Let’s talk about you and your fellow readers.
Recently, I asked readers to take a survey so I could get better demographic information, perhaps attract a sponsor or two, and figure out what is working, what is not, and how I can improve the newsletter.
Let me start with the uncomfortable part: A lot of people said they want to support my work, but they do not want yet another subscription.
In fact, more than 60 percent of readers who answered that question said they would be somewhat or very likely to support the newsletter through a “Buy Me a Coffee” link.
So, without further ado, here’s such a link. (I’ll just start adding this to the block of links I have every day, I think):
If you’re not familiar, this is a simple way to make a one-time contribution that you control. No subscription or recurring commitment unless you deliberately choose one.
Now, here are some of the other things I learned.
Who reads Understandably
We now have about 110,000 active subscribers.
That is down from the peak, but any newsletter list—especially one going on seven years old—eventually accumulates “zombies.” People stop opening, change email addresses, leave jobs, or simply disappear.
Honestly, I also have not done much to attract new subscribers lately.
On the day I sent the survey, the open rate was roughly 26 percent, or just under 30,000 individual readers. That is typical.
About 1,200 people clicked the survey link, and 889 completed it. Thank you!
As it turns out, our readers are basically me, extrapolated.
We skew a bit older and fairly financially established:
About 93 percent of respondents were Gen X or older,
Among those who disclosed income, more than half reported household income of at least $150,000.
The audience is almost evenly divided:
51 percent women
48 percent men
About 35 percent are retired, which makes sense. The rest include substantial numbers of professionals, consultants, executives, educators, business owners, and founders.
Politically:
41 percent centrist or moderate
38 percent liberal or very liberal
22 percent conservative or very conservative
What you like
Understandably grew out of Inc. This Morning, which I launched and wrote for Inc. from 2018 to 2019.
When I made the switch to an independent publication, I more or less copied the format I had developed there: (a) a longer essay every day, followed by (b) “7 other things” worth knowing.
Seven years later, those two parts are essentially tied as the most popular things I do. Here is the percentage of readers who gave each feature four or five stars:
“7 other things” — 86 percent
Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday essays — 85 percent
Big Optimism — 84 percent
Free for ALL Fridays — 76 percent
Comments and community — 55 percent
So “7 other things,” which began almost as an afterthought, is now technically the highest-rated feature in the newsletter.
Don’t mess this up!
The overall message from the open-ended answers was not complicated:
“We like the newsletter. Please do not mess it up!”
People said they like the mixture of personal stories, research, business, psychology, history, optimism, and links to things they might not otherwise encounter. Many specifically asked me to keep “7 other things.”
A lot of people said they appreciate that the newsletter is not consumed by politics. Others asked me to be careful to keep it that way.
Some said I could publish less often. A few said the essays run too long, I repeat myself, or I mention Life Story Magic too often.
I also asked whether people wanted more audio, video, podcasts, and live interviews.
The most popular answer: None of these!
The larger message was clear. Most of you still want to read.
What happens next
I am working on a clearer mission for Understandably. Here is a draft:
“Understandably exists to help people over 50 live healthier, more successful lives—and better understand the world around them.”
That is broad enough to include most of what I already write about, but specific enough to help me decide what belongs here on any given day.
I also need to be more deliberate about the business side.
Understandably takes a significant amount of time to produce. For years, other writing work subsidized it, and I mostly concentrated on getting the next issue out.
That works less well now. The world keeps evolving, and nearly every part of the media business has become harder. But then again, I always seem to figure it out.
I am not planning to put everything behind a paywall or turn every newsletter into a pledge drive. But I probably will pursue sponsorships, occasional books or guides, and other ways to make Understandably more sustainable.
Mostly, though, I am going to keep writing the newsletter.
That was the clearest thing the survey told me to do.
Other things worth knowing …
NBC News: President Trump branded the Iranian regime “unbelievably duplicitous” on Monday, saying they asked for talks on ending the war, only to announce that no discussions would be held. Trump said the canceled attacks would have been “the biggest attack since World War II,” and that they could still take place “anytime we want.”
WaPo: How rogue officers turned a nationwide camera network into a tool for stalking. Flock’s array of license-plate cameras was built to fight crime — but at least 50 law enforcement officers were charged with or accused of misusing it and other systems.
NY Post: FIFA President Gianni Infantino wants the Trump administration to help keep him in office amid growing pressure to resign over his scheme to sell off the World Cup to Josh Kushner’s private equity firm, The Post has learned. Sources say that Infantino, 56, has repeatedly tried and failed to reach President Trump, 80, by phone since his plan to sell off the game’s commercial assets to private investors collapsed last week.
NYT: After revelations that a botched renovation — not vandalism — had caused the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool’s recent problems, the U.S. attorney’s office has moved to dismiss several prosecutions brought against people accused of damaging it.
WSJ: The struggling colleges raiding their endowments to pay the bills. It’s the last resort for institutions on the brink — tapping restricted funds from donors to keep the lights on. “The money they donated is not being used for what they gave it for.”
CNBC: Why the U.S. stepped in after decades to prop up Japan’s yen — and what’s at stake.
Hollywood Reporter: Spider-Man: Brand New Day brought in $360 million from North American screens last weekend, the biggest U.S. box office opening ever, leaping past Avengers: Endgame’s $357.1 million record from 2019. Its global weekend total stands at $932 million; Endgame still holds the worldwide record with $1.2 billion.
Correction/addition!
I messed up and didn’t actually include the YEARS of the anniversaries for the optimistic-in-retrospect events in the “7 other moments from history this week” in yesterday’s newsletter. So:
The Tower Subway: Opened August 2, 1870.
Mary Lou Retton gets her perfect score: August 3, 1984;
John Peter Zenger wins his libel suit and establishes freedom of the press: August 4, 1734;
Cyrus Field’s transatlantic telegraph: August 5, 1858;
Gertrude Ederle swimming the English Channel and breaking the men’s record: August 6, 1926 (so 100 years!);
George Washington establishing the Purple Heart: August 7, 1782; and,
Wilbur Wright publicly demonstrating flight at Le Mans: August 8, 1908.
Thanks for reading—and for telling me about yourselves! See you in the comments.
Re your mission - why not delete "over 50"? To me that doesn't add substantive value and deleting it doesn't harm the intent.
Your newsletter is appropriate for individuals younger than 50 so don't adopt a slogan that discourages younger readers. We need younger readers, much younger, to read balanced stories and supporting life long learning. I hope the " buy a cup of coffee" proves successful because as a paid subscriber I have hopes that you can continue this newsletter in its current form for a long time and understand that you need to have compensation. Good luck