Introducing Inside Medicine Premium Content!
I'm expanding Inside Medicine...and I hope you'll join me!
Dear Inside Medicine subscribers,
I’m here with exciting and important news that I want to let you in on before it “goes public.”
For the last 9 months, Inside Medicine has been a free service, twice per week. That’s not changing! This newsletter continues to be an honor and a joy for me to write, and with your help, we’ve reached over 1 million site visits and over 15,000 email subscribers. More important than any numbers though? My actual individual readers, which includes intelligent people who care about high-quality reliable medical and health analysis (you!)—not to mention respected colleagues, experts, journalists, high-ranking officials at places like the White House, the CDC, the WHO, and beyond.
Yesterday, Inside Medicine inaugurated a Premium Content section for paying subscribers. As existing subscribers, I’m writing to let you know about this now so that you can get a lower rate if you sign up now. It’s my way of saying “thanks” for being with me so far.
If I had you at “hello,” and you want to be one of my first Premium Content Subscribers, here’s the link: https://insidemedicine.bulletin.com/subscribe
Here’s the plan. Today we did a “soft launch.” That means that other than here, I won’t be promoting the Premium Content section at first. As existing free subscribers, your price will be $5.99 per month or $59.99 per year. Sometime in May, the price points will increase to $7.99/$79.99. So, by subscribing now, you’ll be locked into the lower rate. When the price goes up, you’ll still pay the lower rate.
What to expect?
•Premium Content articles. I’m calling this "Inside Inside Medicine." What happens after I publish an article? Lots. Sometimes I get comments that are so insightful that they should be shared with the community, as well as my responses. Sometimes, after I publish, I realize that there are more considerations worth sharing for people who want to go deeper. Many of my articles lead to discussions with experts in the field and powerful government officials, and whenever I can, I want to share that with you. Premium Content articles will also be where I write more about my life as a practicing emergency room doctor. When I started Inside Medicine, I promised to take you into my life as a physician. The truth is there is so much to write about in the world of medicine in general, that I often skip the part where I tell you about what I’m seeing in the hands-on part of my work. What’s it like intubating a Covid patient? Or even everyday things like how I approach a patient with an unusual headache. How do ER doctors think about problems? How do I train my outstanding Harvard Medical School students and residents to “think” like an ER doc? I’ll go there. Some of these articles will be full-length pieces, and some might be little "notes from the field." I'm going to experiment and get your feedback.
•Subscriber-only group. You’ll be automatically registered into a private Inside Medicine group on Facebook for premium subscribers only. At least once per month, I’ll do live videos there. We’ll talk through what’s on my mind, host interviews with major voices in medicine and health, and answer your questions. (That last one is key!)
FAQs.
•Do I need to be on Facebook to be a Premium Content subscriber? Yes, for now. I’m told that Bulletin/Facebook/Meta is working on a way for those not on Facebook to be able to become paid subscribers to Inside Medicine. When that happens, I’ll let you know for anyone who wants to be Premium Content subscribers but aren’t on Facebook.
•What happens when the price changes? If the price for a Premium Content subscription goes up, you’ll still pay the lower price (i.e. you are grandfathered into the rate you signed up at). If the price goes below what you’re paying, you’ll get the lower price!
•Will you change the Premium subscription offerings over time? Yes. I anticipate making changes, which I’ll let you know about ahead of time. This flexibility means I can try new things and sunset things that aren’t as popular. In fact, I’m eager for your feedback on what you like and what you’d like to see changed or added. The point of this is bringing us closer together. I’m open to suggestions!
•Why are you doing this? There are three reasons, all of which are sincere. First, all the market research I’ve reviewed suggests that creating a tiered subscriber system makes it easier to identify and interact with the most engaged members of a community. That’s exactly what I want! Second, by adding the Premium Content option, I’ll be able to bring in other trusted voices, including some of the young frontline practicing physicians who wrote for Brief19, my Covid-19 newsletter from early 2020-to-mid-2021. These folks did amazing work, and with a Premium option, we can actually pay them. (We’re all grateful for their volunteerism, but the right thing to do is to pay them, right?! Let’s do it.) So one goal is to create paid writing opportunities on Inside Medicine for emerging voices, which we will all benefit from. This will make that possible. Lastly, I want to make Inside Medicine sustainable. To keep Inside Medicine going in the long-term, I’ll need to create a model that works. I still see patients but my work on Inside Medicine means I am in the ER fewer days each month—though still enough to have my finger on the pulse, literally and figuratively! A free-or-premium model means that I’ll be able to keep doing this all for you with the high standards I hope you have come to expect from me, for years to come.
•What if I want to keep subscribing to Inside Medicine, but I don’t want to pay for Premium Content? No problem! Inside Medicine will continue to be free at our usual frequency, which is around twice per week, on average. If you don’t choose to sign up for Premium Content, nothing will change for you.
Closing thoughts.
Many of you have been with me for a couple of years—since Brief19 started—and others recently subscribed to Inside Medicine (Welcome!). I know many of your names and I consider you fellow travelers on this journey. Yes, it’s hard work, but it is deeply rewarding, and I am so grateful for the opportunity to engage your minds on challenging topics that matter so much to all of us.
With your help, we can keep Inside Medicine going for a long time. I’m hoping you’ll join the Premium subscriber community now so that the conversations and interactions can be robust right off the bat.
To subscribe now, click here or copy https://insidemedicine.bulletin.com/subscribe into your browser.
I’ll also send a couple of reminders over the next few weeks, so that you remember to sign up while the price is still lower.
Please let me know if you have comments or ideas. I'm building this for all of us!
Above all, stay safe and thanks for being such a great group of brilliant readers.
Yours,
Jeremy