Zone in, zone out... the art of the newsletter

Since starting findr I don't have much time (for anything really!), and it's made me very selective about the newsletters I allow into my inbox and what I allow to distract me read during my day. 

Why is this interesting, I hear you ask. It's interesting because the content of a newsletter and the ability to make it appealing to a wide audience is an artform and a current focus. I want findr's to be a keeper after all.

Despite (or is it because of?) my newspaper background I tend to shy away from the buzz of the news cycle, preferring to keep up to date with current affairs through the radio (which I can more easily zone in and zone out of). 

I subscribe to a wide range of photography, tech and startup newsletters but I read less than half a dozen and apart from a couple of constants I'm very fickle about the ones I allow in my Inbox, instead leaving them unread in the gmail "Promotions" tab without actually unsubscribing...

 

These tabs are among the best ever filters...

There's some great content out there but, for me to function, 99.9% of it goes in the "big distraction" category. For the most part they break down like this. They're not suggestions by the way. I've probably got weird tastes ;)

The stand outs feel like they are written for you personally, the perfect mix of content and tone. I've only got one like this, by the awesome Taylor Davidson. Until right now I couldn't have told you what he does but the newsletter arrives irregularly, which is good, and has eclectic, always interesting content on topics I love. I like it so much that I replied to tell him (I never do this). His personal reply cemented this #1 spot.

Some keep me entertained, and therefore opening them. These have either concise information (Betalist, Inside) or personality, humility and comedy (The Hustle, Flakphoto). It's important they follow a theme but  are also diverse enough to sustain interest.

Some keep their place in "Promotions", but are largely ignored. These are overly long (Sramana Mitra), cover too many subjects (Medium) or have subject matter that is interesting but often beyond my immediate needs (Hubspot,Toptal).

These last 2 lead (which teeter on the balance but regularly save themselves) lead me on nicely to the ones that are immediately unsubscribed. Take note writers...

The overly earnest marketing newsletter. You know the one, it actually feel as if you're in a sales pipeline...I won't name (names) but I hit delete so fast it's hard to remember why I subscribed to them in the first place!

So what about our newsletter? We plan a mixture of photography, the business of photography and tech news. For the most part you'll hardly even know we've got a product. Please subscribe, that way I'll make time to start writing it... I'll even dedicate the first one to you!

The power of the story

The world of startups is full of rhetoric about the power of your story. There are even books to help you tell your tale.

So in the last 2 years I've spent a lot of time working out exactly what the persuasive story of findr is. I've incorporated elements of the story into elevator pitches, business plans and just about every conversation I have (sorry all my friends!).

But the story always come across better when I tell it in person.

This post "The power of a simple story" by the team at ThisData inspired me to rethink the telling of the story. To simplify the story as much as possible...

Their story is beautifully short:

"We do login security. So you know when you sign in to Facebook or Google from a new device or location, they send you a “was this you” email. We offer that service for companies that want to add an extra layer of security to their apps."

I'm not sure I'm that articulate but they say a shorter story is easier to pass on and so here is findr in a sentence...

"findr connects you directly with photographers, saving you time and money in the search for the perfect photographer for your shoot."

 

The problem is that like the ThisData story it's not really the story of findr. It's just what we do and only from the perspective of the client. Unless we meet and I can tell you the full story in person I'm going to have to keep on working on the short version. I do have a bit of time, we don't have a finished product yet after all!

I will let you in on a founder's secret. The bottom line is findr was created as a solution to genuine problems. One of finding suitable photographers quickly and the second, well, let's just say that I'm terrible at marketing myself...

Watch this space though, you'll start to get the full picture behind findr.

Grey skies are going to clear up. Put on a happy face

Disclaimer: By the time you read this findr should have it's MVP. I certainly have no intention of publishing a public link to this blog until then.

Today looks like this:

Pretty epic huh?

As I write findr is little more than a concept with a prototype....

...a lot of determination. (actually, probably more than that)

and as of last week, seed funding thanks to Apollo Informal Investments!!

But beware, getting here has taken 2 very long, ridiculously difficult years.

Would I have done it if I had known it would take this long? I can't answer that. But this article might give you an insight into the struggle.

 

"There's a hidden dark side to being an entrepreneur..."

Have I regretted it? Yes often. Would I do it again? Yes instantly. Being an entrepreneur is the most demoralising yet satisfying thing I've ever done. I've learnt a million things about business to add to what I already know about photography but I've simultaneously become the most boring person in the room...unless you're really interested in findr!

As a huge compliment to our seed funding we've also been accepted for a grant from Innovate UK called the Digital Media Launchpad. 2016 is a very well mapped out research & development exercise to take us from prototype to product.

Along the way I'm going to share what I learn and what I know and why I'm building findr. Beware, you may end up loving our product as much as I do...

See you on the other side x

Photography is not dead....

This week The Economist blog posted the news that Anton Corbijn was retiring from professional photography and that "Photography as a slow, analogue art-form is dead"

 http://www.economist.com/blogs/prospero/2015/11/musical-iconography#comments

The post and Anton make a valid point but just because "Mr Corbijn is unwilling to spend his time to speed it up to today's pace" doesn't mean that it's lost. It just means that one man who has had a very successful career as a photographer and now director sees the futility of the effort required and no desire or ambition to stay on a sinking ship.

But photographers aren't the passengers of that particular ship. We're the captain and the crew. The orchestra who play as the ship goes down. The boat is our responsibility.

Technology may have got the better of us and given everyone the opportunity to be a photographer but there's a big difference between taking pictures and making photographs and analogue skills will always be a key part of photography. We can use technology to help people to continue to enjoy the slow aspects and rekindle their ability to see the value in the image beyond the transience of Facebook and Instagram.

Yes we'll lament the loss of someone with the talent of Mr Corbijn but there are thousands of other photographers who create work of an equal quality. They may not generate headlines in photography but they're equally talented. Let's champion their luminance instead of lamenting the loss of a lone star.

A new hope...

Our first post. It should be good and catchy and engaging?

But instead I'm going to keep it short, sweet and peppered with Star Wars. 1977 is my year after all.

findr offers a new hope to photographers and clients.  
Just like episodes I+II our first 2 versions were kind of lame. But now we're on III and it's getting better. 

We're developing and improving our rebel platform with you in mind.

episode  
IV is rolling your way in 2016, pushing the business of photography into hyperdrive.

catch up soon!
~Alex