π Hi Reader,
An incredible number of new newsletter operators that I speak to follow this pattern:
They launch their newsletter with gusto and enthusiasm.
They write it for a few weeks without dropping a beat.
And then, in a few months, they see other newsletters copy their ideas, format, even the color palette. They find that copycat versions make more noise, especially online, racking up subscribers.
And their confidence deflates quickly.
My response to them: If you are getting good at what you write about, the copycats always come.
But one thing is for sure: they almost never stay.
Let me give you an example why.
You know Airbnb, right?
Airbnb was still finding its feet in 2011, when a company called Wimdu appeared almost overnight in Europe. The Samwer brothers (from Rocket Internet) raised a lot of money, hired a lot of people, and threatened Airbnb's brand if they were to enter Europe.
Brian Chesky, Airbnb CEO, had a choice to make: Acquire them, or continue doing what was already working in Airbnb.
He chose to ignore them and doubled down on building the 7-star service they had in their value system.
Eventually in 2018, Wimdu shut down. We all know where Airbnb is today. It's still going great and is now a multi-billion dollar company.
Watch Brian's quote on how Airbnb handled the copycat scenario in this Youtube clip below.
βGetting copied is great news
The subject line comes from Brian's response to his Sequoia investors. And it makes a lot of sense.
The initial momentum someone gets from copying your idea is short-lived, because they do not have the same conviction in your idea as you do.
You may not always get credit for being first. But you will always get credit for why you started out and why you kept putting in the reps for years.
Good talk Renga. What do I do about these copycats?
In my limited experience running LetterStack, there are 3 things that have held up well in the long term:
1. Keep up the publishing cadence
Do not slip up on the consistency in putting out the work that drew subscribers to you in the first place. Let your readers not get the impression that you have lost track of the conviction you had when you started.
2. Double down on reader engagement
Your copycats might rack up subscribers with paid media and influencer partnerships, but they cannot make them stay subscribed, like you do. Talk to your readers regularly, take feedback and acknowledge their presence every time you put out a newsletter issue.
3. Make sure the reader knows who you are
AI-generated newsletter content might have its day, but it cannot match up to a human sending out a heartfelt note to their audience. Make sure that your readers know there is a human behind the email, because as cringe as it might sound, people like to hear from like-minded people.
Are you going through a similar crisis of faith and conviction, on seeing your newsletter idea getting ripped off online? I would love to talk to you.
Let me know by hitting βReplyβ on this email, or send a note to marketing@letterstack.co.
This newsletter is sponsored by The Alien Design
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Cheers,
Renga from LetterStack
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