# 107: Keepbook

- Show: [Thoroughly Considered](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/thoroughly-considered)
- Published: 2024-01-12
- Length: 53m
- Episode: 107
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/thoroughly-considered/2024-01-12-107-keepbook
- Listen: http://relay.fm/tc/107

## Summary

Tom Gerhardt and Dan Provost of Studio Neat discuss their 2023 holiday season, which featured record revenue driven by paid ads and a new '4 peaks' email marketing strategy using Klaviyo. They detail the launch of the Keepbook, a hardcover notebook featuring 240 GSM watercolor paper, a slip case, and three page layouts, positioning it as a durable, high-quality alternative to Moleskine. Myke Hurley of Cortex Brand shares his experience with the Sidekick Notepad, discussing stock management, pre-orders, and his own shift toward building a more structured email marketing system with Flowdesk.

## Chapters

- [0:07](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/thoroughly-considered/2024-01-12-107-keepbook#t=7) Introduction: Studio Neat and Cortex Brand Holiday Reviews
- [1:03](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/thoroughly-considered/2024-01-12-107-keepbook#t=63) Studio Neat's Holiday Revenue and Paid Ad Strategy
- [2:57](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/thoroughly-considered/2024-01-12-107-keepbook#t=177) Implementing the '4 Peaks' Email Marketing Strategy
- [7:31](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/thoroughly-considered/2024-01-12-107-keepbook#t=451) Cortex Brand's Email Marketing Setup with Flowdesk
- [12:16](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/thoroughly-considered/2024-01-12-107-keepbook#t=736) The Balance Between Metrics and Brand Intuition
- [25:22](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/thoroughly-considered/2024-01-12-107-keepbook#t=1522) Cortex Brand's Sidekick Notepad Success and Pre-Orders
- [33:42](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/thoroughly-considered/2024-01-12-107-keepbook#t=2022) Studio Neat Launches the Keepbook Notebook
- [35:35](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/thoroughly-considered/2024-01-12-107-keepbook#t=2135) Keepbook Specifications: 240 GSM Paper and Layouts
- [45:06](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/thoroughly-considered/2024-01-12-107-keepbook#t=2706) Philosophy of Keeping Notebooks vs. Recycling
- [52:42](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/thoroughly-considered/2024-01-12-107-keepbook#t=3162) Conclusion: Hoarding vs. Memory and Reflection

## Topics

- [Marketing & brand](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/marketing-and-brand)
- [Industrial & consumer product design](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/industrial-design)
- [Direct-to-consumer & e-commerce](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/direct-to-consumer)
- [Pricing, margins & unit economics](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/pricing-and-unit-economics)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- Studio Neat (company)
- Keepbook (product)
- Moleskine (product)
- Klaviyo (tool)
- Flowdesk (tool)
- Cortex Brand (company)
- Sidekick Notepad (product)
- Mark One (product)
- Panel Book (product)
- Tote Book (product)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [Advice Line with Miguel McKelvey of WeWork](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2026-03-05-advice-line-with-miguel-mckelvey-of-wework) (How I Built This)
- [Advice Line: What’s Your Value?](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2026-03-19-advice-line-whats-your-value) (How I Built This)
- [Advice Line with Alexa Hirschfeld of Paperless Post](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2026-02-26-advice-line-with-alexa-hirschfeld-of-paperless-post) (How I Built This)
- [Advice Line with Christina Tosi of Milk Bar](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2026-06-11-advice-line-with-christina-tosi-of-milk-bar) (How I Built This)
- [#232 - 2026 Brand Resolutions](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2026-01-20-232-2026-brand-resolutions) (The Startup CPG Podcast)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/thoroughly-considered/2024-01-12-107-keepbook. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to Thoroughly Considered.