Will Staunton

@denk_tweets @beehiiv Amazing. Been waiting for this (and building janky replacements in the meantime...)

using the @beehiiv MCP is an absolute cheat code for anyone with a newsletter 🤯 I had Claude analyze the subject line and performance of every newsletter I've ever sent. the output: what works: • cultural references / pop culture callbacks (+4–6 pts) • place names and personal moments (+3–4 pts) • internal/company framing (+3–5 pts) • abstract nouns implying motion (+2–4 pts) • conversational/casual (+2–3 pts) what doesn't: • "beehiiv" in the subject (−4–5 pts) • how-to / playbook framing (−3–5 pts) • declarative opinion titles (−3–4 pts) • jargon/neologisms like "Storymaxxing" (−4 pts) • conference/event name drops (−4–6 pts) length by avg open rate: • 1 word: ~40.8% avg • 2 words: 42.1% avg ← sweet spot • 3 words: 39.6% avg • 4 words: 40.2% avg • 5+ words: 38.4% avg it event built a framework ("CREAM") that all my top posts have in common: • cultural reference or callback • real place or moment • events framed as insider access • abstract nouns implying movement • mystery: zero description of what's inside next: I built a Claude skill that utilizes all of this intel and can automatically generate new subject lines (backed by data) for each new draft using the beehiiv MCP. this is the way.

@seanmcginnis @girdley @beehiiv Good luck. Feel free to ping if you get stuck.

@_willstaunton @girdley @beehiiv Sweet! Setting up account tonight. Wrangling DNS as I type this. :)

Three years ago, I drew this on a piece of paper. My plan to 1) build audiences, and 2) build businesses for those audiences. It's still 90% right. What I got wrong is below.

@girdley @seanmcginnis @beehiiv Can confirm @seanmcginnis. Very happy there. It was the right move for us.

@seanmcginnis Killed the separate blog, moved to @beehiiv. My editor @_willstaunton seems very happy with it!

@girdley @20_Bagger This is the content dreams are made of

@20_Bagger .@_willstaunton said I'm supposed to post all the unhinged stuff in my brain.

So, I'm on a ski lift with 5 strangers in Utah. Total silence. Below us ski 6 dudes in Boston Bruins jerseys. I say, "Look at these massholes!" There's a long pause. "We're from Boston," one guy says. The ride continues in silence and I ski off alone.

@_robyn_smith @girdley I agree!

@_willstaunton @girdley This was funny

USA Boss Pro Tip of the Day: Be extra nice to your Canadian employees on Monday.

@_robyn_smith Could have used more Athletic Greens affiliate links on that last one, get that click rate up

I went viral for doing this last year, lots of people hated me for being vain but it was one of the most rewarding things I did in 2025 I’m honoured to say I inspired at least 3 people to start sending letters and I have a 90%+ open rate on my letters This is your sign to start updating your community on your life

Have worked with Girdley for a few years now, and can confirm: this is an amazing opportunity for the right person.

@thesamparr Lots of people saying "musicians actually hate this". From my years in a touring band, it went through phases: 1. Love playing the song 2. Song is fine, like the "live tweaks" we find 3. Bored of this song 4. Crowd singing the song to us? Love it again

A nerdy thing I think about: imagine being 15-18 years old. You're in a band and write a great song. 30, 40 years later you're still playing the same song at your concerts. Ex: Billy joel wrote piano man at 24. He's 76 now, still playing. Another is Billie Joe Armstrong, green day. He's in his 50's and playing songs he wrote at 16. I think that's so cool...making something and benefitting for years but also how a young person makes something so timeless.

Why is the @tenex_labs logo a 9 (IX) ? What am I missing here?

Hot take: all albums should have a "Yule Log" version.

@girdley Not to mention all the fantasy you get in Girdley Plays D&D (your upcoming YouTube special)

I never ask candidates what they will do once they have the job. I spend all my time asking what they've done in the past and how they think about those decisions now. I get plenty of fantasy watching Netflix. Don't need any more in my work life.

@_robyn_smith make this a better tweet

The British switched from beer to coffee → they created the stock exchange SF switched from coffee to adderall → AI?

@charliewrich I will decide how much I agree with you by how many impressions this gets

People complaining about creator payouts are missing the point of this platform Maximizing impressions is the wrong game to play on here. You can make $100,000 a month on this platform if you do it right by building an actual business. Or you could make $500 desperately trying to go viral all the time.

@charliewrich @Expert_DaddyPig D&D + business content is a tough crossover. "@girdley Plays D&D" has yet to survive a creative call

@Expert_DaddyPig I actually don't run that one! A follower of Chase does. But yeah I don't know much about that space, had to look up a few terms just to make that original post that spawned that character

Been experimenting with the Solopreneur life lately I go to an office, sit by myself, and make money But I've been asking myself, "is this how I always want it to be?" Here are my learnings so far: The good: - I'm in full control. I can basically make as much money as I want, as long as I plan & execute properly. It's all on me - I'm not at the mercy of someone else determining how I do. - I'm efficient & focused.. Don't have to commute for 2 hours (I picked an office 12 minutes from my house). Don't have to sit in useless meetings. It really only takes ~4 really focused hours to get a full day's worth of work in. I can have a jam-packed day and be super productive, and still be done by 3pm if I'm efficient. - I'm flexible. I'm not beholden to a meeting on my calendar set by a boss. I can set my calls for whenever I want, and I can also go to lunch with a friend or golf at 2pm if I want. There are zero restrictions on my time. The bad: - I'm missing out on extra energy and ideas by not working with others. If I meet up with someone in person to chat about ideas, I'm inspired afterwards. That doesn't happen sitting in my office by myself. - No scale. I think the concept of scale is overrated in my line of work, but with my current model, I'm capped at around $40k/month. Not bad at all! But I will have to make a change if I want to take a bigger swing at a larger business. - It's boring. I can't see myself having this setup forever. It's like I'm playing a simple game that I've already mastered. Can't keep my mind engaged if I keep playing that same game forever. Will I keep being a solopreneur? I think the answer is no. But I don't know what the next step is exactly. Maybe it's hiring another writer, or working with some clients in person more often.

@girdley Fun fact: Bach was apparently a ripping improviser! Though people playing Bach these days is another matter

You should look at business like it is jazz -- not like it is Bach. The Bach people think there's only one way to do business. The Jazz people know the only rule is that there aren't any rules. Remember this the next time someone advises their one strategy that works. For every rule (i.e., a tweet) they create, there are many exceptions. Many by people more successful than they are. The world is too complex to be navigated by simple rules. In fact, only those who break them are the ones who reap the outsized outcomes.

@_motherslug Gotta be Underworld, right? I still don't know if I'm glad I plowed through to the end or not... I feel like DD would consider that ambiguity a success.

DeLillo, always cookin’: “All the fragments of the afternoon collect around his airborne form. Shouts, bat-cracks, full bladders and stray yawns, the sand-grain manyness of things that can't be counted. It is all falling indelibly into the past.”

For 5 months I’ve quietly been posting 2 YouTube videos a week, today I reached monetization My secret? Team work, thanks to @TyDeemer and his whole team!!!

@_robyn_smith @TyDeemer ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️