Inbox Talks

with Azeem Azhar

Not enough people are talking about email. Or newsletters for that matter. We want to change that. That’s how the idea for those “talks” series was born.

This week we spoke to Azeem Azhar, one of our users with a lot of experience and knowledge when it comes to the world of tech. At the moment, he has almost 12,000 people subscribed to his newsletter. So naturally, we just had to pick his brain about his newsletter, email and digests in general. We’re thrilled he shared his extremely valuable experience with us and our readers! Enjoy!

Please, tell us a bit about yourself!
(What’s your name, what do you do, etc. etc.)

Azeem Azhar. I’ve been a long participant in the internet industry putting my first publications online in the early 1990s. I’ve been a founder of and investor in startups; as well as an exec in larger digital firms. Currently, I’m a VP at Schibsted Media, a global classifieds company, where I look at how we can use advanced technologies.

I also had a period of time at The Guardian and The Economist, where I helped launch early internet services. One of my favorites was “Politics This Week” and “Business This Week”, two newsletters I launched for The Economist in 1997. (You can see the sign-up form here.)

Why did you decide to start a newsletter?

I founded a startup called PeerIndex which was in the exciting intersection of social media, user generated content and big data. Running a startup is relentless, and after our exit to Brandwatch I wanted to broaden my input sources of information and build stronger hypotheses about where the world was going. The best way of understanding what was going on, I decided, was to externalize that knowledge. A newsletter seemed like a good way to do that.

What is the goal of your newsletter?

I’ve been thinking about technology with the appreciation of social science for more than two decades. And I felt that there is a lot going on right now. Much of the debate tends to focus on the technology itself or if it doesn’t-on the lurid scenarios (like super-powerful AI).

There are some common themes which are very relevant to all of us today. And it is impossible to escape technology because as humans we are inextricably linked to it. The Exponential View is just a tour of those themes. The objective is to help people understand the issues and then become participants, not spectators in the world.

How does having a newsletter help your business?

Newsletters are very intimate. They appear in inboxes. They also allow you to create a habit, unlike a blog, when I can post when I like, Exponential View has a Swiss-train schedule. Every Sunday morning. That creates a continuous relationship with our readers.

How do you create your newsletter?

I read a lot and long-list a lot of content. I’m professionally trained in this. As a junior writer you often had to monitor the newswires to evince emerging stories. So I see a lot of content which I consume while commuting or in moments of downtime. During the week I’ll form a hypothesis about the key angle of the week. This might be, for example, what Electric Vehicles do to urban planning, or how AI might change the doctor-patient relationship.

What drives the hypothesis is often related to what I read in a given week. My value add is the inter-linking of pieces to themes. Once I have a long list (usually 10 times longer than the links in the newsletter), I’ll get at it.

How many people subscribed for your digest?

I’m approaching 12,000 subscribers, which has been driven by word-of-mouth.

How does your audience respond to your newsletter?

I get a lot of testimonies and referrals from people. You can find some testimonies here (and even re-tweet one you like.)

The subject matter seems to be very current. Technology is the biggest issue. AI is the biggest thing technology. Climate change is our biggest downside risk. And our relationship between the three is driving our politics.

How do you see the future of email for you and your business?

The motivator is to grow the readership. Please sign-up!

Are there any tips you’d like to share with our readers as to how to make their newsletter better?

• Have a point of view
• Do it regularly
• Write about something you care about.

And then we asked some questions about Revue!

How did you become a Revue user?

A friend recommended me.

What has been the biggest perk of using Revue?

Super simple. It just works. The team is responsive. I like the road map.

Is Revue easy to use in your opinion?

Yes.

What would you like to say to Revue’s team?

Keep it up! I have two features I need:
1. An inline commenting feature so people can easily comment on links
2. Some slightly different analytics

Did you like what you just read? If so, show us by clicking the little green heart underneath!

“Inbox Talks” is a series of interviews that were born to give you some inspiration for your own digest or to show what people have to say about email. Stay tuned for our next session :)