Wrap Up With Analytics, Bizarre Blog Bites, And Surprises From HackerNews And Reddit
As we wrap up 2023, I look back at the most-read posts and some bizarre blog bites.
In 2023, I wrote 52 posts, one for each week. Here's a quick recap for this Substack.
3 Most-Read Posts Of 2023
My top post compared solo entrepreneurship with a full-time product manager role. It got lots of attention after a reader shared it on Hacker News. It reached the front page of Hacker News. 50% of all views of my blog were just to this article.
This post was about switching from a normal keyboard to an ergonomic one. I shared it in relevant discussions on Reddit and Slack communities, which drove traffic to it.
This was my synthesis of my talks with 40+ consultants and agency owners. One reason it was popular was I shared it with people I interviewed and with anyone who wanted to know about starting a consultancy.
My takeaways:
Topic Breadth Matters: The broader the topic, the more it will be read. For example, there will be fewer views to “Customer Journey Maps” and more views to “ergonomic mechanical keyboards”. I see this pattern on my Youtube channel as well.
Distribution Boosts Readership: The more a topic is distributed, the more it will be read. For example, pieces I could share on Reddit or Slack communities got more reads.
Going big on Hacker News is a big deal!
I wrote more of my analysis of how readers discover my content here.
The Bizarre Blog Bites Of 2023
Here are the posts that were most bizarre or extreme in some way or most read in some category.
ChatGPT blog: "How I Ditched No-Code And Used Chatgpt To Launch A Product In 2 Hours" was my most-read ChatGPT-related post. I recounted my exploration of various methods, from hiring a programmer to using no-code tools, before successfully using ChatGPT to build my web product.
Most Bookish Blog: “Measuring a year in books: My 2022 in review (Inspired by Spotify)” was my most bookish post. I wrote about the 90+ books I read in 2022, offering visuals and analytics.
Proud Product Consulting Blog: "Here's How To Map Customer Journeys For Any Product. Ditch The Funnel and JTBD." This was my most informative and instructional blog related to my product consulting and PM work. I was proud of getting to figure out and explain about customer journey maps. I also presented this at the Product Camp Conference in Dublin.
Longest WIP Blog: "Which are the Best and Worst Carbohydrate Foods? Part 2" This blog took me 2 years+ to go from start to finish. I was ranking carbohydrates using KPIs, but realized after 2 years of analysis that the simple approach of using a Glyemic Index was not just the good enough approach, but the optimal approach.
Home Contractors Read This: "Demystifying My Home's Electricity And Gas Heating Expenses In Ireland". This was the blog I showed the most to home contractors. Fo rexample, plumbers, electricians, energy assessors, or heating specialists. I did a detailed comparison of my home’s utility usage against regional averages, and was in shock to see electricity usage 50% higher and gas usage 80% higher than national average.
Most Procrastinated Blog: "Don't Repeat My Mistakes In B2B Feature Launches; Use These 5 Steps". This was the blog I procrastinated the most on, but finally published. I took it through a long process. I started writing it 2 years ago with periods of delay, hiring a writer, shelving, and finally returning to it for completion and publication in 2023. I shared insights into B2B feature launches.
What’s Next In 2024?
Here are some articles coming up:
Make chatGPT write in your style, your tone: step-by-step guide
Navigating behavioral questions in PM interviews
Analysis of my content audience, treating my content as my product.
A deep dive into my macro management and meal prep
Your interest in reading boosts my energy to write. What are your topics of interest? What do you want to read more of in 2024?