It’s been a busy few weeks here at Three Point Four Media. We’re finishing up a rebrand and new website for a longtime client and about to kickoff two new projects (one with a new client, the other with a pre-existing client). All the conversations we had in Q3 and Q4 of 2023 are slowly turning into defined scopes of work and contracts. Sometimes it takes longer than we’d like to go from “we should talk, we might have some needs for Three Point Four Media’s services” to signed contract, but the budgets, business goals, and calendars of large companies are out of our control.
This is the “hey, just wanted to follow up and see how things are going, would love to work together when the fit is right” email strategy in action.
Onto the links.
An Article
It’s a bit too on the nose that New York Magazine’s financial advice columnist was the victim of a $50,000 scam. But here we are—the prototypical “this could never happen to me” story.
I vote, floss, cook, and exercise. In other words, I’m not a person who panics under pressure and falls for a conspiracy involving drug smuggling, money laundering, and CIA officers at my door. Until, suddenly, I was.
The moral here is to simply not answer phone calls from unknown numbers.
Bonus Article: Friend of the newsletter Alex Beggs wrote about meatloaf.
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A Project
This one isn’t public facing, but internal. We’ve been doing outreach via LinkedIn to smart and interesting people we would like to work with. It’s not cold outreach, let’s call it warm outreach. We’re not indiscriminately messaging strangers asking them for $50,000, instead we’re using LinkedIn Sales Navigator to identify the right people and then researching their background, experience, and the work they’ve done—and sending a personal note that reflects that research.
No results to report yet—that’s a Q3 update—but curious if any of our readers have tried this approach.
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A Book
I completely forgot that I had requested Emma Cline’s The Guest from the library when it came out way back in May. Just got an email this week that my request was ready—long line! (Three Point Four Media: big fans of the public library.) I am 73 pages into reading the book as of writing this newsletter and it’s terrific so far. Read if you like: Bret Easton Ellis, Joan Didion, woozy descriptions of prescription drugs, books about extremely rich people.
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A Ski Race
It has been a weird and unseasonably warm winter. Nordic ski races across the country have been canceled. The American Birkebeiner (aka the Birkie)—who we did some editorial work for last year—is the biggest ski race in North America and attracts everyone from washed up Olympians to middle aged guys in spandex like me. This year is the 50th anniversary and there is no snow. Thanks to snowmaking, the show will go on: we’ll be skiing loops on a 10 kilometer manmade trail next weekend, then drink beer and eat brats while we watch American gold medalist Jessie Diggins and the pros ski.
In the video embedded above Birkie executive director Ben Popp—who replied to my warm outreach email last year resulting in some work—talks about the history of the race and how they are doing everything they can to make the 50th anniversary happen. Excellent upper midwest accent.
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Noah is back in two weeks.