In the age of click bait, outrage and social media dopamine hits, how can we slow down and unpack the important issues facing the world?
At the Signal, a US-based, global current affairs brand envisioned for a time of chronic change and uncertainty, it all starts with a question.
“Our articles each unpack an overarching question. We find an expert to go deep into the hypothesis, laying out the topic and exploring it in a systematic but interesting and readable way.” says Hywel Mills (2004, Theology and Religious Studies), the Chief Commercial Officer at the Signal.
Founded in 2021 by John Jamesen Gould, former Editor at The Atlantic, the Signal now reaches over 100,000 subscribers worldwide in its weekly newsletter, with a rich archive of content available to its paying members.
Contributors are experts in economics, global politics, climate change and energy and many other fields, including the celebrated political scientist Francis Fukuyama.
In leading the brand’s commercial and marketing work, Hywel is responsible for growing this global audience and creating a consistent, compelling experience for the Signal’s readers. Currently, around 65% of its readers are based in North America, with the remaining 35% spread across Europe and the wider world.
After studying at Girton College, University of Cambridge, Hywel’s career started in advertising and the non-profit sphere, before he moved to the US to work for the commercial team of the Guardian US. He later moved to work for Atlantic 57, a creative and consulting arm of The Atlantic where he first met John Gould.
After their paths diverged in 2017, the pair reconnected in 2022 and John gave him the pitch for his new media project.
By early 2023, Hywel was on board as Chief Commercial Officer, and the two began bringing forward the vision for the brand – one that approaches the world openly, in a non-partisan style, with a diverse slate of global contributors. So what successes have they had so far?
“We’re getting consistently high open rates on our email newsletter, which means people are coming back and enjoying what we’re putting out there. We’re also seeing an even distribution of readership across the United States, compared with other media organisations where readers are often concentrated on the coasts. We have hypotheses as to why this is, but we have also been asking our readers what they like, what they don’t like, and being open to constructive criticism. We hope to build on this success and that people continue to love what we’re creating.”
In 2024, the Signal also launched a special edition print issue titled ‘The Long Game’, which focused on the global struggle between authoritarian states and democratic life. Features address questions ranging from how autocrats are adapting AI to how corruption inside dictatorships is spreading beyond them.
