I love the name Fritinancy! The pun of it, the fun of it, the metaphor of it. You know those millions of crickets are saying something worth hearing; we just need an interpreter, Fritinancy.
The new logotype is ok-ish; doesn't clarify anything and is too cartoonish; don't love it.
I subscribe to substacks with names that miss the amazing content they hide and others that have terrific names. I find substacks mostly by recommendations, but I end up sticking with them because of content, not names.
Thanks for the call-out, Nancy. Originally, I thought that -- after interviewing a rabbi, priest, buddhist, funeral director, etc. and quoting Woody Allen, Kurt Vonnegut and Homer Simpson -- I would discover the singular meaning of death. I'm an idiot. So, this year I changed the name of the column to Meanings of Death. It's a more honest title and, considering how difficult technical and production work is for me on Substack, relatively easy to change. The modified name hasn't made a bit of difference in terms of readership. Older people still don't want to think about death, and younger people still feel that death is not relevant. They're idiots, too. I agree with Carol Edge that content drives readership; you can change the name of your column to "Crickets" and people interested in the power of language will still subscribe.
This is a weighty decision. Is one detractor really enough to tip the scales towards changing your name? Do you think your current name is holding you back? Holidng others back or leading to unwanted perceptions? If you’re going to change who you are, do it for the right reasons.
Thanks, Anth. Andrea's comment wouldn't have landed with such force if I hadn't already been thinking about whether a more-transparent name would open up the newsletter to a wider readership than the niche audience I have now.
*If I like the content of a blog I'm reading, I for sure want the name of the author. Although a name like "The Rude Pundit" tells me what I want to know about content. (The author is Lee Papa, which is not nearly as interesting.)
"Fritinancy", although intriguing, needs to be explained and tells the first-time reader little about content.
I love Fritinancy! You explain it right up top so not sure why there would be any confusion about it. It’s unique, funny sounding in a cache way, AND includes your name, which is about as good as it gets. So not sure if your editor friends are right. Now, is it an algorithm catcher (kind of like a dreamcatcher)? Maybe not but depends on your goals.
I like FRITINANCY as a name because it makes explicit that the draw here is NANCY -- ideally you'd have a name that hinted at both the author and the subject matter (e.g. my friend's newsletter is "the Lillian Review of Books"), but there's no shame in a blog whose name is just the subject's nom de web.
Not a fan of this wordmark though -- are the uppercase "I"s supposed to have tittles (and why are they so offset if so)? What's with the accent color? I like the font choice but wonder if you'd be better off with just "FRITINANCY" with the FRITI and NANCY slightly differentiated somehow. Or maybe you could throw a cricket emoji in there! He's cute: 🦗
Thanks, Quiara! I'll have a word with my clanker about the wordmark, which is a work in progress. I did experiment with a cricket-ful version but abandoned it: too twee or too literal or too ... something.
Really appreciate the recap of the IRL meetup that I was sadly unable to fit into a busy day/weekend (not sure how I missed it as I do read Local Economy's updates, but probably not as closely as I think). Look forward to following the evolution of your newsletter's name. We've been (mostly online) friends for so long, I'm just so used to it! But I'll be curious to follow your process as you consider switching things up!
There was such a good turnout at Local Economy, and so much interest, that the organizers are considering a regular meetup schedule. Hope you can make it to a future gathering.
I love the name Fritinancy! The pun of it, the fun of it, the metaphor of it. You know those millions of crickets are saying something worth hearing; we just need an interpreter, Fritinancy.
The new logotype is ok-ish; doesn't clarify anything and is too cartoonish; don't love it.
I subscribe to substacks with names that miss the amazing content they hide and others that have terrific names. I find substacks mostly by recommendations, but I end up sticking with them because of content, not names.
Thanks for the feedback, Carol!
Thanks for the call-out, Nancy. Originally, I thought that -- after interviewing a rabbi, priest, buddhist, funeral director, etc. and quoting Woody Allen, Kurt Vonnegut and Homer Simpson -- I would discover the singular meaning of death. I'm an idiot. So, this year I changed the name of the column to Meanings of Death. It's a more honest title and, considering how difficult technical and production work is for me on Substack, relatively easy to change. The modified name hasn't made a bit of difference in terms of readership. Older people still don't want to think about death, and younger people still feel that death is not relevant. They're idiots, too. I agree with Carol Edge that content drives readership; you can change the name of your column to "Crickets" and people interested in the power of language will still subscribe.
Thanks, Michael! I for one have always been *intensely* interested in death, and will continue to read MoD to scratch that itch.
This is a weighty decision. Is one detractor really enough to tip the scales towards changing your name? Do you think your current name is holding you back? Holidng others back or leading to unwanted perceptions? If you’re going to change who you are, do it for the right reasons.
Thanks, Anth. Andrea's comment wouldn't have landed with such force if I hadn't already been thinking about whether a more-transparent name would open up the newsletter to a wider readership than the niche audience I have now.
Ooh, I'm niche? Fancy!
Niché, the new scent, by Prince Matchabelli
Touché!
I really like “Fritinancy!
*If I like the content of a blog I'm reading, I for sure want the name of the author. Although a name like "The Rude Pundit" tells me what I want to know about content. (The author is Lee Papa, which is not nearly as interesting.)
"Fritinancy", although intriguing, needs to be explained and tells the first-time reader little about content.
You've probably considered this type of name, but how about something like "NancyBrands©" or "NancyBranding?" or "Friedman,Nancy?"
*My haughty opinion
My new wordmark includes a tagline to clarify my scope.
Sorry. I usually look and listen before I speak. I presumptuously missed your new wordmark at the top of the page. I like it.
I love Fritinancy! You explain it right up top so not sure why there would be any confusion about it. It’s unique, funny sounding in a cache way, AND includes your name, which is about as good as it gets. So not sure if your editor friends are right. Now, is it an algorithm catcher (kind of like a dreamcatcher)? Maybe not but depends on your goals.
Thanks, Pia! Not sure what "in a cache way" means, though.
Sorry, meant cachet 😂
I like FRITINANCY as a name because it makes explicit that the draw here is NANCY -- ideally you'd have a name that hinted at both the author and the subject matter (e.g. my friend's newsletter is "the Lillian Review of Books"), but there's no shame in a blog whose name is just the subject's nom de web.
Not a fan of this wordmark though -- are the uppercase "I"s supposed to have tittles (and why are they so offset if so)? What's with the accent color? I like the font choice but wonder if you'd be better off with just "FRITINANCY" with the FRITI and NANCY slightly differentiated somehow. Or maybe you could throw a cricket emoji in there! He's cute: 🦗
Thanks, Quiara! I'll have a word with my clanker about the wordmark, which is a work in progress. I did experiment with a cricket-ful version but abandoned it: too twee or too literal or too ... something.
FWIW I really like this new new wordmark!
Really appreciate the recap of the IRL meetup that I was sadly unable to fit into a busy day/weekend (not sure how I missed it as I do read Local Economy's updates, but probably not as closely as I think). Look forward to following the evolution of your newsletter's name. We've been (mostly online) friends for so long, I'm just so used to it! But I'll be curious to follow your process as you consider switching things up!
There was such a good turnout at Local Economy, and so much interest, that the organizers are considering a regular meetup schedule. Hope you can make it to a future gathering.
Re name changes: I've guided many clients through the process, and overcoming the "we're used to it" objection is always tough. No one likes change ... until they do. I've written about this phenomenon: https://medium.com/swlh/why-we-hate-new-brand-names-until-we-dont-aaadf41db001?sk=98760461ea0d9a210f1bac6011150846