Understanding Our Audience: Insights from the "Lessons" Community Survey
As many of you know, we aim to craft content for the "Lessons Community" that aligns with our diverse audience's experiences and current needs, addressing industry trends and their business and professional challenges.
In the last week we conducted a readership survey to better understand the composition of our community. The results provided me with some valuable insights into the professionals who read and engage with our blog.
The survey results aligned with our expectations. Over the past 33 months since I started writing this blog, my advisors and I have noted the following trends:
The most substantial segment of our readership continues to be founders and entrepreneurs.
Founders, entrepreneurs, investors, and board members collectively comprised nearly 60% of those who participated in the poll.
Slightly over one-third of respondents were CEOs, executive leadership team members, or startup employees.
The remaining participants, just under 10%, were students and individuals from other categories.
The Substack polling feature, while useful, has a significant constraint: it doesn't allow for multiple role selection. This is problematic for the "Lessons" readership, as many subscribers juggle various professional roles. For instance, some may be both board members and founders, others might be CEOs who also invest or serve on boards, and some could be CEOs who identify as entrepreneurs. This restriction hinders our ability to paint a truly accurate picture of the audience's multifaceted professional identities.
What This Means for the “Lessons” Audiences
As you will see from the following analysis, the "Lessons" audience has specific needs but also gains value from content with broad applicability:
Investors and board members: We will continue to offer in-depth analyses and insights to help investors make informed decisions and effectively support the startups—especially in the AI, cybersecurity, blockchain, and dev tools sectors—in their portfolios.
Founders and entrepreneurs: Since this segment unsurprisingly forms the largest part of our audience, we will focus on practical—aka “operational”—advice and lessons learned from current startups and my own experience. The goal is to provide the knowledge and inspiration they need to navigate the entrepreneurship journey.
CEOs and executive leadership teams: We will continue to include leadership strategies, organizational development, and effective management practices to help them gain an edge. We aim to equip them with the tools and insights necessary to lead their organizations with confidence and foresight.
Startup team members: We will provide content covering team dynamics, organizational behavior insights, and best practices. Our aim is to support their professional growth and enhance their contributions to their respective startups.
Students and others eager to learn: We will offer educational content, industry overviews, and insights into emerging trends to help them prepare for their careers. By nurturing this segment, we hope to inspire the next generation of entrepreneurs and industry leaders.
I’m excited to continue this journey with our diverse and dynamic readership. Your engagement and feedback are invaluable as we strive to deliver content that informs, inspires, and empowers each of you in your respective roles.
Thank you for being a part of the “Lessons” community. We look forward to growing together and supporting each other in the ever-evolving world of startups and innovation.
Please feel free to share your thoughts and suggestions about “Lessons.” Your input helps me create content that truly resonates with you!