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CJ Chilvers

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A New Brand of Unsubscribe

A few weeks ago, I downloaded the Substack app. I didn’t like what I saw, so I deleted it. That action unsubscribed me from every email newsletter on Substack. Fast-forward a few weeks. This is what I just received. Notice: 1. Substack newsletters are now just email “notifications.” 2.

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Is plain text best?

Derek Sivers [https://sive.rs/plaintext] and Patrick Rhone [https://www.patrickrhone.net/11399-2/], two of my favorite writers, have just posted about how the simple text file is the most stable, malleable format for storing your thoughts and work. This is probably the most widely accepted truth among nerds

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New newsletter: HustleTrust

The great newsletter migration, character > competence, and logo paralysis: it’s the latest issue [https://www.cjchilvers.com/email/issue-275-hustletrust] of my newsletter. Is it possibly the last in this format?

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The great personal newsletter migration

For the third week in a row, about a dozen of my favorite indie newsletters have landed in the spam folder — newsletters I’ve opened and click-through hundreds of times. What gives? I love how Apple, DuckDuckGo, Neeva, and others are making our online lives a little more private and

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New(ish) Newsletter

I really have to get better at cross-posting about my newsletter issues. Last week, I did one on Creation and Kit Kats [https://www.cjchilvers.com/email/issue-274-creation-and-kit-kats]. It was part of a test on formatting, linking styles, and self-imposed constraints. The results? I love plain text emails. You seem

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Practical Ways to Post Something Every Day

I create the equivalent of at least 1 book worth of writing per week. Most of my work ends up in newsletters, websites, and marketing campaigns for companies you know very well. You won’t see my name, but you’re probably reading my stuff all the time. On good

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35 Lessons from 35 Years of Newsletter Publishing

My first newsletter was about ninjas in 1987. I was 12. Since then, I’ve been obsessed. I’ve created small newsletters for my own projects, and big newsletters for corporations. What ties them all together? Probably hundreds of things, but I’m lazy, so let’s start with 35.

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Clarity is Expensive

After many years of writing for big companies, a few universal truths have emerged from hundreds of projects, no matter the budget: * Having a clear audience is critical for creation, promotion, and sales. * Having a clear goal is existential for the project and ultimately the company. * It’s rare that

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New Newsletter: Walking in Memphis

Issue 271: Rethinking newsletters, the perfect book cover, and talking VH on YouTube at 2am. Check it out here [https://www.cjchilvers.com/campaigns/view-campaign/9lgxNi4aPZ7WkxKNSiSQ9vGtYR_hKDk-bgG9v0oG_LKhuQja7-pJPz3NOyneMCTVBTWc9oDK7TzwnYsRCt3C6HJ5sSEsurXg] , and subscribe here [https://www.cjchilvers.com/subscribe].

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The Importance of Giving a Shit

This is usually a lesser rule of being a creator, marketer, or human being. It’s almost implied. I’m bumping its status up a bit now. I’ve spent the past month driving through the eastern and southern US. Like many travelers, I was throwing money at businesses for