b3126044e8
- Simplify flatten_vault API to return usize instead of MigrationResult struct - Add KEEP_FOLDERS: attachments/ and _themes/ alongside type/, config/, theme/ - Use HashSet for collision tracking in unique_filename - Update wikilinks from path-based [[folder/slug]] to title-based [[slug]] - Clean up empty directories after flattening - Flatten demo-vault-v2: move all notes from type-based subfolders to root - Update smoke tests for flat vault structure - Remove migrate_to_flat_vault from repair_vault (one-time migration only) Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
2.0 KiB
2.0 KiB
aliases, Is A, Belongs to, Status, Owner
| aliases | Is A | Belongs to | Status | Owner | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Experiment | 24q2 | Abandoned | person-luca-rossi |
Video Format Experiment
Tested whether short-form video (3-5 minute explainers) could work as a distribution channel alongside the newsletter. The idea was to repurpose existing responsibility-content-production into video format to reach audiences who prefer visual content, potentially feeding measure-subscribers growth from a new channel.
Hypothesis
Publishing 2 short technical explainer videos per week on YouTube and Twitter would generate at least 500 new newsletter subscribers over 6 weeks, with a production cost under 3 hours per video once a workflow was established.
Setup
- Produced 3 videos covering topics already published as newsletter essays: system design patterns, engineering management tips, and a career growth framework.
- Used screen recording with voiceover (no face camera) to minimize production overhead.
- Published on YouTube Shorts and Twitter/X with a newsletter CTA in the description and pinned comment.
- Tracked view counts, click-through to newsletter signup, and time spent per video.
Results
- Total views across 3 videos: ~4,200 (mostly Twitter, YouTube was negligible).
- Newsletter signups attributed to video: 23 total.
- Average production time: 5-6 hours per video (scripting, recording, editing, captioning).
- The time-to-subscriber ratio was roughly 15x worse than writing a newsletter essay.
Takeaways
- Video production cost was significantly underestimated. Editing and captioning alone took 2+ hours per video.
- The audience overlap between short-form video viewers and newsletter subscribers appears small.
- Abandoned after 3 videos. The ROI does not justify the effort given current team size and responsibility-content-production bandwidth.
- If revisited, would need a dedicated video editor or a fundamentally simpler format (e.g., talking head with no editing).
- Better to double down on written content and topic-newsletter-growth strategies that already work.