The Shortcut: I quit my job to help you find tech

I'm writing The Shortcut, a tech newsletter to simplify your life

Goodbye TechRadar, hello The Shortcut

There’s a good chance I’ve either helped you find a PS5 or Xbox Series X restock, or I’m helping you with that right now. Sometimes I’ve shown up to help you in person.

You, in return, have given me enough support – to the tune of one million loyal Twitter followers – to do something completely rash: I just quit my job to help you find tech.

The Shortcut is a newsletter to simplify your life. I'm here to tell you what technology to buy and how to save money and time – right in your email – but with a few twists.

What’s in it for you?

✏️ Real journalism – What’s going on behind the scenes at retailers? What are manufacturers doing to address supply constraints? Too many scammy sites have been running articles with just affiliate links – sometimes lifting from my exclusive reporting without credit – and they have no intention of helping you. “Is it in stock? 🤷‍♂️ Keep clicking so we profit!” I’m here doing on-the-ground reporting. Thanks.

🚨 Restock alerts on Twitter + email – This isn’t going to change and alerts will be free. But… now I’ll also email you when I know of PS5 restock dates and other restock times far enough in advance.

🛍️ Discounts – never pay full price – I have a knack for finding sales. I just bought a Mac Pro for $4,000 off! When you get a console, what’s next? I want to be there with deals for PlayStation Plus, Xbox Game Pass, and whatever else you need.

💬 1:1 conversations – When you think of buying tech, I want you to turn to me. Are you going to 🏷️ Best Buy? Message me your questions. I’ll be streaming live on YouTube twice a week to help you with tech questions. I’ll also let subscribers leave comments on my Substack articles.

💸 Black Friday deals – I’ll list Black Friday and Cyber Monday discounts so you don’t overpay or waste time surfacing the best deals. Leave it to me.

📚 Guides to buy hard-to-find tech – How can you actually check out with a PS5 from GameStop, Walmart, Best Buy, etc? What about GPUs? I have in-depth guides on how to do that at each store.

🎁 Epic giveaways – I’ll give away PS5 Disc, Xbox Series X and the Nintendo Switch OLED in November, especially in the lead up to Black Friday. Subscribers – free and paid – are able to enter the giveaways… and there will be multiple winners.

💻 Review FAQs – No one wants to read a 10,000-word review. Often, people just want to know “Is this good? Should I buy something else?” Expect slimmed-down reviews at the top and, if you want more, scroll-friendly testing FAQs at the bottom.

📺 What to watch/play this weekend – After a long week, you might ask: what is there to watch or play? To save you time, I’ll catalog what’s new and what’s hot on Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney Plus, Hulu, HBO Max, PS5, Xbox Series X and Nintendo Switch.

How you can help me

Subscribe and refer The Shortcut to your friends

I want to meet you at the platform of your choice

If you’re interested in how this got started, keep reading. If not, I’ll see you on Twitter and for the big PS5 + Switch OLED giveaway this week to celebrate today’s launch.

Wait. Why risk everything?

Matt Swider (tracking PS5 / Xbox / GPU restock) @mattswider

Yes, I'm live blogging for you all from a ♻️recycle bin. Anything for a story to help people get a console!

The Shortcut is also the biggest risk I’ve ever taken, having had a steady job as US Editor-in-Chief at TechRadar and loving my nine years there. I tested cutting-edge gadgets, got to travel all over the world and worked with such an awesome team.

But I wanted to get back to crafting stories and chasing sources – original reporting. I slid away from that, first as the Managing Editor, then US Editor-in-Chief, even if I loved those roles. I was recently offered the job of Editor-in-Chief at Gizmodo but foresaw the same managerial future. It wasn’t for me.

🎸My Bruce Springsteen analogy

“That’s the way traditional publications work. The money is in management,” a close friend told me. My response: “But why? I’m doing my best work right now.”

I came up with this analogy: “It’s like saying to Bruce Springsteen: ‘Hey, Bruce, congrats on all of the Grammys, the platinum albums and the millions of fans. You’re bring promoted to tour manager of the E Street Band.’”

I’m not ready to retire into management – not yet.

I’m here to help.

A personality-driven bandleader / Editor-in-Chief

Substack is a newsletter platform that turns the traditional media concept on its head. I get to be the bandleader (of a one-man band) and still have a lot of fun immersing myself in tech to help you. YouTubers do this well: Marques Brownlee is still front-and-center of MKBHD despite staffing up. Linus Sebastian from Linus Tech Tips has done that for years. Rich DeMuro does this at KTLA and affiliates. It works.

My work ethic has enabled me to risk everything to start The Shortcut

Why can’t written publications do the same? Nilay Patel and Dieter Bohn of The Verge come closest to the idea of being managers without fading into the background.

My work ethic has enabled me to risk everything to start The Shortcut – putting much of my life on hold to help you and often replying to 1,000 messages per day – all to track game consoles and other hard-to-find tech 24/7.

The next phase begins now. I hope you can come along for the ride.

So… how will this make any money?

This Buzzfeed News article changed everything (Buzzfeed News / Gabby Jones)

Oh. Right… That whole paycheck thing I’m giving up… 😬 💸 ➡️ 💨

With one-million grateful Twitter followers, I’m constantly asked if I accept donations. I’m still against accepting donations outright. It has to be in exchange for content.

• Premium content on Substack – I’m asking for a $5/month for Substack articles with the little 🔒 next to the headline. Things that take me days and considerable expense to report. Other reports will be free. Twitter alerts will remain free.

• Affiliate links – Full disclosure: some of the links I put out there will make me money (they used to make someone else money, as I’ve always stated in my Twitter bio). It’s a fraction of what’s paid at checkout and never paid by you (retailers are on the hook). I’ll have someone else handle these affiliate deals.

• YouTube – Ads don’t mean much, but YouTube Live Stream Super Chats bring in some revenue, which I plan to use exclusively to cover the cost of giveaways (otherwise it’s too close to donations). The more I bring in, the more I can use giveaways to raise awareness of my accounts and, in turn, gain followers on Twitter and subscribers on YouTube and Substack.

• Freelancing/Syndication – My byline might disappear from other publications. There will be only some overlap between The Shortcut and daily news and reviews outlets. I’ve gotten offers, but I probably won’t decide this until 2022.

Thank you to my enablers

The opportunity to engage with an audience of one million followers is a journalists’ dream – and nightmare. I balance tweeting helpful things, but not tweeting too much since something like 100,000 people have notifications turned on for my account.

The Shortcut on Substack came about after this glowing Buzzfeed profile piece by Joe Bernstein, who called me “The World’s Most Powerful Tech Journalist” – even if I did it by “accident.” 😊 Joe captured everything – the good vibes of people lining up at Best Buy for PS5 based on my exclusive tip, my tireless hustle to help them and the real and very scary death threats from scam artists and resellers who feel like I’m robbing them… of robbing people.

New followers poured in when that article was published, like journalist Saagar Enjeti, who immediately looped me into a conversation with the co-founder of Substack. Saagar and Krystal Ball recently went independent, leaving The Hill’s Rising to start their own show: Breaking Points (I’m now a paid subscriber – thanks for the inspiration to make a similar bold leap, you two).🤞

Casey Newton left The Verge a little over a year ago and started the social-media-focused Substack Platformer (highly recommended). I’m following in those same footsteps and I appreciate his helpful encouragement. 🙏

I didn’t get here overnight.

At age 14, I started a video game news and reviews website called Gaming Target (back in 1999). I learned to be a self-starter at a young age. Well, I’m back at it now. I’ve had wonderful bosses at TechRadar – Gareth, Keith, Jason and Bill G, and Aaron and Zillah at the top – and worked with a supportive global team. How supportive? Just ask about that time I was locked up in Egypt by skimming this wild tweet thread.

Most of all it’s you – thank you.

Without this audience and my sources, I wouldn’t have been able to start The Shortcut.

I’m hoping you subscribe and share so I can continue doing what I do best:

1. Talking about the tech that’s designed to help you

2. Figuring out ways to make your life easier with daily shortcuts