👋 Hi Reader,

I have had the opportunity to see Erik Torenberg up close, albeit virtually.

I was one of the instructors at OnDeck's product fellowship (or ODF as its called), which is the accelerator Erik and Julian Weisser ran in 2023.

I have since followed his work closely at Turpentine and a16z (I also applied for the New Media fellowship and got rejected - boohoo). So when Erik wrote an essay about the first year at New Media at a16z, I naturally spent an inordinate amount of time reading all the angles it took.

Erik Torenberg @eriktorenberg http://x.com/i/article/2067614089514557440 3:15 PM • Jun 18, 2026 77 Retweets 679 Likes Read 89 replies

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And then it jumped out on me.

I think a16z building its portfolio companies as a media brands-first approach is not as new as ‘New Media’ but classic movie marketing at its finest. Let me explain.

When you connect the dots of a summer blockbuster movie backwards, you will see some order of these events unfolding:

1. The teaser releasing first with no plot points given away
2. The director taking about how they have shifted the rules of movie making
3. Then some visionary directors or actors talking about how this movie has changed their perception of cinema
4. And then a few more actors getting to see the rushes and standing outside the theatre and saying ‘Hollywood’s back’

By this time you are wiping the drool out of your face and booking the the first ticket available, even before the trailer releases.

The 3rd and 4th step is where the proof of the pudding is.

For movies. For a16z. And for media brands.

The clique of high-profile stakeholders who build anticipation in the first few waves of marketing matter.

It mattered for Lenny Rachitsky, as he built his first wave of high profile influencing-clique-subscribers for his newsletter at Airbnb and Andrew Chen. Chenell Basilio covered his early growth tactics in detail in her Growth in Reverse coverage about Lenny’s newsletter. By the time Substack launched recommendations, Lenny had collaborated as a guest writer on hundreds of high-profile outlets like First Round Capital already.
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So what’s your point exactly, Renga?

My point is:

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You need not have friends having hundreds of thousands of followers on social. But it comes in handy, if you could collectively have a set of friends who can clamour for attention online.

The question then is not: How do I get discovered?

The question then becomes: Who has the trust of my audience that I am going after?

In a16z’s scenario, Erik and the a16z network becomes the brain trust of the audience that their portfolio founders are going after.

Knowing fully well that their audience is dialed into any media his network puts out, Erik mobilizes the PR/video/writing team to dish out high-production-value content.

Content which federates the trust built by the a16z’s network outward to their portfolio founders, who benefit from the exclusivity that a16z offers.

Welp. I am not on the a16z portfolio. What next?

You can still make it work.

You might have spent years building your expertise in a particular discipline. Years of building rapport with leaders who have spent time working with you, and vouch for your expertise.

Chances are you already sit inside a clique of people that has built-in exclusivity. Offer them a chance for you to contribute something genuinely useful that would benefit their audience.

As this clique builds momentum for the perspective you had given on their respective outlets, there would be more readers outside this clique, that now becomes curious about your content.

You may not have Andrew Chen or Erik Torenberg in your circle, or be part of a16z’s cohort of companies. Regardless, I think you can leverage your circle by giving a part of your expertise generously first to a select clique of people who can vouch for you, and let them talk about your expertise online.

As the frequency of these collaborations builds up, you would see that acquiring the first wave of subscribers is easier than building the social momentum yourself.

Need a sounding board in understanding how to make this happen for your brand? I would love to talk to you.

Let me know by hitting ‘Reply’ on this email, or send a note to marketing@letterstack.co.

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Cheers,

Renga from LetterStack

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