Considering I currently offer a joint email newsletter with my partner-in-crime Mike Vardy, you may find it strange that I hate email newsletters. It’s not that I don’t enjoy the information included in many of them, I just don’t want another damn thing in my inbox. It’s also not where I prefer to read this kind of content. Spoiler alert: I want to read it in Instapaper at best, Reeder at worst. I also like to filter much of what I read through RSS. Since I’m assuming/hoping that I can’t be the only one who feels this way, I convinced Vardy that we should offer Mike Techniques through RSS as well as email.
Note: Unfortunately the current template is proving to be unreadable in iPhone apps like Reeder, but if you read it online or send it over to something like Instapaper, all is well. We’re working on readability and will update you as soon as this is iOS RSS reader friendly.
How can one subscribe to this magical feed?
From now on, when you initially subscribe, the welcome letter will include everything you need to get future updates via RSS while making it easy to unsubscribe from future email messages. This will give you all of the important things you need in the welcome letter (like the Mike Techniques Podcast info), but keep your inbox free from there on out. For those who are already subscribed, just check your inbox and the info should already be there waiting for you.
If you’re doing this, wouldn’t it just be easier…
- To offer the link publicly? – Yes, but unfortunately Mailchimp doesn’t include Autoresponders in the form, so there’d be no welcome letter that provides important info, such as the links for our subscriber podcast.
- To make this a website? – Again, fair point, but neither Vardy or I have any interest in maintaining another web property. Mailchimp makes it easy to pull this all together, but also apparently allows for those of us who prefer RSS to play along.
Bottom line, for those of you who are interested in what Mike Vardy and I are doing with Mike Techniques, but have no love for another message in your inbox, we hope this helps encourage you to give us a shot.