Hi there,

A couple weeks ago, I sent out a survey to help determine if I should setup a Patreon for Forrager.

The results were definitely interesting! I'll reveal them below along with my decision.

One finding was very clear: almost nobody is interested in financially supporting what is already free (the podcast and this newsletter).

Which comes as no surprise. I wouldn't be either!

BUT there definitely is a lot more interest in paying for something extra. Over half of the responders who directly said "no" to a Patreon for the podcast/newsletter changed their answer when something extra was added.

I asked responders to rank 6 different ideas for something "extra" I could offer. Here's how the ideas ranked, from best to worst:

1. "Ask me anything" sessions (AMAs) with me
2. Ability to listen to podcast interviews live and ask guest questions in real time
3. Accountability group Zoom calls with me
4. Access to full (unabridged) interviews with podcast guests
5. Choose which types of newsletter emails to receive (e.g. only receive law updates)
6. Access podcast episodes early (before they are publicly available)

It's worth noting that there was a pretty significant separation between the top 3 and the bottom 3.

The ranking definitely surprised me, and it just goes to show that it is hard to predict what your customers/fans will want. You have to ask them!

In my head, I thought people would like the idea of only getting certain types of newsletter emails from me (#5 above). Apparently not.

Ironically, I thought the results would show that people wanted to hear less from me, but they actually showed the opposite!

For instance, I didn't think the AMA idea (#1 above) would resonate much with people, but it clearly did. In fact, over two-thirds of responders ranked it as their 1st or 2nd favorite idea!

Responders also shared a dozen of their own ideas, which were very good and also reinforced the results of the survey.

Overall, the results show that you'd like more direct access to me, which, as I said, is honestly surprising, and also humbling. I guess I still have a good dose of imposter syndrome to deal with!

It's also definitely good to know! You can expect some of these things to show up in 2024, but given that my family is very likely on the cusp of a move in the next 3 months, adding a commitment to my plate right now doesn't seem wise.

If it weren't for that, I'd move forward with this right now, so don't be surprised when it shows up next year. :)

Thanks so much for your responses and support! As we near the end of the year, I hope you're taking plenty of holiday orders, and making time for family amongst all the craziness!

Forraging ahead,

David