Only Five Seats
I spend several hours 1-1 with each student in this course, and further time solo, sifting through drafts and offering detailed editorial feedback.
For that reason, I have to limit this to five people. If you’re investing in your newsletter this year, and want high quality, hands-on guidance from someone deep in the space, join me using the link below.
Buy now, pay later, with Klarna
YOU ALSO GET…
BONUS: One Full Year of Ongoing Accountability
My goal is to make this THE most effective training for business owners who want to take their newsletter seriously.
So joining this workshop also gets you one full year of membership in the newsletter mastermind I run.
It’s specifically designed to help answer the question, “What’s next” with…
01
Online Community
Members get access to a Slack group where you can ask questions, share ideas, and see what others are building
02
Guest Experts
I tap my personal network authors, founders, and industry experts to join us for detailed Q&A’s
03
Regular Office Hours
The second and fourth Tuesday of each month, bring your questions to group office hours where we can discuss them live
04
In-Person Events
Every Friday, I host “Content & Contraband,” a chance to catch up with piers IRL while getting two dedicated focus-hours of work done on writing
This is absolutely the best way I know to help you with your publishing goals.
But space is limited, so reserve your spot now.
Enroll NowWhat makes this 4-week workshop different?
01
Hands-On 1-1 Sessions
This is not just some class that you watch and forget. You and I meet regularly to make focused progress on your specific newsletter & audience
02
Personal Editorial Feedback
Line-by-line, word-by-word reviews of your newsletters, with written notes, and a recorded Loom video you can keep and refer back to
03
A Year of Community + Coaching
Joining this class gets you 1 year of access to my newsletter mastermind, with online community, ongoing office hours, in-person events, and guest experts
04
My Personal Background
I’ve sent between one and four newsletters every week for the last five years. This is my world, and I’ve spent thousands of hours studying it (see below)
About your instructor…
My name’s Ethan Brooks. I’m the owner of The Austin Business Review. I’ve been building content and communities for business owners for years.
Prior to ABR, I was the first content & community hire at Hampton, and before that, I spent years at The Hustle, where I researched and wrote this book on how newsletter companies work. Newsletters and business are my obsessions, plain and simple.
Question about whether this workshop is for you?
Email me directly here.
SPECIAL FEATURE
1-1 Sessions
I’ve been teaching this stuff for a long time, and what I’ve found is that to do it seriously, takes 1-1 guidance. So that’s exactly what we’re gonna do.
We’ll meet 1-1 to review your newsletter setup, reporting, audience, and automations. In our second call, we’ll go through your growth plan and any other questions you’re working through as we round out the course.
You also get one more free spot on my calendar to use any time you want.
SPECIAL FEATURE
Editorial Feedback
If you’ve ever wondered, “Is this newsletter actually good?” or “Am I structuring this right?” this is for you.
As part of the course, I’ll take two of your newsletter drafts, review them top to bottom, and offer…
Line by line edits
Structural feedback
Strategic recommendations
A 15-20 minute personalized Loom video you can review, walking through every note and explaining everything
SPECIAL FEATURE
Editorial Feedback
If you’ve ever wondered, “Is this newsletter actually good?” or “Am I structuring this right?” this is for you.
As part of the course, I’ll take two of your newsletter drafts, review them top to bottom, and offer…
Line by line edits
Structural feedback
Strategic recommendations
A 15-20 minute personalized Loom video you can review, walking through every note and explaining everything
Join now
100% Satisfaction Guaranteed
I only want your money if you’re thrilled with the work. So if you’re dissatisfied for any reason in the first 30 days, I’ll give you your money back, no questions asked.
Enroll NowBuy now, pay later with Klarna
FAQ
Questions, answered
Here’s what people wonder about…
I can’t make one of the class dates, will it be recorded?
Yes. Every group session is recorded and shared so you can re-watch any time you like. You can also download and save for later if you want.
How long are the 1-1 sessions?
One-on-ones are 60-minutes, and are scheduled to fit your calendar. The first takes place between Aug. 7th and Aug. 17th. The second, between Aug. 21st and Aug. 31st. The third is yours to hold onto and use any time you like.
What’s the deal with the Editorial Feedback sessions?
These are asynchronous feedback sessions delivered via Google Docs and Loom. You will submit a newsletter to me (either a draft of an upcoming piece, or a past newsletter you’d like feedback on), and I will do a full review, offering line-by-line edits to punch up the text, as well as structural/strategic recommendations to get more out of your email.
The notes are delivered in a fully annotated Google Doc, and I record a 15-20 minute Loom talking through all the recommendations in more detail.
Can I pay over time?
Yes, there are buy now, pay later options via Klarna available at checkout.
What’s the refund policy?
If you’re dissatisfied for any reason within the first 30 days of the workshop, I’ll refund your investment, no questions asked.
No hassle. No gimmicks. I don’t want your money if you’re not anything but thrilled.
Do I need to have a newsletter to join?
Yes. This training is specifically designed for business owners who are already writing a newsletter, and want to take it to the next level with some hands-on feedback and guidance from someone in the space.
EXCEPTION: If you started a newsletter, but haven’t published in a while and you’re looking to restart it with renewed seriousness, this will be great for you too.
