This week's interview

Walter Hickey is a senior data editor at Insider and the author of Numlock, a daily newsletter about big numbers in the news.

Since 2018, Walt has sent over 1,500 editions of his newsletter to tens of thousands of subscribers. In our interview this week, Walt shared his perspective on media, writing, and monetization strategies. Don't miss it.

Trends in Tech & Media:

• 🌏 Axios local's secret sauce. GM of Axios Local Ted Williams gave an in-depth interview on Axios' strategy for local newsletters. Here are a few highlights:
  
  1.) They're not touching opinion writing. "Facebook fills that void, NextDoor fills that void, so I think for the smart professional, they don’t really need to wake up to opinions."
  
  2.) The ads aren't just local—they're national. That's a big perk of being in the Axios umbrella. "Advertisers are looking to reach influential, smart professionals in growing cities throughout the U.S."
  
  3.) The Charlotte Agenda (now Axios Charlotte) is an excellent example of a lean media business. "We’ve been profitable for five years and never needed more than the original $50,000 to get the business started."
   
• 💰 Buzzfeed's cash giveaway. You read it here folks, everyone is paying creators. Buzzfeed is offering to pay up to $10,000 for reader-submitted content that goes viral. Reader-submitted content is published on Buzzfeed through its "Community" page, which is subject to community rules and standards, but does not require reporting, fact-checking, and editing like the work of staff writers.
  
  Why offer cash? Incentivizing an open network of contributed content is exponentially cheaper and quicker than hiring reporters: "Roughly 15,000 to 20,000 posts are submitted a month by contributors." From those submissions, editors pick 25-30 to promote. Platform, or media company? The debate continues.
   
• 📈 Substack growth numbers. In a blog post this week, Substack shared new numbers on its financial progress: "More than half a million people pay to subscribe to a Substack writer, and the top ten publications now collectively make more than US $20 million a year in subscription revenue." One year ago, Substack reported 100,000 readers paid to subscribe to a Substack writer. That is 5X growth. Make of that what you will. 
   
• 🔒 Revue's perspective on open rates. Still confused about Apple's news that it will allow users to block pixel tracking? Revue wrote a helpful explainer. The short answer? Yes, your metrics will be affected. 

Resources:

• Tyler Denk launched Beehiiv, "a newsletter platform built by newsletter people."
• Edwin Dorsey shared the steps he used to reach $300,000 ARR for his newsletter.
• Use this Substack resource to write your "about page."

Inside Newsletter Crew's Community

Newsletters to read:

• Numlock News. Numlock highlights the fascinating numbers that are buried in the news. Subscribe.
   
• Raisin Bread. Raisin Bread is a weekly marketing newsletter. Every week, we interview the world's best marketers, then share their insights — along with news, trends, and tips — to give marketers an edge in their careers. Subscribe.
   
• The Profile. The Profile studies the most successful and interesting people and companies in business, entertainment, tech, sports, and more. Everyone has a story, and we can all learn a lesson or two from the world's most successful. Subscribe.
   
• The Publish Press. Get the 3 biggest stories from the creator economy delivered free to your inbox every Tuesday and Friday. Subscribe.
   
• Medialyte. A pseudo-serious newsletter that explores the innovators, innovations, and reasons for optimism in the media industry. Subscribe.
   
• Reboot. Reboot is a publication and community for technologists charting a more conscious role in the world. Every week, we share a book review or an essay by a Reboot community member, plus a few links that sparked joy and thought. Subscribe.
   
• Chips + Dip. Chips + Dips is a newsletter living at the intersection of ecomm, tech, and branding. Chips are small news bites. Dips are deeper dives. Subscribe. 
   
• (Un)real. (un)real is an exploration of the future and what’s possible when real and digital life converge … IRL + URL = ? Subscribe.
   
• The Half Marathoner. The Half Marathoner is a newsletter written by Terrell Johnson, the founder and editor-in-chief of Half Marathon Guide, plus Carissa Liebowitz and Hollie Sick, a pair of highly experienced runners who share everything they know about how to become a better runner. Subscribe.
   
• Fintech Today. Fintech Today is a newsletter on what's newsworthy and noteworthy in the fintech space, written by Ian Kar and Julie Verhage. Subscribe.