> ## Content Index
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# “Don’t compete with yourself.”
- URL: https://www.cjchilvers.com/blog/dont-compete-with-yourself-2/
- Published: 2024-09-08T12:44:23.000Z
- Updated: 2024-09-08T12:44:23.000Z
- Author: CJ Chilvers
- Tags: newsletters, brand

There’s been a lot of great analysis this week of my favorite topic: the fuzzy line between personal and business newsletters.

Josh Spector gave some good advice about [why creating multiple brands is a trap](https://joshspector.com/multiple-brands-trap/?ref=cjchilvers.com) that only multiplies your work and your readers’ confusion. 

> *“If you insist on building simultaneous brands, think about it like this: ‘I want to be known for THIS thing. And once people discover THIS thing, I’ll introduce them to THAT thing.’”*

Austin Kleon wrote about why he thinks [the most important about newsletters is the letter](https://austinkleon.com/2024/09/03/newsletters-should-be-letters/?ref=cjchilvers.com):

> *“What I love most about newsletters is the letter part — the epistle, the missive, the bulletin, the dispatch! What’s going on — in the studio, in my life, in my mind — that’s worth sending out? Worth opening? Worth reading?”*

I agree. Short-term newsletter successes abound, but the real successes (20+ years of engaged readers and customers) come from leaning into the personal. This is why you shouldn’t buy courses from people who went from “0 to 150K subscribers in 6 months.” 

I’d rather buy a course on “how I kept my subscribers engaged for over 20 years.” Most of those creators don’t need to sell courses, though.