25 years of showing up.
How Seth Godin changed the game, one post at a time.
Today, bestselling author Seth Godin published his 10,000th blog post. This milestone marks 25 years of daily writing that has generated 2 billion views and 3 million words. It's the embodiment of the Permission Marketing revolution he introduced in 1999 that transformed how creators and businesses connect with audiences.
Seth didn't just write about permission marketing – he lives it. His blog and corresponding newsletter represent perhaps the longest-running and most successful demonstration of the very strategy he introduced to the world 25 years ago.
When Seth began his blog in 1999, email newsletters were still a novelty for most businesses. The internet was young, social media didn't exist, and marketing was still primarily about interruption – TV commercials, telemarketing calls, and print ads designed to grab your attention whether you wanted them or not.
Seth saw a different path.
The strategy of permission
In his groundbreaking book Permission Marketing, Seth introduced a radical concept: what if, instead of interrupting people, marketers created value so compelling that audiences would ask to hear from them?
While this approach may seem obvious today – especially to many of you Substackers reading this – it's easy to forget how revolutionary it once was. Seth didn't just predict the future of marketing: he helped create it by demonstrating its effectiveness day after day, one post at a time.
The power of strategic consistency
We’ve had the great fortune of partnering with Seth on his latest book This is Strategy. During the launch process last fall, we got to see for ourselves how his strategic thinking plays out. While it's easy for most of us to get caught up in the task-of-the-moment, Seth is always looking around the next corner, making sure we're all clear where we're heading and why.
This is exactly what he's been doing all along. He's measured success not by viral reach, or fleeting attention, or even by the sales of a given product, but instead by the degree to which he has been able to earn trust and add real value to his readers' lives, day after day.
The result? While others have been vulnerable to the vagaries of search algorithms, social media trends, and rising acquisition costs, Seth has slowly but surely built an intensely loyal audience that he has been able to engage for years in ways other authors are just starting to recognize.
Strategy in action
For This is Strategy, Seth proposed something that seemed counterintuitive: offer a bundle of seven copies to his most dedicated readers. Who would want seven copies of the same book, we asked? Even with the bonus of a really good chocolate bar?
We bundled 1,000 sets, expecting a modest response.
They sold out in a day.
This is what happens when you invest in depth rather than breadth: you have a long-term relationship with individual readers who don't just want to keep your ideas for themselves, they also want to share those ideas with friends and coworkers. The book isn't just a book, it's a tool for initiating great conversations (and of course, always better with great chocolate).
Seth's 10,000th post marks the moment when the world has finally caught up to what he's been practicing all along.
You can see the fruits of the revolution Seth started everywhere today – from authors building platforms through newsletters to businesses cultivating loyal customer communities. In each case, the permission-based approach that Seth pioneered has become the foundation of sustainable success. Those who thrive in today's landscape are those who, like Seth, focus on earning trust first and selling second.
In a world that increasingly rewards short-term thinking, Seth's 25-year commitment to showing up daily stands as both inspiration and challenge. It's living proof that the best strategy isn't about quick wins, but about consistent contribution that compounds over time.
Congratulations, Seth. Here’s to 10,000 more.
You never know whose life you might change with nothing more than the gift of your words.
Almost twenty years ago, I discovered Seth's blog.
His books and his daily writings changed my life (and the lives of countless others).
Seth taught me about stepwise progress.
He opened my heart to possibility and gratitude and encouraged me to pick myself.
I'm a writer today because he cared enough to keep showing up in the service of others.
Here's to the next 10,000, Seth!
Congrats and thank you for your work Seth!
This post changed my life and I love this line: “it matters that you made it.”
Thanks and of course with a classic Seth line to end: “go go go”
https://seths.blog/2018/03/the-podcast-fellowship-a-summer-program/