Did you miss me?

Hi there, once upon a time I had a newsletter on TinyLetter. Then I stopped writing it. Today, that changes.

New name, new platform (Substack is pretty rad), and hopefully a new commitment to keeping this thing regularly updated. Thanks for staying with me (though, you can unsubscribe if you’d like).

How’ve you been considering the world is significantly different than the last time I wrote to you? A quick update on me:

1. I’ve been baking a lot more. Like, a lot. My little Bakehat side-hustle got a boost from Eater Austin a while ago. I got a little bump in sales, but nothing too crazy.
2. We’ve been saving money not having bars and restaurants open. Unfortunately, Jess got laid off early during the pandemic. More fortunately she’s been able to work more hours with Stitch Fix.
3. Bravery’s work has been slow AF. I expected this as higher ed is supremely risk-averse when it comes to marketing. So despite this being a crucial time to optimize design, website CRO, etc., most institutions are blind to it. Frustrating.

Oh, and I started a podcast with Jon-Stephen Stansel. We’ve already racked up 26 live episodes, and I have at least 3 more due for editing and release. Thought Feeder is primarily focused on higher ed digital marketing and social media, but we’re trying to say the things that don’t get said in our industry. That might be professional suicide, but I’d rather go down trying to change things in an industry I love than waste my time propping up bad practice.

Some of my fave episodes

• Ep. 26 — I talk about how I started Bravery Media as well as the challenges of fighting the public perception of higher ed work.
• Ep. 22 — We’re joined by Andrew Cassel to talk about how video games and Twitch could be used in higher ed marketing and student retention. It’s a fun, uplifting conversation.
• Ep. 18 — The formidable Mike Petroff discusses how to do product strategy in higher ed. I wish more people in the industry would listen to this episode.
• Ep. 13 — Ella Dawson, author and social media manager (formerly of TED Talks, now at Meet Cute), discusses how being the voice behind the brand social account can take a toll on mental health.
• Ep. 12 — My friend Ron Bronson talks about consequence design with us. I think this is an important subject for anyone doing work that applies to people… which is probably all of us.

And we have so many other good episodes with folks like Erin Supinka, Amanda Goetz, Erika Boltz, and Michael Green. And coming up soon we’ve got an episode with Jayde Powell and another with Steve App.

So how are you doing?

Is there anything I can do to help you personally or professionally? I feel lucky to have a personality that lets me not get overwhelmed by everything that’s going on. And I think that means I have a responsibility to help others out. Whether that’s a weekly check-in call or job advice, I’m here for you. Just let me know.

Till next time, I appreciate you.

JGG