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nerd processor

30 newsletters later, it's clear what drives all the inbound traffic

Published 7 days ago • 2 min read

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An entrepreneur and a newsletter walk into a bar

It's been 33 weeks since I launched nerd processor and started publishing every week. A couple of weeks ago, I did a look back on how the first 30 newsletters performed. I feel pretty good!

  • 4 have gone viral
  • 6 have been published and/or cited by mainstream press
  • 10 have brought me new coaching clients
  • 3 have turned into paid speaking opportunities
  • I launched Viral Data Stories 101 as part of nerd processor, which captures my whole playbook for telling data stories that go viral
  • I've received 3 inquiries about adapting nerd processor into a book
  • My personal favorite: I've gotten 22 messages about my comics

Here are a few of my takeaways as I plan nerd processor for the rest of the year. Please tell me what you think at the end!

Data stories are #1

The top rule in any kind of content strategy is: choose a lane. Choosing a clear lane lets your audience select in to your stories.

If nerd processor has a lane, it is data about the workplace. But within that lane, I've written a few kinds of pieces this year. I've written quantitative data stories. I've written personal and vulnerable leadership reflections about my time as Textio's CEO. I've written a lot about AI and the startup ecosystem. Every once in a while, I write about something else.

Viral Data Stories 101

Learn to tell data stories that go viral. I break down my formula for conceiving of a story, identifying the data set,... Read more
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My overall open rate is 65%, which is pretty good. When I break it down by topic, though, y'all have a clear preference for the data stories. The data stories have an 83% open rate!

Appetite for content about AI remains high

Since starting nerd processor, I've written nine newsletters specifically about AI. By far the most popular AI piece was the data story focused on my email inbox: I analyzed 4 years of my inbox, and look what AI has done to it.

This one piece spiked inbound traffic to my website >100x and grew my subscriber base over 30% in a 24-hour period!

All nine nerd processors about AI have performed in the top half of my newsletters. But among these nine AI pieces, the data stories have done the best.

The art of going viral

By every metric, four pieces have been more successful than all the rest. They have had high open rates, driven subscriber growth, generated outsize web traffic visits, and been shared widely on social media or in press:

I didn't include 1,100 emails, a 90% response rate, and why people are ghosting you in this analysis since I just published it last week and the data is still coming in as I'm writing this. However, the first few days post-publish make me think it will end up #2 on this list.

Among these five, four are data stories and one is a leadership reflection. The verdict is pretty clear on what nerd processors readers are looking for, so expect even more data stories ahead. I have some good ones in the hopper!

What do you think? Which has been your favorite nerd processor so far? See them all here, and let me know here (or just reply to this email).

Here's to the next 30 nerd processors! Thank you for reading!

Kieran

Want to tell data stories of your own? Viral Data Stories 101 is for people who want to learn to tell data stories that go viral. For marketers, data scientists, entrepreneurs, and anyone with a passion for storytelling with data. Includes a 1-1 consult with me to help bring your own data story to life!

​My latest data stories | Tell your own Viral Data Stories | nerdprocessor.com​

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kieran@nerdprocessor.com
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nerd processor

Kieran Snyder

Every week, I write a deep dive into some aspect of AI, startups, and teams. Enter your email address to subscribe below!

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