Field Notes reached 2,847 subscribers last week, up 6.2% from the prior period. Open rates averaged 24.8% across four sends. The Mar 28 issue on financial intelligence pulled strongest at 27.1%.
Question subjects pulled five more points of opens than recap formats this period. Book-page traffic still claims 41% of clicks, but that drops sharply once the book stops feeling new — somewhere around June.
Top recommendation
Cap question-format subjects at one in three sends.
Question subjects pulled the strongest opens this period (26.4% avg) because they activate Courtney's diagnostic voice. That's where engagement is coming from. But Forge's audience — founders, COOs, CFOs at Series B+ — burns out on curiosity-bait subject lines faster than typical lists, so two months of over-rotation pulls open rates back toward baseline. Pair questions with crisp directive lines.