Great pod on the reality of going solo. This can't be said enough: it will take more time than you think, it will make less money than you think. Listen then consider a couple more points... 1/ https://twitter.com/mediavoicespod/status/1318105265590370310

Size of initial market matters so much because conversion rates are so low. Which means I've only seen this work in English, for predominantly US audiences. Don't think @baekdal would have made it happen in Danish. My French podcast will never make meaningful money. 2/

For the same reason, I have serious reservations about applying this solo sub model to local news. The more niche you go, the richer your audience (or their expense account) must be. 3/

Also, there's another reason it's mostly men doing this: safety. A solo newsletter brings the author very close to the audience. That's part of the appeal. You give a lot of yourself, and some readers will not understand there are still boundaries. 4/

Whatever abuse you get as a female journalist online, you will get more as a solo creator. Maybe not the crowds of bots, but more often the lone creep who reads you obsessively. I don't share about this a lot, because frankly, I'm afraid this person is reading. 5/

Do I include my return address on the swag package to my patrons? Have I revealed where I live in a tweet? Should I engage with this follower? Do I create a separate email address for my @SubstackInc so I don't have to see the responses? I've asked myself all these. 6/