How do I find out if a newsletter depends on its founder’s personal voice?

Start by reading. Take a handful of the strongest issues and underline the lines that only this writer could have written: personal stories, opinions, jokes, the “I” voice. If the content is mostly information that another capable writer could produce, the risk is lower. If readers are there for the person, it is higher.

Then look for natural experiments. Was there a guest writer, a holiday issue or a stretch when the founder was away? Compare clicks, replies and unsubscribes for those issues with the usual ones. Ask the seller to share reader replies and reviews, and notice whether they mention the founder by name or the topic.

Ask about the business around the newsletter. Do sponsors, speaking invitations or product sales come through the founder’s relationships? Will the founder stay on for a stretch, as a writer or an adviser, and on what terms? Ask your lawyer how a non-compete or consulting arrangement would be written, since those are matters for a contract, not a handshake. A founder who has already trained a second voice is a good sign. Ask to meet that second writer, and read a few of their issues alongside the founder’s, noticing whether readers replied just as often.

Key takeaways

• Mark the passages that only the founder could have written.
• Compare issues written by someone else with the usual ones.
• Ask whether sponsors and sales come through the founder’s personal relationships.