Ch-Ch-Changes!

A new pricing model -- and more!

It’s April 1. And, as I have promised for a while now, today marks a day of change at this newsletter.

Before I talk about where we’re going, I want to talk about where we’ve been.

I started this newsletter in late January 2023. I had no plan. No strategy. No sense of what it would or could be.

All I knew was that I missed writing. I wanted to find a way to get back to doing it every day. It was (mostly) a selfish act. Writing helped me think about the world better. It helped give structure to my days. It helped me feel like I was worth something — especially in those first, dark days.

As the newsletter grew, I remembered what I originally loved so much about building something new. (I had done that at the Washington Post and CNN.) The sense of connection and community. The possibilities of what this could become. The excitement!

I hadn’t felt those feelings in a long time. When CNN laid me off, I thought it was all over for me. That no one would want to hear from me again. That I would have to find something totally different to do with the rest of my life. That my career as a writer had ended.

Writing and building this newsletter has saved me. YOU — and your support — have saved me. I will never be able to thank you enough for that.

What began as a lark became a lifeline. And, over the past 6 months or so, I have started to see a path where writing this newsletter becomes my life. As in, my main source of income — a way I can support my family in the medium to long term.

But, the only way that can happen is if:

a) We continue to grow the number of people who subscribe to this newsletter (we crossed 13,000 last week!)

b) I charge a little bit more for a paid subscription.

Before I announce the price changes, I wanted to make sure you know I didn’t do this willy nilly.

I did a deep dive into other political newsletters on Substack first. I looked at what they charged and how much content they provided. I looked at how much of that content was original vs repurposed from somewhere else. I looked at how consistently the content was being offered. I looked at the overall quality — admittedly a bit subjective — of the content.

What did I discover? That I am providing a LOT of good, quality (again, subjective!) original content. Five days a week — and sometimes on weekends too.

In a typical week, I am writing between 10-18 pieces for “So What.” That’s double — and sometimes triple (or even more) — what other people are writing in their newsletters every week. And they are charging the same — or more — than I have been.

Which brings me to the new subscription structure. Starting today, it will be $7 for a monthly subscription, $70 for yearly subscription and $1,000 to be a “founding member” for this newsletter.

Which is a pretty good deal if you ask me! (You didn’t but….)

Ok, now what do you GET for your investment in me and my journalism?

If you become a PAID subscriber, you get:

• FULL access to all of my content. That includes my Friday Mailbag, my breakdowns of Trump’s speeches, my “Chris Crucial” nightly newsletter and my vice presidential rankings.

• Exclusive ability to comment on posts

• Access to my FULL archives (this is a new perk for paid subscribers)

• Exclusive access to a monthly Zoom call with me (and special guests)

Want to become a founding member? You (obviously) get everything that a paid subscriber does PLUS:

• A one-on-one annual coffee with me (if you live in the DC area) OR a one-on-one annual Zoom (if you don’t)

• I will host a trivia event for you — whether for your work or your family — OR I will play golf (or pickleball) with you at a club of your choosing. (WARNING: I SUCK at golf)

To be clear: If you are a free subscriber, I am STILL very happy to have you. But, I do want to let you know that as the election gets closer, more and more of my content is going to be behind the paywall. I hope you can join us there.

And, I hope every one of you — paid, founding member or free — knows how thankful I am for you. And that these changes are aimed at making this newsletter sustainable for me. I can’t do this without you — literally.

If you aren’t a paid subscriber, I hope today is the day you become one.

Thank you.

Chris