You Will Never Get a Bot From Me:

The one thing I refuse to give up.

I want to tell you the one thing that makes this place different…and then be honest with you about how long it can last.

When you comment here…as a paid subscriber…I read it. And…I reply. Personally.

Not a virtual assistant. Not a team pretending to be me. Not a “thanks for subscribing!” bot with my name stamped on the bottom. Me. The same guy who wrote the piece you’re responding to.

That’s rare…and…it’s rare for a reason. Most newsletters…the bigger they get…quietly stop talking back.

The comment section that used to be a conversation…slowly turns into a broadcast: one voice…aimed at a crowd…echoing off the walls. I understand why it happens. I’ve just made the other call. For as long as I possibly can..this stays a two-way street.

And…here’s where I’ll be straight with you, because you deserve straight.

This is a function of size. Right now…I can still answer almost every paying member myself. My stats show that on each article I publish, I average replying to 72% of every paid subscriber who comments. On many, I hit closer to the 80-85% range.

So, reply, I do.

What percentage of newsletters in the 30-100k total subscribers range…reply to an average of 72% range? Industry experts tell me the real number is likely in the single digits, and certainly no higher than the low teens…at best.

Will it always be that way?

If growth continues…probably not; someday the math will likely win. Someday…in the future…there are simply too many of you for one person to reach the way I reach you now.

I’m just telling you the plain truth: the door is this open today. It won’t stay this open forever.

So…two things, depending on where you’re standing.

If you’re already a paying member:

Thank you. Genuinely. You’re the reason this stays independent…no ads…no sponsors…nobody upstairs…deciding what I’m allowed to say. So don’t be a stranger down in the comments. This is yours. Use it. Talk to me.

If you’ve been reading free and thinking about it:

This is the moment. Not because of a discount or a deadline I dreamed up…but because access this personal is a thing you lock in now, while it’s still this personal. Come inside. Let’s actually talk. 👇

Because that’s what this really is, when you strip it down. Not a subscription. A conversation. And…I intend to keep holding up my end of it for as long as you’ll have me.

#HoldFast

-Jack

Jack Hopkins

P.S. Don’t take my word for any of this. Hit reply to this email right now…one line… whatever’s on your mind…and see what happens. A real person reads it. That person is me. (And, within 48 hours…and likely less…you’ll likely have a reply…from ME.)

Go try that with any other newsletter this size…I’ll wait.