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The Roots of Progress Fellowship

The 2026 Roots of Progress

Audience-Building Intensive

Find an audience. Change the world. 

Even the best writing will fail to make an impact if no one ever reads.  That's where our inaugural Audience-Building Intensive comes in. Picks up where the Blog-Building Intensive leaves off, this 5-month intensive covers Op-Ed writing, public speaking, headline writing, paid newsletter growth and social media promotion. Everything public intellectuals need to know to make sure their ideas find an audience. 

Learn audience-building tactics that work.

The Audience-Building Intensive goes deep.  What is the relationship between a title and a subtitle? What kinds of subject lines are sure to earn an "open"? How can you condense complicated ideas into an 800-word op-ed? What can you do to be a memorable public speaker? How can you build a community around your ideas and goals? 

These are the questions we answer during the Audience-Building Intensive Program. 

Improve your writing. 

Our Audience-Building Intensive fellows receive extensive editing support on all their essays from our editorial staff. For op-eds, we contract with seasoned opinion editors for support and guidance. For special projects, like books and long-form features, RPI staff support fellows individually. 

Raise your profile.

With the support of the Audience-Building Intensive program, our  fellows written for The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, American Affairs,  and The New York Post, all while growing their newsletter audiences. 

They have been interviewed by journalists and podcasters, and had their work featured on major blogs and roundups of great writing. 

In addition to securing more opportunities in established media, ABI fellows have the option to receive public speaking coaching with instructors from the Ewing School. 

Build a community of peers. 

At RPI, we believe building an intellectual community is integral to building the future. That's why peer workshops are a core component of the ABI fellowship. Fellows who went through BBI together deepen their friendships during ABI while forging new ones with alumni from other cohorts. 

2026 Progress

Audience-Building Intensive

5 - month cohort. Feb. 2 - July 2

A 5-month online program for BBI alumni eager to grow their newsletter audiences and write for established media outlets. 

Grow your audience and increase your impact. 
Deepen your connection to a community of progress writers and public intellectuals
Improve writing habits, increase productivity, and grow your reach
Learn to write for publications outside the Progress movement 

What audience-building 

fellows say about the program

ABI has enabled me to grow as a writer. It provides solid, actionable advice on how to write different kinds of work, engage with editors to get my message across, and speak to a variety of audiences. Thanks to that training and the support of its expert leaders, ABI is helping me to grow my audience and my impact.

Andrew Miller

BBI made my newsletter possible. ABI is BBI on steroids. Having a commitment device that forces you to publish every week is great. Having access to a community of brilliant authors who are all in it together, and who can tell you why you're wrong, is even better." Would that work?

Alexander Kustov

ABI welcomed me into a dynamic and energizing team who push each other's work forward and together refine our shared playbooks.  The RPI staff curated the highest-impact topics for improving my work and were my strongest supporters.

Tina Marsh Dalton
A professional portrait of writer Jannik Reigl

Having something to say is the easy part. The hard part is getting it onto the page without it becoming a flatter, duller shadow of what you had in mind – and then getting it off the page to illuminate a reader's. ABI is where I learned to do both, and to reach the people who need to hear what only I can say. 

Jannik Reigl

What you’ll get

Six learning modules delivered over 21 weekly lessons:

  • Making your posts as engaging as possible: How to make each essay you post as compelling and engaging as possible by optimizing headlines, visual elements, and other features of the post.

  • Distributing your writing: How to effectively distribute your essays as widely as possible across social channels, and participating in social communities to grow your audience.

  • Identifying your audience and clarifying your message: What are your most important messages, and who do you want to hear them?

  • Writing for outside publications: How to pitch and write for professional magazines and newspapers.

  • Defining your goals and content strategy: How to identify your impact goals and craft a content strategy that will help you reach those goals.

  • Going paid [optional]: How to launch a paid product and run membership campaigns to attract paid subscribers. 

What you need to invest

10–15 hours of your time for 5 months, no program fees

The fellowship runs for five months and requires roughly 15 hours per week. This includes one-hour sessions on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, assigned readings, one-on-one appointments with an editor, self-directed daily writing, and publishing at least two pieces of content per month. 

As with BBI, ABI is a competitive fellowship with a limited number of seats. 

Program Advisors

As you explore writing in progress studies as a career option we introduce you to those who’ve already made it: successful, established writers in progress studies as well as leaders of progress-related organizations, editors, and content experts in our two cause area tracks of AI and Heavy Industry. You’ll have a chance to meet with and learn from the best!

Mike Larabee

Washington D.C., Opinion Editor

 

Washington, D.C.

Opinion editor

Lex Roman

Bogotá, Columbia, Newsletter Growth Strategist
Lex Roman Profile Image

 

Bogotá, Columbia

Newsletter Growth Strategist

Bob Ewing

Denver, Colorado, Founder of the Ewing School
Bob Ewing

 

Durango, Colorado

President, Founder, Coach, the Ewing School

Staff Advisors

As you explore writing in progress studies as a career option we introduce you to those who’ve already made it: successful, established writers in progress studies as well as leaders of progress-related organizations, editors, and content experts in our two cause area tracks of AI and Heavy Industry. You’ll have a chance to meet with and learn from the best!

Emma McAleavy

Madison, Wisconsin, Program Director

 

Madison, Wisconsin

Program Director

Mike Riggs

Writer, editor, writing coach

 

Durham, North Carolina

BA, English, geography, history, Stetson University

FAQ

Who is the program for?

Currently, the Audience Building Initiative is open only to alumni of the BBI program who have a demonstrated track record of publishing high-quality writing that advances human progress. The ideal candidate is hungry to grow their audience and willing to put in the work. 

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FAQ

Is this an online or in-person program?

The fellowship is fully online. We use Zoom for group sessions and 1:1 meetings, as well as Slack, Circle, and Google Docs. As with our Blog-Building Intensive program, fellows have the option to attend our annual Progress Conference in October in Berkeley. 

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FAQ

How much does it cost?

As with BBI, the only cost of the ABI fellowship is your time and attention.

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