Issue 1
Introducing The Atelier Journal, focusing on the development of a new iOS app designed for managing your Buttondown newsletters.
Hey friends,
Welcome to the first issue of The Atelier Journal, where we dive into the development of Atelier, an upcoming iOS app for managing your Buttondown newsletters. Thanks for subscribing!
More About Atelier
I love email. It still feels like the most personal and direct way to communicate over the internet, even though it sometimes feels like it’s largely been co-opted by transactional messages and spam. It’s not a platform mediated by the whims of weirdo billionaires. It’s just you, and the person reading your message.
For that same reason, I love newsletters. Like, newsletters from real people, I mean — not the newsletters you get automatically opted into when you sign up for some new SaaS product. I love reading about what’s on people’s minds, what they’re working on, and what they’re hoping for.
And, as far as newsletter platforms go, I love Buttondown. I have a soft spot for small indie teams that are very tuned into their customers’ needs, and are trying to operate a kind business that gives back — and Buttondown is exactly that kind of business.
I don’t send newsletters very regularly, but I’m trying to be more consistent with that. One thing that I’ve noticed, though, is that I tend to want to do more idea capture and general newsletter administration while I’m out and about.
So, I decided to start work on a new iOS app for doing just that.
A couple of quick notes:
- Atelier requires access to the Buttondown API, so you’ll have to enable that for your newsletter(s). Presently, API access is only available on paid Buttondown plans.
- I’m still deciding on the pricing model, but yes, you will be able to pay to support development of the app.
Super Scientific Social Survey
In the past, I’ve simply launched apps that scratched an itch. That hasn’t been a great way of trying to run a business, so I’m not doing that anymore, though. Instead, I launched a survey to see what people actually wanted.
Here are the results, with the disclaimer that this was a pretty small sample — sixteen people at the time of this writing.
On average, respondents had 1.75 newsletters. When ask what frequency they typically published their newsletter, this was the breakdown:
- Daily: 0%
- Weekly: 44%
- 2-3x / Month: 19%
- Monthly: 31%
- Other: 6%
The most-wished for features ended up ranking like this:
- Managing subscribers (average rank 2.3)
- Writing/scheduling drafts (average rank 2.4)
- Reviewing analytics (average rank 3.2)
- Topic scratchpad for capturing ideas (average rank 4)
- Share extension for capturing content (average rank 4.3)
- Managing tags (average rank 4.8)
So, some interesting findings there regarding what folks want as a feature. Personally, I wouldn’t have given too much thought about managing subscribers, but my newsletters have a small readership. But I’d love to have a share extension for capturing interesting things (like a bookmarklet might work in a browser), maybe to a “scratchpad” area independent of any specific newsletter in my Buttondown account.
Share More Feedback With Me!
One of the things I love most about email?
It’s a conversation.
So, if you’ve got anything you’d love to see in Atelier, hit the reply button on this email and let me know! Do you have a Buttondown newsletter? Let me know! I’d love to read it.
(If you’re reading this in the web archive, you can add a comment below. And also, subscribe!)
More About Me
Oh, right. Who’s making this thing, after all?
My name’s Angelo, and by day I’m a mobile platform engineering lead at a fintech company. I’ve worked in bizdev, support engineering, implemented and audited ISO 9001 quality management systems, and small business consulting and bookkeeping.
By night, I run my own little software consultancy, called Dropped Bits. I love running my own little business, and writing about what I do and how I do it.
I live in Montreal, Canada, with my wonderful wife and mostly-not-annoying cat, and I’m really grateful to have been invited into your inbox.
And Finally, One Fun Fact
The typeface I purchased for the Atelier website, called Equity, is from Matthew Butterick — who also has a Buttondown newsletter set up! No articles yet, but hopefully that’s coming soon.