An offer in the making (and what’s changing)
About a month ago, I dropped the initial idea for a new subscription/membership “thing.” (Here’s more context on my thought process and hesitations.)
And I sent a survey to A: gauge interest and B: actually create something people (or rather, my perfect-fit people) want and need. (Linking it here in case you want to take inspiration for a future community survey of your own!)
Well, that nebulous thing has taken shape as Conscious Marketing, Curated. It’s a content-based subscription, with a dash of connection and feedback.
I’m really excited about it. And I hope you will be too.
But even if you’re not into it, things around here (aka the Toward Purpose & Progress Newsletter) will be changing in July.
So here’s a peek into designing this offer (including some of the survey highlights), what Conscious Marketing, Curated is going to be (at least at first), and what to expect with my free emails like this.
⟹ And if you want to cut to the chase and jump straight in, click here.
Why I Even Created This Subscription
Honestly, after a really great year of business in 2024, this year has been slow. Very slow. Painfully slow. Confidence-shattering-ly slow.
And I’ve heard much of the same from nearly everyone I’ve talked to in the online space. It’s mostly not our faults, but that’s not to say there’s nothing we can do about it.
It’s the post-COVID era finally taking a new shape.
It’s the wildly unsettling political and economic landscape, especially in the US, but all around the world.
It’s the natural evolution of things that have worked in the past feeling stale and overdone and potentially even untrustworthy. (Especially when so many people have been burned or underwhelmed by investments and “gurus” in the past.)
On a personal front, I’ve also been feeling disconnected. A bit from myself, but a lot from my business. (Stick around for a big long explanation in my July 1 solo podcast episode, but here’s a related episode if you’ve been feeling the same and want some inspiration to get out of your rut.)
So with this Conscious Marketing, Curated subscription, I’m hoping to meet people—as in YOU and other conscious, caring, deep-thinking, multi-passionate visionaries—where they are.
Here’s the thinking:
- A lower ticket offer for this lower trust and lower-resourced time.
- Plenty of anecdotes and prompts to feel less alone and more connected—to yourself, to your why, to me, and to your perfect-fit people.
- An inbox-based setting because 3rd party platforms are awesome, but only if you actually remember to check and use them. (Which…how many of us do???)
And I’m also hoping to meet my bandwidth and interests where they are too. Like:
- Leaning into the long-form, deeply reflective, thought-provoking content I already love to create. Aka my newsletter, which will now morph into Conscious Marketing, Curated. And my podcast, which will be a bigger focus of my free newsletter.
Along these same lines, I’m trying (desperately) to accept and attract more e.a.s.e. into my life. (I KNOW I’m not the only one who makes basically everything harder than it needs to be. Let’s work on that together…) - Aiming for more sustainability and predictability in my business now that I’m 6+ years in. My bread-and-butter offer has always been my brand messaging strategy intensive, but it’s always been a feast and famine cycle on that front.
I’m hoping this subscription-based model will give me more reliable recurring revenue, plus lasting relationships that intensive-based offers aren’t ideal for. (I actually want you to hit reply and chat about those big ideas that are rolling around in your head!!!) - Claiming the potential for bigger impact through volume, without necessarily sacrificing depth. I love 1:1 consulting and it’s not going anywhere anytime soon, but anytime I’ve hosted a group workshop or held space for groups of people, I’ve felt such a mutual exchange of energy and excitement.
Conscious Marketing, Curated is mostly email-based, but there’s also a live group call every month and I get to give personalized feedback quarterly, so I’ll actually be in conversation with you and see the backend of your brand.
The Offer In The Making
I had 12 generous souls give feedback as I co-created this subscription offer. And while I’m not a data nerd by any stretch, it was so insightful to hear from the REAL HUMANS behind the screens.
(Highly recommend you get audience feedback however and whenever you’re able. It’s so easy to feel like we’re just shouting into the void, so when we get feedback, it’s so validating and strategic if we actually use it.)
In case you’re curious, the vast majority of people in my orbit (at least amongst those who replied and who I’ve had past conversations with) are parents. And about half have (or identify with, even if unofficially) ADHD.
Aka people just like me. Which honestly, I love. If you’re anything like me (which, again, pretty sure you are in lots of ways), you’ve always felt a bit on the fringe, a bit misunderstood, and bit in search of belonging. Hopefully being in my orbit gives you a dose of antidote to those feelings of “off-ness”.
In terms of what people were looking for in a subscription-based offer, they wanted:
- Contact every other week. (That’s the cadence I went with, coming at you every 1st and 3rd Wednesday!)
- A standing call and regular access to feedback from me. (I include both!)
- Either live or asynchronous access to me. (You’ll get live group access once a month and asynchronous personalized feedback once a quarter!)
- A $10 or $25/month price point (I went with $25/month…more of a gut thing, plus some people skewed even higher. I also discounted a yearly tier and created a super discounted one-and-done option.)
- Features on the podcast or via newsletter. (Both are included, at least once per year!)
- Access to tools I’ve created. (I created a repository of all my guided workbooks and templates! I almost chose to reserve this only for the one-and-done tier, but one of my big goals is inspiring action and implementation. Plus, I didn’t want to over-complicate things.)
- Community and facilitated networking was of interest, but it wasn’t the focus/majority. (There will be some inherent community-building via the group calls and shoutouts. And I’m always happy to facilitate intros. But “community” isn’t the main focus of this offer—big ideas and self-reflection are the focus instead.)
- Preference for a special platform vs email-based content was mixed. (Since community isn’t the main focus and I know it’s hard for me personally to check anywhere other than my inbox, I’m sticking with email-based content.)
Note: Obviously this feedback was biased based on what I listed as options, which took my energy, interests, and skills into account. That’s what I called it a co-creation process.
I also asked about the content itself.
I’m mid-career, multi-passionate, and a dabbling generalist by nature. So there’s LOTS I could talk about. But here’s what people said they were interested in:
- The majority cared most about conscious marketing and messaging. Perfect, since that’s what I’ve built my entire brand on. Makes sense that people in my orbit want to learn more about, hone, and reflect on those topics.
Honorable mention went to “figuring things out”, values-aligned decision-making, and permission-giving content. Again, all things I’ve already been integrating and am personally most excited about exploring and sharing. That excitement and confidence is contagious. (As I often say. Highly recommend you share what lights you up too!) - I got permission to integrate the life stuff with a focus on business, and, surprisingly, less enthusiasm around prompts. I can’t really separate the life lessons from the business lessons anyway, which is sort of the crux of a human-first business approach, so this was great validation.
- In terms of the type of content, people were unanimously in favor of how-tos, which sort of surprised me, especially in this era of online courses and AI summaries. Not sure how I’ll integrate how-tos into Conscious Marketing, Curated vs on the podcast, but I’ll keep this in mind.
And then there was enthusiasm for curated resources and rabbit hole round-ups (which are potentially my love language?), so I’ll be sure to include those too. - People were split between short, long, and mixed length. I’ve mentioned from the get-go that this subscription is going to be a bit of an experiment. (Albeit as intentional as I can make it.) So for now, I plan to do a deep-dive long-form reflection/lesson-based email at the top of the month, I think with related prompts for you to translate it to your own personal context. Then the 2nd email of the month will be shorter blurbs that are more pick-and-choose-style.
What This Means For The Free Newsletter
I’ll still be writing my free newsletter every Tuesday. (At least for now.)
There might be a lag or a bit of a jagged line as to what I’m sharing here vs in the paid Conscious Marketing, Curated as I figure out my flow.
My current vision for the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of each month is more of a Podcast Preview, focusing on that week’s new release. The 2nd and 4th Tuesday of each month will be The Catch-All, similar to my resource-style newsletters I’ve always sent, but a bit less expansive.
So, my long-form rants, reflections, and behind-the-scenes lessons learned (like this week’s newsletter!) will be under the paid Conscious Marketing, Curated subscription. All the juiciest stuff will go to paying subscribers. And the love-letter-style intros might also be a bit more sales-focused, rather than insight-focused. (Again, time will tell. I’m building in public here.)
My “Helpful Hints” (aka my favorite resources I stumble upon in conversations and via algorithm-induced rabbit holes) will also be under the paid subscription. And I’m reserving my “Currently Consuming” (things I’m listening to, watching, and reading) and “Cause For Celebration” (good news from around the world) blurbs for people in the inner orbit of Conscious Marketing, Curated.
The Catch-All free newsletter will still have:
- Purpose & Progress Playlist (latest or recommended episodes of the Purpose & Progress Podcast)
- Business Bits (updates from my business and/or clients)
- Quick Question (to get to know you better)
- Founder Friends (shoutouts to cool people I know doing cool things)
- Save The Date (events I think you would enjoy)
I’ll also be adding a Subscriber Shoutout to both the free and paid emails, PLUS on the podcast. The aim is to highlight the awesome people inside Conscious Marketing, Curated, and the meaningful work they’re doing.
Let’s Become Better Humans & Do Better Business Together
I don’t take being in your inbox lightly. I appreciate you allowing me to take up space and time and attention.
So I’m still super happy showing up here every Tuesday for as long as you think these newsletters are valuable and values-aligned.
And if you’ve been loving my specific take on all things conscious marketing, human-first messaging, and aligned decision-making, I really think you’ll love the content, meet-ups, and bonus perks of Conscious Marketing, Curated.
I hope you’ll join me and (ideally) a bunch of other multi-passionate deep thinkers. The first release is coming July 2, followed by every 1st and 3rd Wednesday after that.
This is an excerpt from Toward Purpose & Progress, my newsletter where I share business tips, good news, shoutouts to Founder Friends, and other juicy snippets. Subscribe here for more rants, reflections, and resources.
