7-Day Sprint to Halfway Full: Launching ATX Newsletters Community

I make no bones about it—I love community.

Building it, growing it, engaging with the people—it’s all fulfilling.

This led me to think about a community I could start that was something I would truly get something out of myself (because it doesn’t really make sense to start one you don’t enjoy).

I got lunch with my friend Sam Brady and we were jamming about IRL communities and local newsletters.

It was there at the Cosmic Saltillo on 4th street that the idea was conceived…

I have been writing the AITX newsletter every week for the past 8 months.

And so this made total sense to start a community meetup where I could meet people who understand the struggle, the pain, the excitement—you get the point.

This all sounds good, but let’s pull back the curtain on the thought process a bit more.

Planning Phase

Like I mentioned, I have been writing a newsletter for a local audience of 850+ AI enthusiasts here in Texas.

And so when the ATX Newsletters Community came up, I thought “Hey, this would be great to meet other people who do what I do”.

And it does make sense. Why would we not want to get together and share our learnings, insights and just generally make friends bonding over a common passion.

I will also say that when you’re planning a community, it helps to be involved in the great ecosystem beforehand.

I was able to ask a few people to help spread the word. A big thank you to Marc Nathan for sharing with his network.

And again thank you to Sam for pumping it on his LinkedIn as well.

First lesson:

And not just to grow a community—I had no idea I was starting this until the week before I announced it and had known these friends for a while.

To reiterate my point: it helps to actually put yourself out there and surrender to the process of getting involved in the community.

So enough with my thought process, let’s talk about the execution.

Execution Timeline

Day 1-2:

I made the Luma event and calendar on the spot when talking to Sam at Cosmic.

I like Luma for the following reasons:

• Calendar subscriptions

• Event pages are easy to make beautiful

• Customize registration form questions

• Send email updates to people going to events

• Export CSV of attendees and registration answers

So much more I didn’t mention and I can do all this without having to pay at all to start.

Luma is my go-to for starting a new event or meetup hands-down (open to having my mind changed though)

The next day, I spent coming up with the logo, branding and refining the message.

A dash of Midjourney here. Some Canva there. And probably an excessive number hours later and boom, the V1 of the ATX Newsletters logo was complete:

Day 3-4:

I then went to post it on LinkedIn and waited til Monday—it’s best to announce things on the weekday, especially on LinkedIn.

This is where my network helped.

Marc Nathan reposted it, and Sam Brady posted about it on his account.

I also DM’d people like a on X (Twitter).

Exhausting warm connections is great leverage, when properly planned and applied.

Day 5-6:

The next day I decided to keep the momentum going and created a survey and promptly scheduled it for 8:30 am the next day.

This served a few purposes:

Engage while momentum is hot

Get feedback from the members—helping them move up the commitment curve in the community and make it clear they have a say in how this community forms

I can better understand the community I want to serve to make this the best possible experience for them

The Results

*These are results from August 7, 2024.

The results a of writing this are as follows:

• 27 guests registered as going in just 2 days after announcing it

• The spread is diverse—a good portion with 5000+ subscriber lists, a good portion in the middle and more who are looking to start their own.

• Majority of stated goals were mostly to network with other newsletter creators/operators

There is a great balance of seasoned veterans and eager starters.

These diverse perspectives and situations will add a ton of value to our conversations.

Key Strategies

1. Leveraging Existing Networks

2. Choosing a Relevant, In-Demand Niche

3. Rapid Execution & Iteration

4. Creating a Low-Pressure, High-Value Proposition

1. Leveraging Existing Networks

I tapped into established connections like Marc Nathan and Sam Brady, showcasing the power of building relationships before you need them.

2. Choosing a Relevant, In-Demand Niche

Newsletters are not slowing down in my opinion, and Austin's tech-savvy, content-hungry audience was primed for this community.

3. Rapid Execution & Iteration

Moving quickly from idea to implementation maintained momentum and excitement, preventing the project from stalling due to over-planning.

4. Creating a Low-Pressure, High-Value Proposition

I wanted to focus on facilitating connections and knowledge sharing, making the community appealing to newsletter creators at all stages.

Lessons Learned

1. Have a bias towards action

2. Enthusiasm is underrated

3. Personal networks are invaluable in community building

1. Have a bias towards action

People clearly wanted a community like this—yes I executed swiftly but the people were there all along.

I’d say being observant of the communities you see that don’t have a space yet is abetter way to think about it.

2. Enthusiasm is underrated

moving quickly and making things look as official as you possibly can in a short amount of time is the most you can do to convey to others you are committed to giving them a good experience.

3. Personal networks are invaluable in community building.

Understand that they can be powerful tools—use them wisely.

Next Steps

Plans for the inaugural meetup:

I will be helping people connect by ensuring they at least each one type of attendee:

• Someone looking to start

• Someone with 5000+ subscribers

• Someone who’s monetized

• Someone who hasn’t monetized

Sustaining and Growing the Community

A newsletter aggregating highlights from community member newsletters

Guest articles by community members, sharing tips and insights

Conclusion

This 7-day sprint to launch the ATX Newsletters community shows the power of:

• rapid execution

• leveraging existing networks

• addressing unmet needs in a community

The key success factors (bias towards action, enthusiasm, and creating immediate value) can be applied to community building in various niches and industries.

As I move forward, the potential for this community is immense.

We're not just creating a space for newsletter creators to connect—we're fostering an ecosystem where ideas can flourish, collaborations can form, and friends can be made.

The journey of ATX Newsletters is just beginning, but if these first 7 days are any indication, we're in for an exciting ride.

This experience reaffirms my belief in the power of community and the impact that can be made when passionate people come together around a shared interest.

As it continues to grow and evolve, we'll stay true to our core mission:

This breakdown is Part 1 in a case study series I’ll be doing over the coming weeks and months to share the learnings, obstacles and more with anyone interested in starting their own in-person community.

‘Til next time, much love and peace y’all 🤠