It’s the time of the year! I can write about myself again without feeling guilty ;-).
Over the last few years, I’ve made it a habit to share how the year went for me and what next year looks like. This really seems to resonate with you, so I’ll keep doing it until you tell me to stop.
Image Credit: Kevin IndigPrevious annual reviews:
I had five big goals for 2024:
- Hit 1,000 paid growth memo subscribers
- Keep income above a certain level
- Become a better speaker
- Create more time and space
- Keep my weight between a certain number, work out a minimum of four times a week, and pick up MMA.
I’m happy to say that I met all goals except for No. 1.
The Advisory is going really well.
In early 2024, I made an effort to focus on larger, more in-depth engagements and worked with phenomenal brands: Reddit, Alltrails, About You, Toast, and Hims, just to mention a few.
For 2025, I’m opening my calendar again for low-touch engagements. I’ll keep ~ three large clients, but I found really good success and high demand for sparring/office hour-like engagements.
Speaking: Shifting Gears
Image Credit: Kevin IndigThis year, I managed to speak at 10 conferences:
- Recommerce, London (UK).
- Friends of Search, Amsterdam (NL).
- NYC SEO Meetup, NYC.
- SaaStock, Austin.
- Digital Olympus, Eindhoven (NL).
- SMX Advanced, Berlin (DE).
- SEO Campixx, Berlin (DE).
- SEOktoberfest, Kitzbuhel (AU).
- Tech SEO Connect, Raleigh.
- SEOkomm, Salzburg (AU).
Phew, that was a lot! I don’t know how others do it, but that burned me out a little.
My mistake was probably to bring a new deck and topic to every event. Anyway.
Image Credit: Kevin IndigMy hypothesis for taking on many speaking engagements in 2024 was to grow my subscriber base. Unfortunately, the impact wasn’t as strong as I had hoped.
I had a ton of fun and met awesome people, but any speaking gig was outmatched by a good post. The SEOzempic Memo led to almost 150 new subscribers, which is about as much as a good presentation would drive.
That’s why I’m changing gears next year.
In 2025, I will set a strict limit of five conferences, focus on non-SEO conferences, and ask for a speaking fee of $5,000 + travel cost + accommodation (with one to two exceptions).
The reason is simple: It takes a lot of effort! Speaking takes a ton of time that I could spend with my family and invest in client work.
The ROI of speaking for free (or travel cost covered) isn’t there when you consider about 30 to 50 hours of preparation plus travel time.
I’m not even talking about paying experts for help with research and working with a speaking coach (who has been amazing).
I don’t get nor want any business from SEO conferences. It’s been fun-positive but ROI-negative for me.
Growth Memo: Going Video-First And Other Changes
Image Credit: Kevin IndigHow it’s going:
Growth Memo has done well this year. The free newsletter topped 16,000 subscribers, which is more than I projected (13,700 to 15,300).
Top 10 most-read articles:
I also started an experimental WhatsApp group that already has ~450 members, where I share my research as I find it (check it out). I feel so grateful and proud about how well it’s growing!
Image Credit: Kevin IndigI widely missed my goal for the paid newsletter, though. I had hoped for 1,000 paying subscribers and barely made it over 300.
Don’t get me wrong – 300 premium subscribers is basically an average American salary. However, that number needs to grow.
I make 80% of my income from advising, but writing and researching take up about two days of my week.
Here’s how I plan to accomplish that in three ways:
1. New: Video First
When I started to do live streaming sessions for premium subscribers in which I shared my latest research and observations, numbers started to pick up.
I also strongly believe that video is where the action is: LinkedIn added a video tab. Youtube is the No. 1 podcast platform.
Lots of stats that I shared in my annual review show that even B2B buyers want more videos from companies.
Probably most important is the fact that LLMs are getting so good at writing that video creates a much more human connection with audiences.
So, starting in January,
- The premium offering consists of two live sessions a month.
- The free Memo comes with a video in the email and Youtube.
- I’ll experiment with short-form videos throughout the year.
What I’m working towards is not just an easier way to consume the Growth Memo, but also for you to participate.
I don’t know what this will look like exactly, but I want to turn the experience of broadcasting into collaboration. Stay tuned.
If you’re wondering whether Kevin has gone full creator mode, the answer is no. I’m still an advisor who shares his insights and experience. But I think video is the format du jour. And it’s time to adapt.
2. New: Publishing Calendar For The Free And Premium Version
I’m taking off two weeks in the summer and two weeks in the winter time to recharge and get a head-start on publishing.
In fact, I’m already taking off for a winter break this year. The next Memo comes out on January 6.
In 2025, I’ll likely take two weeks off in August and the last two weeks of the year again.
I’ve created an overview of free Memos and (paid) Live Sessions: 2025 publishing calendar.
3. New Topics
Let’s be real: SEO is not what it used to be. Yes, tech SEO is still important for large sites, and too much mediocre content still bites sites in the rear end during Core updates – nothing new on the Western front.
However, with brands getting preferential treatment in many verticals, the rise of Reddit, rogue core Updates, AI overviews, and AI chatbot search, the landscape of Search has made a profound leap.
Not only are new user interfaces powered by AI sprouting up left and right, but Google itself is evolving after almost 20 years of incremental changes.
On top of that, YouTube gets more attention than ever before, Reddit is one of the largest sites on the web, and podcasts enter a second wave of popularity.
If I want to continue covering Organic Growth, my attempt to find a term for all the non-paid marketing channels and activities, I need to expand the scope of this newsletter.
So, expect more diverse topics in non-paid marketing in 2025. I know that most Growth Memo readers care deeply about SEO.
I won’t abandon SEO but introduce you to new topics to help you become a better marketer.
And with that, I’m checking out for the rest of the year.
Until 2025,
Kevin
Featured Image: Paulo Bobita/Search Engine Journal