---
aliases: ["February 2024"]
Is A: Month
Created at: "2024-02-28"
Belongs to: "[[24q1]]"
Rating: "🤩"
---
# February 2024

## Focus

- Record and edit first batch of podcast episodes ([[24q1-podcast-season-1]])
- Launch [[24q1-launch-sponsorship-packages]] to existing sponsors and new prospects
- Start [[24q1-redesign-newsletter-template]] with improved mobile layout

## Highlights

- Recorded episodes 1-4 of [[24q1-podcast-season-1]] in a single weekend marathon session — exhausting but exhilarating
- Published Episode 1 ("Why Engineering Managers Fail") — 600 downloads in the first 48 hours, way above my modest expectations
- [[24q1-launch-sponsorship-packages]] went live — sent the new pricing deck to 12 existing sponsors and 20 cold prospects
- [[person-matteo-cellini]] closed the first Gold sponsor deal within a week of launch — a DevOps platform company, EUR 2.8k/issue for 4 issues
- Newsletter grew to 36.1k subscribers — the podcast announcement email had a 52% open rate
- First draft of [[24q1-redesign-newsletter-template]] ready — cleaner header, better CTA placement, responsive images

## Reflections

This was the month everything started to feel real. Hearing my own voice on the podcast for the first time was deeply uncomfortable — I hated it, edited obsessively, almost scrapped the whole thing. But then the downloads came in, and the feedback was overwhelmingly positive. People said things like "it feels like you're explaining this to me over coffee." That's exactly the vibe I was going for. Maybe my voice isn't so bad after all.

The sponsorship launch going well this quickly was a confidence boost. [[person-matteo-cellini]] deserves the credit — he positioned the packages perfectly and his follow-up game is relentless. Having a second Gold sponsor in the pipeline already makes the Q2 revenue forecast look strong. February was a month where preparation met opportunity. Best month in a while.
