Memorable Correspondence - CM #31
Great memorable correspondence, fonts catalog, open-source alternatives. Plus 3 data-driven opportunities.
Welcome to a new special edition of CM.
As anticipated in the last issue, starting with this one, the special content normally included in the Premium edition will be now accessible to everyone.
This special content is made up of real-world examples of online projects that generate a profit by organizing existing information and resources.
Now, not only free subscribers have access to it, but - with AI assistance and suggestions - I have significantly improved the section dedicated to exploring open opportunities that these project seem to leave on the table.
My goal is to contribute to showcase and highlight inspiring, useful and practical examples.
My expectation is to get you excited to the point where you seriously start to consider the many benefits that these types of curation projects carry with them.
Premium subscribers to this newsletter:
a) can contact me and ask me questions privately, and
b) get access to the new mini-apps for curators and indie entrepreneurs that I am building with AI assistance and releasing monthly. First one (Web Page Time Detector) is ready and will be released in the next 24 hours.
c) receive the Curation Monetized Database Catalog containing 100+ real-world examples of successful curation-related commercial projects (annual subscribers only).
d) support, encourage and message me discretely to continue doing this type of work.
In this issue:
3 Data-Verified Curation-Based Business Opportunities
3 Real-World Examples of Curation Monetized
Data-Verified Curation-Based Business Opportunities (3)
In this section find curation-based niche business opportunity keyword-ideas validated by data. Selection criteria are: min 500 monthly searches and keyword difficulty below 20.
These keywords represent concrete potential commercial resources such as directories, catalogs, collections and libraries of specific information or tools for a specific audience and need.
1) Social Media Advertising Examples
Create a growing categorized collection of social media ads examples. Provide ideas and inspiration organized by industry, audience, needs.
Monetizable via:
Advertising & sponsorship
Access to full extended collection
AI-assisted search
2) Restaurant Marketing Best Practices
Compile an anthology of the best marketing practices ever used by restaurants. A collection of tested ideas to draw more customers to any restaurant.
Monetizable via:
Sponsorship
Offer course / workshops on the topic
Roasting of any restaurant marketing strategy with suggestions on how to improve
3) Alternative for Wix
Directory of user-friendly website builders targeted at non-technical people looking to build their own website with a relatively limited budget.
Monetizable via:
Paid to be featured
Affiliate commissions
Data source: BuildTheKeyword (affiliated link)
Curation Monetized Real-World Examples (3)
In this section find real-world examples of existing online projects that generate revenue by organizing existing information, resources or tools as well as additional key opportunities that such projects (or similar ones) could leverage.
1) Catalog of Fonts Used Inside Top Brands Logos
Font in Logo
Catalog of fonts utilized in popular commercial logos.
Niche
Problem it solves: Identifying the fonts used in popular brand logos and marketing materials.
Audience: Graphic designers, brand identity managers, social media managers.
Tech
N/A
Business
Business Model: Advertising, Affiliate Commissions.
Price: N/A
Sold via: N/A
Author(s)
Bardhyl Bytyqi
Curator’s Job: Collect and organize popular brand logos while vetting, researching and identifying the original font/typeface used.
Key Insights:
The original idea of FontInLogo was from the pain of the design team at @azwedo.com had in finding fonts used by well-known brands.
Key Opportunities:
1) Premium Font Matching Service
Offer a paid service where users can upload a logo or image, and the FontInLogo team provides a detailed analysis of the fonts used. Charge a fee per submission or offer subscription packages for frequent users."
2) Directory of Open-Source Alternatives
AlternativeOSS
Categorized index of open-source alternatives to popular commercial software apps.
Niche
Problem it solves: Finding free and open-source alternatives to popular commercial software.
Audience: Computer users, indie entrepreneurs, startups.
Tech
WordPress
Business
Business Model: Advertising.
Price: N/A
Sold via: N/A
Author(s)
Pawel Boguta
Curator’s Job: Gather, monitor and organize by categories all relevant (popular commercial uses) open-source apps available on Github.
Key Insights:
Comprehensive categorization of popular commercial software. Check the good work done here: https://alternativeoss.com/categories
Key Opportunities:
1) Sponsored Listings and Featured Placements
Offer tool developers and companies the opportunity to have their software featured prominently on the platform. Create premium listing packages that include featured placements on category pages, highlighted tool profiles, and badges indicating sponsorship.
2) Affiliate Partnerships with Hosting Providers for Open-Source Software
Create partnerships with hosting services where users can deploy self-hosted open-source tools. Integrate affiliate links into tool listings, directing users to compatible hosting solutions.
3) Newsletter About Great Memorable Letters
Letters of Note
Publication showcasing interesting letters written by or to important people.
Niche
Problem it solves: Learning, entertaining and being inspired by uniquely original correspondence.
Audience: Anyone.
Tech
Substack
Business
Business Model: Paid Subscriptions, Merchandising, Books, prints, live events.
Price: $5/mo for newsletter subscription
Sold via: Stripe/Substack
Author(s)
Shaun Usher
Curator’s Job: Researching, evaluating, obtaining rights to reproduce when required, introducing and contextualizing uniquely memorable letters of correspondence.
Key Insights:
"Letters of Note is a "celebrated project that curates remarkable letters from historical and cultural figures, offering readers a unique glimpse into personal correspondence that has shaped history". (Source: LettersofNote.com)
Shaun Usher is passionately obsessed with letters and memorable messages since he started corresponding to who would be his future wife in 2002. In 2009 Shaun launched his first website, and in 2013 the first of several Letters of Note books was published. Later on live shows were added to the mix, in which some of letters are read aloud by interesting actors, artists and other people.
The "Letters of Note" newsletter on Substack has thousands of paid subscribers. (Source: Substack.com)
Key Opportunities:
1) Educational Licensing for Academic Institutions
Offer curated content packages tailored for educational purposes. Develop thematic letter collections aligned with academic curricula, accompanied by discussion guides and analysis. License these packages to schools, universities, and educational platforms.
2) Curated Letter-of-the-Month Club (Print + Digital)
Offer a subscription box (or digital-only option) where users receive a beautifully printed and annotated letter each month, with:
- Historical background
- Transcripts
- Curator’s notes
- Themed postage stamp or stationery inspired by the letter’s era
- Generate revenue via monthly/annual subscription
Extra plus: Turns digital curation into a collectible, tactile experience
Were these opportunities and examples valuable for you?
If the answer is YES, please do click the heart / like button at the end of this newsletter, so that other people can discover it.
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from sunny-hot Koh Samui (TH)
Robin Good
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Really good material Robin. .. M. Mayer.