LOCAL ENERGY, TINY TWEAKS, AND GETTING 5% BETTER

This week on our weekly Escape Pods, we kicked things off on Monday by talking about letting go of misaligned content and making space for better signals. We explored the tension between short-term platform growth and long-term creative sustainability, and how even small changes (like a new name or format) can breathe life back into stalled projects.

On Thursday, we were joined by my friend and Peabody Award–winning producer Sean Cannon, who traced his path from my little music blog to AOL Music chaos to deep-dive investigative podcasting. We talked about chasing weird stories (Run the Jewels + cat rap, and boxing Ted Leo), and how getting just 5% better each time can transform your work.

Then on Saturday’s Escape Pod Mini, we brought things back to the local level, like flyers on bulletin boards, in-person readings, and rebuilding creative energy offline. We talked about the sting of unsubscribes, the strange dance of asking friends and family for support, and how renaming your newsletter or project might be exactly what opens our next chapter.

If you’d like join our Zoom calls, sign up for a 30 day trial here. That’ll give you time to sit in on a few calls, and even get two free replies of my Email Guidance offering.

◾ ESCAPE POD VIDEO CALL #078 – back to it’s normal time!
Mon, Aug 25 from 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM EDT
REGISTER HERE: (Members only)

◾ “let’s work on our websites together” virtual co-working – back to it’s normal time!
Casual Zoom hang out where we work on our own websites, write newsletters, edit photos, and other creative endeavors. We may take 10 or so minutes to talk about someone’s internet / website challenge.
Tue, Aug 26 from 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM EDT
REGISTER HERE: https://lu.ma/8u8oxzw1 (free!)

◾ THE “SHOULD I IMPORT MY EMAIL LIST TO SUBSTACK, THE NIGHTMARE OF CROSS-PLATFORM UNSUBSCRIBES, AND OTHER LAPTOP-HURLING BUSY WORK” WORKSHOP
Join me (Seth Werkheiser) for a 90 minute interactive workshop on the endless decisions that come with running a newsletter in 2025.
Wed, August 27 from 12:30 PM – 2:00 PM EDT
REGISTER HERE: https://lu.ma/uqrfb65q (free for members)

◾ ESCAPE POD VIDEO CALL #079
Thu, Aug 28 from 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM EDT
REGISTER HERE: (Members only)

Sign up for a 30 day trial here