MAYBE “SHOULD I START A NEWSLETTER?” IS THE WRONG QUESTION

Published On: July 12, 2026Categories: Newsletters, Work

Saturday I reflected on our WHY HAVEN’T YOU STARTED THE THING YET? call (see upcoming calls here), and thought “we need to ask better questions.”

I kept thinking about this during a hike later in the day, then today (Sunday) I typed out a Substack Note from a parking lot:

“Maybe “should I start a newsletter” is the wrong question.

Maybe it’s “should I send a newsletter to the people who like me about the cool stuff I’m doing in hopes that maybe their day will be brighter and maybe they might (GASP) support me with their gracious attention and / or financial means?”

Starting a newsletter, setting up a website, making a YouTube channel – those are just to-do items, grand dreams. But who’s it for? What’s it about? Who does it serve? What’s the intended outcome?

Basic question leads to a vague and cloudy answers, so we must ask better questions to get a better sense of what’s worth starting.


Join our next “WHY HAVEN’T YOU STARTED THE THING YET?” call, on Monday, July 13 from 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM EDT. Register here, pay what you want starting at $3.

💬 Questions or thoughts? Send me an email.

Join a live call this week!

Seth on the phone

You’re tired of social media, but wondering if there’s life after the newsfeed. That’s exactly what we figure out here – together. 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️

See our upcoming Zoom schedule

Say hello. Ask about working together. Tell me how you’re doing: seth@socialmediaescape.club

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