Dear Readers,
It’s time for a post-ride nap. An off season. A little break.
But before I sign off, I’d like to share a bit about why I started The Lunch Ride, and why I’m putting it on pause.
First off, some thanks are in order.
Thank you for reading The Lunch Ride every week.
Thank you to those of you who chipped in for a few beers, and for the brands that have sponsored it. That support means the world to me, seriously.
Why did I start The Lunch Ride?
I started this mid-2022 as an experiment to see if short-format cycling tech news highlights could work.
By all accounts it does. And here’s why I think that matters:
Basically, I’m grossed out by the current state of the internet.
Fair warning, this is a bit of a rant, but if you’re curious why I wanted to do something truly different, here you go:
If you want to see the worst of what it’s like writing for SEO rather than the Reader, Google a recipe for anything. Literally, anything.
You’ll see the following formulaic outline of content:
- What is BLANK
- Why you should make BLANK
- Best parts about BLANK
- Ingredients summary for BLANK
- “Helpful” tips for making the best BLANK
…and then, buried way at the bottom under 20 ads that reload and resize the page while you’re trying to scroll, is:
- Actual ingredients list for BLANK
- Cooking instructions for BLANK
Recipes are an extreme example of the worst writing, but reviews for any consumer product are very close. And almost everything else, even general news, is trying their damnedest to catch up.
Mainly, this is because online ad revenues have been plummeting for many years. So websites who rely on ads (which is 99.9% of them) have all resorted to writing for Google rather than actual humans.
They’re attempting to win on SEO to get the clicks from Search so they can show ads so they can collect pennies.
This is why the writing has every possible variation of keyword and keyword phrase crammed into it. No one actually speaks or writes like this, but it’s a last desperate attempt to show up in search.
This is also why almost every site has more and more ads crammed onto it, and ads that disrupt the viewing experience and force page reloads and layout modifications as you scroll. And those God-awful video players that move with the page. These interruptive ads pay better but are basically a big, fat F*&K YOU to readers like you and me.
AI-generated answers in Search Results has made this worse for websites because now we’re less likely to actually click through to the website showing the ads, so those websites resort to ever more drastic efforts to maximize revenue per visit.
It’s a vicious cycle, but it gets worse.
Everyone’s been told they need to maximize TOS (Time on Site). If you’re spending more than a couple of minutes on a site, Google must think it’s important and valuable information because you stuck around, right?
That’s why so many stories are filled with fluff, because they want to keep you there longer before giving you what you came for.
Basically, these factors have ruined content quality almost entirely, everywhere.
It’s insulting, and it’s gross.
How is The Lunch Ride better?
Most bike press releases can be summed up in two short paragraphs with one or two photos.
99% of the time this is all you need to stay on top of what’s new.
When something was truly groundbreaking or interesting, I’d dive a little deeper with more words.
But mostly, I can get the point across very quickly, so you can rip through it and have some cool stuff to talk about on your next lunch ride…which was the point, and the idea for the name.
I call it writing for Riders, not Algorithms.
My friend Stephen calls it “Reader First” journalism.
I like both, and I think it will be the future of successful content, I’m just not sure how it’ll be monetized. Which leads me to…
Why am I pausing the newsletter?
The immense positive feedback from so many of you over the past 2+ years has kept me doing this far longer than I should have.
Basically, this has been my Thursday afternoon and Friday morning for the past two years.
It has been a labor of love. I’ve poured a tremendous amount of time and energy into it, but…
…I’ve made virtually no money on it.
I enjoy building and creating things, and I’m proud of the result and the validation for my concept.
But I’ve been unable to get the financial support necessary to justify continuing.
I’m not a fan of subscription models. Though some outlets make it work, they are few and far between and I don’t think it’s a viable business model for most. I never felt right asking you to pay for my content because I rarely pay for content. For those of you who donated a few bucks recently, I’m so grateful!
For those who haven’t, please consider supporting a creator that you like. You could buy their merch, tell your friends to subscribe, buy from their affiliate links, or just make a donation now and then. If you listen to NPR, use their annual fund drives as a reminder to chip in a bit to your favorite creators, too.
OK, but what about industry support?
Admittedly, I’m a lousy salesperson. Still, and as much as I love the bike industry, and I truly do, most brands are still not in a position to support even the smallest of media.
The COVID boom and bust really F’d things up behind the scenes, and after talking to a few friends in the industry lately, it’s pretty clear that’s not changing anytime soon. I’ve reached out to a lot of brands, but mostly hear crickets. And only a handful (Bike Tires Direct, Wolf Tooth, Ari…THANK YOU!!!) have sponsored a few weeks over the years.
To be fair, many brands donated prizes to support our giveaway promotions (also THANKS!!!). That helps grow subscribers, but not revenue.
This isn’t a knock against any brands, or the people there, it’s just the reality right now and for the foreseeable future. So if you hear bike media lamenting the lack of industry support, their (and my) pain is real.
So, I can no longer justify the opportunity cost of one day per week to produce this newsletter.
I’m not turning the site off, and not closing down the email list, so you’re welcome to stay subscribed. Who knows what might come next…
Post Script
Still here? Sweet!
If you’d like to see how I’m applying a “Reader First” content strategy to a different category, check out Adventurous Way Of Life. And if you’ve been wondering who’s behind all this, you can find me here.
All the best, and thanks for reading,
