If you're looking to deliver consistent value to your readers, there's no better guide than Ben Thompson.
Ben is a prominent tech analyst and writer, best known for his newsletter Stratechery, where he provides in-depth analysis of technology, business, and media. Since its founding in 2013, Stratechery has become a go-to source for insights on the intersection of technology and strategy.
Ben is credited with pioneering the single-person media company model. Even the founders of Substack have said that Ben's model significantly influenced the creation and direction of their platform.
Around the time Stripe was simplifying online subscriptions, Ben introduced a straightforward yet effective approach: offering two types of posts—articles and updates—one free and the other behind a paywall.
In his conversation with David Perell, Ben shares more useful information in the first 15 minutes than I can cover in a single post. So, I'll be breaking down the episode into multiple parts.
Main Highlights:
What you write needs to be interesting
Increase your volume for best results
The best pieces tell a story
In this first post, I’ll focus on my biggest takeaway from the episode: the importance of volume in publishing.
Increase Your Volume for Best Results
Since 2013, Ben has published new content daily for his readers—equivalent to writing five or six books' worth of material each year. Over the past decade, that’s more than 50 books' worth of content.
Ben describes himself as a serial thinker. To stay productive, he sets a daily deadline for himself, unlike writing a book where you'd chip away at it bit by bit. Ben thrives under the pressure of these self-imposed deadlines.
To manage his time effectively, Ben sets alarms on his phone throughout the day, creating mini-deadlines for tasks on his to-do list. He even rents a space away from home to get into the right mental state for deep work. When he’s writing, he’s fully locked in, without any side conversations.
Ben’s approach of delivering new material every day allows him to respond to his readers' needs in real-time. It also enables him to deliver consistent, incremental value without overextending himself.
As a product designer, I was particularly interested when Ben referred to his writing as a product.
In my pursuit of becoming a better writer, I plan to leverage my understanding of product design. Ben’s emphasis on publishing daily reminds me of Lean and Agile methodologies, which encourage us to look for signals from the market to determine our next steps.
Lean focuses on improving process efficiency and eliminating waste across the entire value stream.
Agile emphasizes flexibility, customer collaboration, and frequent delivery of working products.
In software development, it's best to build only what’s necessary to avoid waste and reduce the risk of creating something that isn’t used (or, in my case, writing something that isn’t read).
For this reason, I’m considering breaking this episode analysis into smaller parts and posting more frequently. This way, I can avoid spending time writing something that may not resonate with my readers. If you’re interested in hearing more about this episode, let me know, and I’ll make sure to write Part 2.
Tailoring Your Writing Process
My goal for this newsletter is to curate and comment on the best content I can find, particularly long-form material that explores wisdom and how to live well. This podcast episode has inspired me to experiment with delivering value in smaller, more frequent posts.
The writing process is about putting in the time and doing the work. I appreciate how Ben tailors his routine to fit his personality and thought process. It's fascinating to hear why he prefers a daily deadline over writing a book. He values the flexibility of having his work be a "living understanding" of the world rather than a book "frozen in time." If he feels he got something wrong, he can quickly revisit and correct it.
Publishing daily can empower many aspiring writers to be more productive. I think a lot of people are searching for entertainment rather than contributing to a deeper, more meaningful life—perhaps because they don't believe they have something valuable to share, or maybe they don't know where to start.
For me, it's about starting small. It’s not about having all the answers; it’s about asking the right questions, seeking wisdom, and sharing my worldview. Writing and consistently delivering value to an audience is a fulfilling use of my time.