The future of this newsletter
Onward to 2024
Hello, in this special-edition issue we’ll look at…
The year in YELLO
Challenges heading into 2024
The path forward
Scroll to the end to see: my birthday card this year.
Thank you for being a paid subscriber. Your support means everything, and I wanted to take stock and tell you where this newsletter is headed next.
As a kid who sat front row in social studies class, being able to cover politics is a lifelong dream of mine, but I’d be lying if I didn’t admit the last few years of news cycles have taken their toll. Maybe you’ve felt the same way?
For me, writing this newsletter has been a bright spot, though. Some of my favorite stories this year were about civics, art, and design, things that speak more to America’s shared heritage than divisive partisan politics. Or stories about logos, brands, and rebrands, the kinds of things my readers and I geek out over. I love covering visual rhetoric and the art of political persuasion for readers who appreciate it too.
Some of my favorite stories this year were…
At a time when so much of politics can feel dark, I hope this newsletter has offered some illumination.
I hope I’ve brought you smart insights and thoughtful commentary that allows you to understand politics more deeply or do your job better.
Next year, I plan to continue to bring you the same kind of coverage you’ve grown to expect from this newsletter, and cover the trends and news that will shape the election to come.
Challenges heading into 2024
The news media industry is facing major challenges ahead of a big election year. Traffic is down for many sites as readers turn away from news and cut down their screen time, and social media platforms that were once vital for journalists to share their work and grow their audiences have become openly hostile to news. As a result, the rolling recession has hit the industry hard this year, including me.
I recently lost my day job, but at a time when a lot of really talented journalists have been laid off — nearly 20,000 jobs have been lost in media this year as of October, according to a report from Challenger Gray & Christmas, Inc. — I’m grateful to say I remain a working newsman. That would not be possible without my readers and I don’t take that for granted.
Thank you.
In order to remain viable, however, I need to continue to grow this newsletter. Here’s my plan to do that:
The path forward
📨 I’m launching YELLO’s first referral program in 2024 to reward readers who share this newsletter with their friends and colleagues. As social media has become less effective, referrals have become even more important to sustaining a career in journalism today and I want to give back to readers who make that possible.
🌟 To grow this newsletter’s paid subscribers, I’m running a special campaign this month. President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump might be too old to run birthday fundraising campaigns, but I’m not. For my birthday I’m running an “Official Birthday Card” promotion, and I crudely cut my head out to place on Bernie Sanders’ body to once again ask my readers for their financial support. Please clap.
📱 I’m planning to experiment with advertising in the coming year. This newsletter reaches an influential audience of designers and communicators across government, campaigns, advocacy, and beyond that advertisers want to get in front of, but I want to proceed cautiously. Transparency, trust, and serving my readers is important to me and I won’t jeopardize that. If you’re interested in advertising, please do reach out and let’s talk.
🎁 I’m also opening subscription donations for existing paid subscribers who want to give more. If you have the means to do, please consider donating a subscription (or two):
🤐 I have some other projects in development I’m really excited about. I can’t share any more right now, but you’ll be the first to know.
Thanks again for reading. Onward to 2024.
Yours,
Hunter Schwarz