As they push towards 10,000 subscribers, the idea is still a work in progress. The Russia-Ukraine war has sharpened demand for geopolitical information, so in recent months the newsletter has slightly toned down the jokey edge. But it’s still a long way from Bloomberg or The Economist.
They’re also finding more of their subscribers are now in public policy or adjacent fields. But they are still explicitly, though not exclusively, targeting under 40s – not dumbed down but pared down, presented in the way the Insta and TikTok generations find most palatable.
“We are like all the juice of foreign affairs without the pulp. We try to make it very concise, very user-friendly, reader-friendly,” co-founder Zhang, 35, says from her home in Washington DC.
‘I’ve always been fascinated by media’ … ex-diplomat Helen Zhang.
“Everyone just wants to know, ‘How does this impact me?’ We’re trying to hit that market demand for high-quality…
