Salem Keizer Proletariat - 2023 Growth Plan
In the spirit of "building in public," an update for SKP readers
You guys - thank you so much for reading & subscribing. Whether you’re a paid subscriber or not, I appreciate you making space in your life (and, for some, your wallet) for SKP.
There’s this concept of “building in public” (borrowed from the tech world) that has recently grown in popularity. Simply put - I want to maintain a transparent process in building SKP. Show you:
what I’m building;
how it’s going; and
where we’re headed.
The benefits of building in public are mutual, too. Subscribers get transparency into how articles gets written and issues or topics earn coverage, among other things. And I get feedback from you folks about what’s working and what’s not.
So, in the spirit of transparency, here’s what 2022 looked like for SKP
SKP hit publish on 25 posts this year. The graph below shows traffic by day since Feb. 11, 2022 - the day SKP was launched.
Traffic to the newsletter was steady until mid-May, when I stopped posting for the summer (dotted circle below) and picked back up just after the November elections when I resumed posting.
Top 5 most popular posts of 2022
Keizer’s Extremism Problem: “Christo-fascist, Q-inspired conspiracy rally leaves unanswered questions; community abandoned” (450 total views, Pub. Date Apr 6, 2022)
Hate radio permeates Salem & Keizer area, likely endangering community: “From serial harasser Alex Jones to local extremist scrubs, KSLM is a firehose of propaganda designed to radicalize low-information populations.” (364 total views, Pub. Date Nov 27, 2022)
The #DoNothingDA: “Marion County DA Paige Clarkson campaigns as a hard worker, but her work schedule suggests something very different.” (305 total views, Pub. Date May 14, 2022)
Salem-Keizer School Board Recall Rooted in LGBTQ+ Hate: “Deeply homophobic, anti-transgender and racist petitions were launched by extremists who court attention from dangerous stochastic terrorists.” (265 total views, Pub. Date Nov 20, 2022)
Why are district attorney races so important?: “County-level DAs have a huge amount of personal discretion to exercise over the disposition of huge number of cases.” (265 total views, Pub. Date Mar 7, 2022)
Subscriber growth in 2022
There were no coordinated efforts to increase subscriptions for SKP in 2022. All gains were organic (or “natty,” as the kids might say). From the graph below, you can see subscriber growth very closely follows the traffic graph above. When I publish more, I get more subscribers. When I stopped publishing for about 6 months, subscription growth flattened.
So what did we learn from 2022?
Publish or perish. But I already knew that.
More popular posts usually have an alternative angle on existing news. I think that’s because the community is already aware of the topic or issue, and thus more receptive to alternative analysis or coverage.
Probably the biggest insight from this year is how much opportunity there is for growth. Professionally performed journalism in the Salem-Keizer area is almost non-existent. Salem Reporter is fucking fantastic. Statesman Journal has some solid reporters left, but not many.
So, what does all of that opportunity mean for SKP in 2023 (hey, that rhymes!)
This is the part where I have to balance the transparency of “building in public” with holding my cards at least reasonably close to my chest. Here’s what I can share.
There will be a name change. I’m not quite ready to announce yet. Soon.
There will be a change in mission/coverage area (it prompted the name change). Instead of just Salem-Keizer, we’ll be expanding to cover Marion County.
SKP will still be a digital newsletter, but will produce more than news & insight. We’ll be building useful, digital tools to keep community better informed and equipped.
More frequent & consistent writing and posting in 2023. At least 10x a month, or 120 posts/year.
At that rate, an annual subscription ($50) would mean subscribers pay about $0.42 per issue
Growth in 2022 was all organic. In 2023, we look to drive aggressive growth that will create a publication that can sustain itself financially. Our goals, broadly described, are as follows:
2,000 paid subscribers by the end of 2023 (we currently have 12)
15,000 overall subscribers by the end of 2023 (currently at 81)
Most importantly, more publicity and exposure for groups & businesses in Salem, Keizer, and Marion County that are doing good work, with preference for:
Mutual aid groups
Groups that operate independent of religious affiliation (or religion plays no role in the services they provide)
Businesses that operate to serve community and provide support to marginalized populations
When I’m ready to relaunch for 2023, here’s how you can help:
If you are a paid subscriber, renew your subscription when it comes up.
If you are a free subscriber, consider a paid subscription in 2023.
Word of mouth - tell your friends.
Let me know if you have a story or issue you think I should dig into! Email salemkeizerproletariat@gmail.com