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20% off Yearly Subscription to The Sizzle Technology Newsletter $48 (Was $60)

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EOFY23

It's an email newsletter about computers I've published every weekday for 8 years that over 1,250 Aussie nerds pay me to read. Right now it's on sale for only $48 a year! A 20% saving off the usual $60/yr price. At $48, each issue works out to just 19 cents each.

There's hundreds of Sizzle subscribers lurking on OzBargain! Here's some comments from previous times I've done promotions for Ozbargainers:

internet-stranger: "If you are not the person sitting on forums / reddit all day but want to keep up with the tech news then this is the newsletter for you!"

Fybre: "I subscribed with one of the last promos, and it's the only email I actually look forward to each day."

imathew: "This is my favourite source of tech news. I don't have time to read everything these days, this summarises the main points of the day to keep me abreast of this horrible industry I've found myself in."

Goosey: "The only newsletter I actually like reading and don't instantly delete."

Bdawg: "I thought this was going to be about sausages. I am very disappointed."

That 19 cents an issue gets you:

  • The freshest tech news relevant to Australians, commented and curated by a human, not an AI bot, every weekday.
  • Saves you doom scrolling though social media for hours to catch up with tech industry headlines.
  • A daily compilation of the cheapest tech gadgets sourced from OzBargain. Only the good stuff!
  • Access to The Sizzle's active discussion forum, a refuge for those exiled from the dumpster fires that are Twitter & Reddit right now.
  • A tax deductible item if you work in IT, see the ATO's website for periodicals and digital information.
  • 100% independent, zero adverting and no affiliate links. I don't even put tracking codes in the email! You're the customer, not advertisers or your data.
  • Cancel at any time via self-serve website for an instant refund, pro-rated (i.e: if you cancel after 6 months you get $24 back).

Skip the free trial and use the code EOFY23 to sign up now for just $48 - https://thesizzle.com.au/payme. If you'd like more info about The Sizzle before signing up, visit thesizzle.com.au

FAQ:
  • Is there a sample? Yes, there's an archive of old issues available at https://archive.thesizzle.au/
  • Is there a free trial? Indeed - just visit https://thesizzle.com.au and you can sign up for a 30-day trial.
  • I am an existing paid subscriber, how can I use this coupon? You can't, new subscribers only.
  • It was cheaper last year, can you make it that price again? Buddy, where have you been the last 6 months? Cost of living is crazy at the moment, I had to up my pricing just to afford groceries.
  • Does the subscription automatically renew? Yes it does - you will get a reminder email 3 days before the anniversary date.
  • Can I cancel my subscription? Yes, visit https://thesizzle.com.au/manage and you'll get a
  • I don't have a credit card/hate automatic renewing subscriptions, can I still join The Sizzle? Sure, but you can't use the coupon. You can send me $60 via bank transfer and I'll manually manage your subscription. Email me - [email protected] if you'd like to do this.

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closed Comments

    • +26

      My cost of living increased! That is a cost to me who makes this product.

        • +32

          Err, yes? If I'm starving/homeless it's pretty difficult to write each day.

        • With the amount of subscribers and very small annual cost it clearly holds more interest than the shite you constantly dribble on this forum. Follow down and clearly your the only one with this dum arse opinion. People will spend over $1000 a year on a few coffees a week that has no entertainment value though you criticise someone who puts time and effort into a product. I think someone's jealous.

          • @Geoff01:

            With the amount of subscribers

            How many?

      • +38

        The cost for me to send emails via Mailgun has gone up. The cost of server rental has also gone up. Ditto my automation workflows via Make. I kept the price at $50/yr for almost 7 years. As inflation goes up, that $50 simply doesn't buy me what it used to, so I had to increase the price to $60. Also once I crossed the $75,000/yr threshold, I had to start charging GST (10%).

        • Don't stoop to their level.

          For someone to allege that your price increase is just greed when they have no understanding of your model is ridiculous.

          jv is just trolling. As everyone always says, if you don't like the deal, just don't buy it. Or neg it even.

          No need to come and insult the person offering the deal.

        • +1

          OK, let's price it out. Let's assume you hit around $100,000 a year. That's 2000 subscribers for $50/year.

          • Weekday newsletter, 260 weekdays in a year. 520,000 total newsletters sent out.
          • US$1 per 1000 emails with Mailgun. US$520/year in mail costs. Let's call it AU$800.
          • Let's be generous and say you use 40K operations a month in Make, so US$53 a month. US$624/year, so let's call it AU$1000.
          • And let's also be generous in saying you have AU$300/month ($3600/year) in server cost, which is unrealistic for your site.

          So $5400 in cost input for $100,000 of revenue, for just producing a list of links for people. I can see why you had to up your prices ;)

          • @mopo: What about the cost of paying myself to do the job? Wages are my highest cost and if I don’t increase it based on inflation, I’m actually going backwards.

            • +2

              @decryption: $95k.pa for posting a newletter of links is a very much overpaid job.

      • +7

        Well, you've obviously never made and sold a digital product. They absolutely do have input costs. The infrastructure used to make, sell and distribute it. Not to mention your own time which has to pay your wage, which pays for everything else in your life.

        Every business is having to put its prices up at the moment because input costs across the board are going up. It's called inflation.

        • -1

          Wrong :)

      • +1

        What is this intentionally dense take?

        Let's say you have a robot who takes 4 hours a day to write a newsletter. This robot consumes fuel and requires a room to reside in. The cost of fuel and the cost of renting that room rises, so subsequently the cost of writing those newsletters also increase proportionally.

        Now replace robot with human, fuel with food and room with housing… And there you go.

  • +28

    I signed up again a couple of days ago just so I can cop another year of your Apple fanboy electric car anti-crypto garbage.

    Your sincerely,
    Android and crypto fan

    Sent from my petrol car

    • +17

      Ahh, the spite subscribe - thank you :)

    • +5

      makes me want to subscribe even more

  • +10

    I love The Sizzle. Always great tech news, and in particular relevant Australian tech news. I love the casual Aussie style, Anthony doesn't mince words and calls it like it is. Also a bunch of the best bargains. A highlight of my day. FIVE STARS.

    • -1

      Thanks for subscribing!

  • +11

    Surprised with all the hatred in the comments.

    Anthony does a great job with the newsletter, is it for everyone? maybe no, but defiently worth the fee for me and many.

    If I wanted to be a knight fighting against evil price hikes, I would have fight with real trouble makers, not the small business owner trying to make a living by delivering a quiality product to its subscribers.

    • Thanks mate - The Sizzle certainly isn't for everyone. But there's a free trial so people can suss it out for themselves before deciding to pay or moving on with their lives.

    • +6

      I am surprised too, Anthony puts in real genuine effort and over on the sizzle forums is super transparent about everything - from number of active subscribers, campaign results etc.

      The sizzle forum is actually one of the better places for actual tech discussions as it is filled with like minded individuals.

      • The forums are great! Seen a nice uptick in discussions the last 2-3 months. Strong no (profanity) policy. Kinda helps that you have to pay to get in - trolls usually don't like paying to be trolls.

  • +9

    No hate.. But I unsubbed because of the bias and overuse of swearing.. I think the swearing cheapens the articles.. But appreciate the effort.

    • Swearing, fair enough. Not everyone digs that. But bias? Can you explain further? Are there topics you think don't get fair coverage or I am wrong about?

      • +7

        I felt you were jumping on the I hate twitter and Elon musk wagon too frequently.. This was a while back

        • +2

          Yeah I've calmed down about that now. It pissed me off at the time though! I wear my heart on my sleeve, but sometimes it annoys people. Such is life.

          • +5

            @decryption: I fully support further dunking on Elon Musk and twitter.

      • +3

        I like the swearing and the "no bullshit" commentary.
        You can get unlimited free ICT news that pushes the VC hype train and doesn't offend anyone because they might need to sell ads or attract a sponsor.
        But very few called out the farcical waste of millions pursuing the ASX blockchain debacle, or the epic fail of my health record or prepared to point out the esafety commissioner is the emperor parading new clothes.

        You need to support truth telling, or nobody will do it.

        • +1

          This is one of the benefits of being independent. I can write whatever I want without worrying about upsetting advertisers.

    • -1
      • I think most people would agree it’s not appropriate in a professional setting though. Not saying that’s what OP is going for.

        • -1

          Agree - I wouldn't swear in a professional setting, but like you mentioned, The Sizzle is not a professional setting ;)

      • I recall hearing someone refer to swear words as "sentence enhancers" which tickled my fancy.

        • I “enhance” a lot of my sentences.

          I can’t find the link, but a few years back an academic did research on the use of swearing around the world. One of their key findings was in modern Australian English, “f🤬🤬k” has become a comma.

          This isn’t a new thing. Back in the 19th Century “bloody” was the “common Australian adjective”.

    • Transparency - I am a subscriber - but don't have any other affiliation.

      I think a lot of subscribers are probably there for the Elon hate, swearing and the contrast it is to normal tech journalism.

  • +2

    Get on board… great content, great community. Some really interesting and some times out there tech news (the slack and forums are great too)

  • -2

    I'm thinking about doing a daily newsletter summarising The Sizzle into one paragraph.

    Here's an example daily post.

    "In this news bulletin, the author shares various updates and developments in different areas. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) rejects a mobile network sharing deal between Telstra and TPG, citing concerns about reduced competition and potential negative impacts on prices and network quality. Meta, formerly known as Facebook, is fined 390 million euros by the European Data Protection Board (EDPB) for not adhering to GDPR regulations and must obtain explicit user consent for data use. Other notable events include John Carmack leaving Meta, updates on the Privacy Act review, a settlement between Amazon and the EU regarding unfair treatment of third-party sellers, and legal matters involving Sam Bankman-Fried, Epic, and LastPass. The bulletin also highlights Dell's new 6K monitor and offers information on discounted products and an image of the day."

    The original article is 1,342 words long, whereas my paragraph is 192 words long, a whopping 85.73% less words… so I am thinking of charging 85.73% less, to make it $8.56 a year.

  • Love the sizzle, my subscription got auto renewed 2 days back, I deliberately didn't cancel and wait for this deal.
    Am I not a true ozb?

    • +1

      Appreciate that - thank you :)

  • +3

    I just renewed my subscription at the full $60 price, without using the voucher, because I love this daily bite sized delivery of sweary, cynical joy - the world of technology seen through Anthony's uniquely Australian lens. Could not love it more. I'd rather give up 6 packets of Magnums, or 12 on half price special at Coles, than give up The Siz.

    • +1

      Awesome, thank you for subscribing!

    • My subscription also just renewed at the full price a mere 4 hours after this post.
      I find I don't get to read many editions (hangs head in shame), but when I do I know it's worth every cent.
      Keep 'em coming!

      • Thanks for remaining a subscriber :)

  • +2

    Some advice to all in relation to the following OP point.

    A tax deductible item if you work in IT, see the ATO's website for periodicals and digital information.

    The linked website suggests that this is NOT tax deductible.

    You generally can't claim a deduction for:

    newspapers, news services and other news subscriptions

    But I'm not an accountant. I suspect OP isn't either.

    So I consulted with my accountant. The advice I received is that subscriptions are only tax deductible if you can demonstrate the information is used directly in relation to earning income. A subscription to a general IT news service like this doesn't usually qualify, even if you work in IT (as I do), because the general IT information is unlikely to be directly relevant to your job.

    I suspect some negs against this comment because I know it's common practice to claim something like this at tax time. That doesn't make it correct. I also don't claim to be correct. My intention is only to suggest people consult with their accountants rather than assuming the posted bullet point is correct.

    • +4

      I have asked an accountant in the past (this was maybe 5 or so years ago now) about this and because The Sizzle is "industry news", that's different to general news like say, The Age or The New York Times and would meet the requirements for a deduction if you work in IT - that is direct enough according to them.

      My accountant's interpretation differs from your accountant's interpretation, so yeah, check with your own accountant I guess!

      • +1

        Yeah I'm not surprised to hear a different accountant may have a different interpretation. I suspect a lot of people will claim it knowing that there are differing opinions which means ATO are unlikely to penalise even if they determine it wasn't a valid claim. Worst case during an audit, the claim may be reversed.

    • +1

      Accountant here and you can unless there's no obvious affiliation of relating to generating income. This is debatable. Sometimes the deduction is a pro-rata to business use if required

      There are lots of tax deductions in grey areas but ATO ain't gonna audit you for those

      So some examples are like even if you are not in the financial and investment field and you bought Money Magazine to research on investments and end up buying some shares or currently receiving dividends it's ok

      Even those magazines in medical practice is tax deductible as it provides entertainment

      When there is an audit, ATO most likely will ask something like provide your 5 biggest expenses

  • +1

    Highly recommended - The Siz is a breath of fresh air in tech news, and the communities around it (Slack, forum) are also great.

    • Thanks! I love hanging out in the Slack group and shooting the shit. Perfect way to procrastinate during the day.

  • +2

    +1 the only email that I generally do not ignore and read through daily.

    • I write an excellent email :)

  • +1

    Happy subscriber here and I can recommend
    For me the value is equally split between the daily newsletter and the community/users in either the Slack channel or forums
    I have seen some excellent advice from user to user in those forums - plus enjoyable non-work content

    • Absolutely, the forums are quality. I’d pay a few bucks just to use the forum alone.

  • +2

    +1 - Have been a happy subscriber for a couple of years now. Was originally one of these deals that got me over the line and haven't regretted it. One of the few emails make sure to read when it hits the inbox during the week. The Slack group and forum is just the icing on top.

    • Thanks Wheat, I love you and your delicious carbohydrates too, particularly in bread form.

  • +1

    +1 to this deal. It is an absolute bargain if you value your time (and have an interest in the tech space obviously)

    • I dare say that if you do not care about computers and the internet, you will also not enjoy The Sizzle.

  • +2

    Love this sub.

    Would recommend.

    • Cheers for the recommendation :)

  • +1

    Anthony is a legend in his space, I also had mine renew recently at full price, well worth the cost though, though, the ozbargain links are starting to cost me a bit of money :D

    • +1

      Come for the news, stay for the discounted tech gadget treats.

  • Signed up to a free trial on one of The Sizzle's previous ozb promotions.

    Figured I'd 95% cancel before renewal time, but ended up loving it. $60 well spent. Even better spent at $48.

    Bite size news, written in a great style (I really enjoy the swearing and passion) and enough contextual info so a non IT nerd can understand all the tech news.

    Wholeheartedly encourage everyone even remotely interested in tech news to check it out.

    It is so choice. If you have the means, I highly recommend picking one up ;)

    • +1

      The non-IT nerd probably benefits the most from The Sizzle as it's at a high enough level to be accessible and still useful. I'm like a computer handy-man, or an internet GP, I know a little bit about everything and can give you some notes, but for anything major I'll refer you to a specialist.

  • +1

    All my email subscriptions go to a read-later app. Except this one. I read it as soon as it arrives, every day.

    The idiots saying you’re just selling a digital product, cost shouldn’t go up, etc are trolls, ignore them. My guess is they’re still living out of mummy’s pocket and haven’t gotten an increase to their lunch money this year.

    • +1

      Digital products not having input costs is such a dumb argument. I had to disengage from that conversation.

      • Probably fair to say that literally every one of your costs involved in making this possible would've gone up since you started!

  • My favourite thing to land in my inbox.
    Love my sizzle subscription.

    • +1

      My favourite email is the alert I get when someone subscribes to The Sizzle :)

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