My One Year Anniversary
One year of Who Do You Know?
One year ago today I started this newsletter. This was the first one…
Size Does Matter
When it comes to product marketing… size matters. In the crowded world of content, standing out from the latest Kith x John Deere or Erewhon x Greta Thurnberg collab smoothie is hard. If no one cares about your brand… try making it bigger. Here are examples of brands distorting scale to create unique ads and real life activations:
Back then it didn’t really have a name— I just had a lot of sh*t to say and nowhere to put my thoughts.
At first I was really hesitant, putting your opinions on the internet whether it be on a newsletter or a TikTok video is hard at first.
Little did I know it writing that first newsletter was one of the best decisions of my life.
In the time since, I’ve had the opportunity to interview and meet so many interesting, cool people behind my favorite brands, have great discussions with my readers, and figure out how difficult it is to write a daily newsletter while juggling a million other things.
I’ve written this newsletter on planes, in the back of Uber’s, and sometimes literally running down the West Side Highway typing it out on my phone.
In the beginning, literally no one read it. I probably published every day for 6 months before I started to grow any sort of meaningful following.
So if you’re thinking of starting or about to quit: I really urge you to keep going until you find your audience that resonates and appreciates your unique POV.
I really appreciate each and every one of you whose given me space in their inbox, and I promise major things are on the way.
I think I have a couple of Who Do You Know? hats left. Comment if you want one and I’ll ship it to you for free.
Here are a few of my favs from the last year—
Bella Hadid's New Brand is a Tragedy
GM everyone (it’s the night before posting) I am writing this from the rooftop of my friend Tyler’s apartment in Bushwick as he tries on his entire wardrobe and I tell him what to throw away and what to keep.
How Potion is Reinventing PR 🧪
GM everyone! Today’s newsletter we have a very special guest: Juliana Goldman, the founder of Potion PR, a modern day communications agency. We find New York’s foremost PR trendsetters hot off the success of their recent Joe & the Juice campaign, which featured Alix Earle and Paris Hilton.
Why is Jason Stewart on Substack? To Make Money, Duh.
GM everyone. Yesterday really felt like the first full day of summer in NYC. Naturally I had to hit Washington Square Park & St. Jardim.
How to Consult for Brands with Emma Apple Chozick
GM everyone. Today I am speaking with Emma Apple Chozick, former Head of Community and Curation at Thingstesting (where she took the platform from 0 to 100K+ reviews)
Why Does Every Streetwear Store Sell Coffee Now? ☕️
At any given moment in New York City, thousands of people are hitting the streets, heading to their favorite stores… and drinking coffee.
How to Run the 32 Mile Perimeter of Manhattan in 5 Steps
I was meeting friends for dinner at This Bowl in early June when a crazy idea was brought up.
To many more years!
Best,
jake
Jake Bell is a content marketing, creative strategist, designer, and writer based in NYC. He specializes in brand building, content strategy, creative direction, business development, and making things cool.
Want to chat? Email me: jake@jb.studio
Congratulations, Jake! Who Do You Know really is one of my favorites newsletters and it was the first that I started to read daily. Very inspiring to see your journey and how this newsletter has evolved since I subscribed in march/april. I’m sure great things are coming for you, keep it up!!
Huge accomplishment. Congrats!