How to Build and Grow a Newsletter as a Business Model

[Andy Black]

I understand where you're coming from and I think you see it this way because you first describe yourself as an entrepreneur/people helper and not as a writer. For writers the thought of not doing the writing is akin to telling an entrepreneur "what if it wasn't you creating the business?"

That’s true. I don’t label myself as a writer, more as a marketer or consultant.

I wonder if it would be helpful for you to label yourself less as a writer and more as a newsletter owner? Maybe try that on for size?

As mentioned before, my worry was that you guys may focus too much on writing and not enough on the marketing/business/systems around it. Dare I say it, but I think writing is your comfort zone @MTF : )

 

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[DrSac]

Well, it's my first post here since I joined so here I go:

This thread has been fascinating to read and I am eager to see everyone's newsletter ideas unfold. I have in mind a newsletter but, like some here, get stuck on a topic. Based on my cursory research, the major niches are ones that I am not as well versed in. I have some interest in them but definitely not an authority and not sure I have enough interest to sustain a newsletter to get to the pay-off phase. Thanks for all the information here. I have more digging to do.

 

[MTF]

Just secured my first YouTube sponsorship / a "brand ambassador"

I'm really curious whether it will translate into any growth for the newsletter since these are two different mediums.

Still, I think it's a pretty rewarding kind of marketing as you're working directly with a fellow creator instead of a faceless corporation.

Also, I had a plan to hire someone to customize my Ghost theme once I hit 500 subscribers since the website looks basic and perhaps a little cheap. Maybe I'll do it sooner as I think that my opt-in rates could be much higher. A more professional custom brand design would help build more trust and show that it's not just another similarly-looking newsletter.

Update on the YouTube promo:

The first video (which he did for free to see how it would go) went live yesterday and brought me 3 new subscribers. And that's from a video with just 74 views as of now. He has a very engaged audience. He interacts with them in the comments and encourages them to check out my newsletter which is awesome.

There are 10 more videos to go.

It's interesting to test this whole "nanoinfluencer" thing (people who have between 1,000-10,000 subscribers).

If I were to reach out to a very popular influencer I probably wouldn't even get a response. And here I'm working with a guy who's super engaged and goes beyond to help me out.

Now, if I figure out how to find a few dozen such influencers, I think this could be a nice growth strategy.

Update on the theme:

I reached out to the most promising designer twice (via Ghost marketplace and on Twitter as I couldn't find his email address) and never heard back from him. I also checked out some other agencies but they either have too high of a minimum to work with or they're from India/Bangladesh (after some terrible failed projects in the past I have a rule to never work with anyone from this region).

I'm considering customizing the theme I have by myself. I should be able to figure out how to do the key changes in the code. I could also switch my theme to a paid custom one though the ones I found aren't that much better than the one I have. So I'll probably take the learning opportunity and brush up on my HTML/CSS skills.

By the way, an entrepreneur who knows coding or how to work with coders would absolutely kill it with a Ghost custom theme company. There are just a few such companies which is nothing compared to how many there are for WordPress. Ghost has been steadily gaining more popularity and there will be only more and more people interested in custom Ghost themes. Ghost also acquires some custom Ghost theme companies so that's your possible exit strategy.

On second thought, I'm semi-seriously considering this myself lol.

 

[MTF]

Do you FaceTime people via your phone? If it’s not as simple as that then I contend you’re doing it wrong.

I don't have an iPhone and apart from coaching (with me being the student), I never do video calls.

I only mention video because it’s obviously genuine rather than an autoresponder. People are often genuinely surprised to get them, even though they’re 20-30 seconds of me saying hello, waving, telling them what to do, and then asking how they found out about the course/newsletter/etc.

I get it. I get some replies to my welcome email but very few. But I don't personalize them much.

If you can do that via a personalised email then I think that’s just as good, maybe better (as they don’t have to click to watch). I’d look at the website associated with their email and comment on it, or ask them about their cool name or something. Again, people would reply as they were surprised they got a real email.

The reason why I don't personalize my emails is because I get very little info when people sign up. I get an email address and their country. Their email address is often a random gmail address so there's zero info you can get out of it. And commenting on their country would be a little creepy.

 

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[MTF]

That’s true. I don’t label myself as a writer, more as a marketer or consultant.

I wonder if it would be helpful for you to label yourself less as a writer and more as a newsletter owner? Maybe try that on for size?

As mentioned before, my worry was that you guys may focus too much on writing and not enough on the marketing/business/systems around it. Dare I say it, but I think writing is your comfort zone @MTF : )

There's one newsletter I could launch that would be broad enough to become a popular curated newsletter. And I could hire someone to curate it. And it could possibly be acquired in the future based on similar newsletters/communities that I saw being acquired. And it's something I have an interest in (not enough to write it myself but enough to be interested in reading it).

Not sure if I want to divide my attention, though. I don't want to have another project that demands a lot of my attention, particularly now that the spring has arrived. In the summer, I'll be even busier with various outdoor activities so I don't want to add too much stuff.

Perhaps if I always had 5-10 Discomfort Club issues prepared in advance I could consider it.

Perhaps if I found a talented writer/editor for that new newsletter and a marketing strategy that wouldn't require my attention every day that could work.

Need to think about it.

 

[MTF]

Well, it's my first post here since I joined so here I go:

This thread has been fascinating to read and I am eager to see everyone's newsletter ideas unfold. I have in mind a newsletter but, like some here, get stuck on a topic. Based on my cursory research, the major niches are ones that I am not as well versed in. I have some interest in them but definitely not an authority and not sure I have enough interest to sustain a newsletter to get to the pay-off phase. Thanks for all the information here. I have more digging to do.

Welcome!

Not being an authority is primarily a psychological problem. You can curate stuff (no need to be an expert as long as you're curious and take time filtering to only share the best stuff) or share your lessons as you learn (be the opposite of an expert: a student).

Not having enough interest is definitely a problem, though. I'd keep looking for a topic that has always fascinated you (or for at least the past few years). I probably wouldn't launch a newsletter about a completely new topic to me as there's a risk you'll get bored in a few weeks/months. Or at least that's what happens to me—a new interest needs to "prove" itself to me over months/years before I consider it a potential business niche I could enter.

 

[MitchC]

I think the contents amazing and you should just stick to what you are doing.

All it needs was mentioned by me and Andy a couple of pages ago, just a pivot in the way you view it.

It’s a self improvement through discomfort newsletter, not a newsletter about discomfort.

That little pivot and change of messaging opens up so much more in terms of the offer and where you can market it.

People don’t do 75 hard because they want discomfort. They do 75 hard because they want to self improve and develop mental toughness through discomfort.

I think you’re early on what’s going to become a massive trend. 75 hard has blown up way beyond Andy’s podcast. I know so many people doing it who have no idea who Andy is and only know it as an app. Ice baths. Stoicism. Those mud run challenge things. Goggins. Self improvement through discomfort is going to be and already is becoming a big trend.

What sort of content does that youtuber make?

 

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[MTF]

All it needs was mentioned by me and Andy a couple of pages ago, just a pivot in the way you view it.

It’s a self improvement through discomfort newsletter, not a newsletter about discomfort.

That little pivot and change of messaging opens up so much more in terms of the offer and where you can market it.

People don’t do 75 hard because they want discomfort. They do 75 hard because they want to self improve and develop mental toughness through discomfort.

Yeah that's why I've been reaching out to self-improvement bloggers/influencers etc.

What sort of content does that youtuber make?

Intense bodyweight workouts that only the toughest people like to do.

 

[JoeyF]

I can relate to that. In general in business perhaps you shouldn't chase passion but IMO in writing, if you can't have at least some fun doing it, it just isn't going to work.

This is particularly important if you're building a mostly solopreneur kind of a business where you don't plan to ever hire someone else to write it for you. Most writers/writers-entrepreneurs don't want to do that.



For me and my current newsletter:

• Voluntary discomfort has been a part of my life for many, many years. I don't see myself ever not doing it because whenever I take a break, my life gets worse.
• It's an excellent way for me to contemplate my own self-improvement, particularly since all my articles so far are based on specific quotes from books (that makes it more enjoyable to write than if I were to provide just my original thoughts).
• It fills a gap for my target audience. So far I haven't found anything aimed at self-improvement for men that wouldn't be about pick-up/dating/sex, fashion, gadgets, or toxic masculinity. The only exception is www.artofmanliness.com but they tend to be quite conservative in style and for older readers.
• It helps me remember better what I learned from the books I read. I also enjoy sharing quotes from these books with other people.
• I like inspiring my male friends to get uncomfortable. The newsletter lets me do that on a larger scale (although most of the time I can't see the results with my own eyes as I can when I push my friends face to face).
• Potentially it will help me network with some men I inspire. That would be an incredible bonus.
• I think that many men these days struggle with lack of purpose/depression/apathy and similar mental issues. I know for a fact that discomfort can help them feel better. So if I can help turn someone's life around, this is how I can provide real value.

Yeah, I don't think chasing your passion is a good idea but setting yourself up in a business you can enjoy working on is common sense.

Really interesting points on what you get out of your current newsletter, seems you've definitely found the right thing to write on because you're immersed in learning about it already and happy to do that for free, in your own time because it's something you care about.

I'm wondering where the disconnect is for me, I LOVE playing, reading and talking about this game online but when it comes to sitting down to write the newsletter, it's unfun.

It might be the way I'm going about it rather than the subject matter.

 

[MTF]

I'm thinking of creating a logo and brand identity for my newsletter (and then redesigning the website) but I'm not sure if it's a sensible investment (logo and brand identity would cost between $500-1000, redesigning the website probably $1000+). I'm wondering how important design is for the success of a newsletter.

Arguments for spending money on professional design:

• You'll have a brand identity and stand out from other newsletters.
• It'll help make it look and feel like a "real" business and not just a random blog/newsletter.
• It'll possibly increase opt-in rates as it'll look more legit.
• It'll possibly encourage more influencers to work with a well-designed newsletter and treat it more seriously in general.

Arguments against spending money on professional design:

• It's just a newsletter. It's the content that matters. Most people visit the website once anyway and then read articles in their inboxes.
• It's possible action faking, fooling myself it's important while what's important is marketing.
• I could spend this money in a better way, for example on launching the curated newsletter.
• There are some big newsletters that have bad or basic design (for example Subscribe to The Hustle Daily Newsletter) and nobody cares.

What are your thoughts?

 

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[Supa]

I'm thinking of creating a logo and brand identity for my newsletter (and then redesigning the website) but I'm not sure if it's a sensible investment (logo and brand identity would cost between $500-1000, redesigning the website probably $1000+). I'm wondering how important design is for the success of a newsletter.

Arguments for spending money on professional design:

• You'll have a brand identity and stand out from other newsletters.
• It'll help make it look and feel like a "real" business and not just a random blog/newsletter.
• It'll possibly increase opt-in rates as it'll look more legit.
• It'll possibly encourage more influencers to work with a well-designed newsletter and treat it more seriously in general.

Arguments against spending money on professional design:

• It's just a newsletter. It's the content that matters. Most people visit the website once anyway and then read articles in their inboxes.
• It's possible action faking, fooling myself it's important while what's important is marketing.
• I could spend this money in a better way, for example on launching the curated newsletter.
• There are some big newsletters that have bad or basic design (for example Subscribe to The Hustle Daily Newsletter) and nobody cares.

What are your thoughts?

I think at least some basic brand design can make a lot of a difference. Like having the buttons to sign up in the color of your logo and things like that.

I created a simple logo myself and use the same colors in a simple and clean way.

Didn‘t cost me anything, just a bit of time and I like the clean look of it.

 

[Andy Black]

Earlier today I saw posts from @MTF and @Lex DeVille in one of Lex's progress thread.

I replied like so:

Media buying tips:

1) Be emotionally neutral. Be curious, not furious.

“Hmm. Why didn’t that work?”

vs

“Why the f*ck didn’t that work?!?”

2) Take GLEE when you encounter hurdles. When you get over hurdles they become barriers to entry for your competitors.

3) Big platforms do things for a reason. Figure out how to create a win-win and get their algorithms working for you, not against you.

I thought my list of 183 people might appreciate those tips:




EDIT: Whoa... someone just signed up to my $5/mth follow-along newsletter. It's only been a few minutes since I hit send. Only 17 people have even opened the email so far!

EDIT2: Sent a short Loom video from my phone to welcome my new subscriber. You can watch it here.

 

[Andy Black]

I'm thinking of creating a logo and brand identity for my newsletter (and then redesigning the website) but I'm not sure if it's a sensible investment (logo and brand identity would cost between $500-1000, redesigning the website probably $1000+). I'm wondering how important design is for the success of a newsletter.

Arguments for spending money on professional design:

• You'll have a brand identity and stand out from other newsletters.
• It'll help make it look and feel like a "real" business and not just a random blog/newsletter.
• It'll possibly increase opt-in rates as it'll look more legit.
• It'll possibly encourage more influencers to work with a well-designed newsletter and treat it more seriously in general.

Arguments against spending money on professional design:

• It's just a newsletter. It's the content that matters. Most people visit the website once anyway and then read articles in their inboxes.
• It's possible action faking, fooling myself it's important while what's important is marketing.
• I could spend this money in a better way, for example on launching the curated newsletter.
• There are some big newsletters that have bad or basic design (for example Subscribe to The Hustle Daily Newsletter) and nobody cares.

What are your thoughts?

Make more/some sales first?

Your site already looks sexier than mine:

Signed out:

Signed in:
(Is there a way to show the issues and not this paragraph again?)



Here's my simple websites:

 

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[MitchC]

I'm thinking of creating a logo and brand identity for my newsletter (and then redesigning the website) but I'm not sure if it's a sensible investment (logo and brand identity would cost between $500-1000, redesigning the website probably $1000+). I'm wondering how important design is for the success of a newsletter.

Arguments for spending money on professional design:

• You'll have a brand identity and stand out from other newsletters.
• It'll help make it look and feel like a "real" business and not just a random blog/newsletter.
• It'll possibly increase opt-in rates as it'll look more legit.
• It'll possibly encourage more influencers to work with a well-designed newsletter and treat it more seriously in general.

Arguments against spending money on professional design:

• It's just a newsletter. It's the content that matters. Most people visit the website once anyway and then read articles in their inboxes.
• It's possible action faking, fooling myself it's important while what's important is marketing.
• I could spend this money in a better way, for example on launching the curated newsletter.
• There are some big newsletters that have bad or basic design (for example Subscribe to The Hustle Daily Newsletter) and nobody cares.

What are your thoughts?

How much would it be to get on a big podcast? I think $1000 would go a decent way in terms of influencer marketing or a podcast or newsletter mention?

What’s your current optin rate? I don’t think branding would increase it much

The Hustle example you shared has a few things yours doesn’t

It has reviews and testimonials

And it has a disclaimer about it being easy to unsubscribe and that they won’t spam you

If you wanted to tweak the site these are the things I would start with to increase the conversion rate

Typical direct response style things, not branding

Also for the person above who matched their button color to the logo, it might look nice but you’ll generally convert better if you have the button color a unique color to the site which stands out, it can still match your branding, but don’t just blindly make it the same color as your logo.

Again, the Hustle is a good example of this, black logo, black website, and bright red button. It still matches the brand but if he made that button and box black like the logo it would blend in and convert less. Sam is huge on copywriting and direct response and a massive tight arse so it’s no surprise he has an ugly website that’s clearly designed with direct response tactics in mind to convert.

 

[Andy Black]

Sam is huge on copywriting and direct response and a massive tight arse

Lol. Are you from the UK?

Anyway, direct response beats branding imo.

 

[MJ DeMarco]

@MTF - In my opinion you should remove "Join 178 members" as this number is not large enough to imbue social proof. When it goes over 1000, then I think you can add it. Until then, I'd use something ambiguous like "Join an exceptional group of men" or something that compels someone to say, "Yea, that's me!"

 

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[MitchC]

Lol. Are you from the UK?

Anyway, direct response beats branding imo.

I live in Australia

 

[MTF]

I think at least some basic brand design can make a lot of a difference. Like having the buttons to sign up in the color of your logo and things like that.

I created a simple logo myself and use the same colors in a simple and clean way.

Didn‘t cost me anything, just a bit of time and I like the clean look of it.

Yeah I "designed" the current logo myself but it's just a clean font, nothing that makes it memorable.

Make more/some sales first?

Your site already looks sexier than mine:

I'm thinking of adding Patreon or something like that just to see if any of the current subscribers would like to support me financially.

As for sexy or not, I want the website to really stand out. I treat it more like a potential "movement" and a community than just a random page with articles. So I don't approach it as a regular business.

(Is there a way to show the issues and not this paragraph again?)

Ghost doesn't offer this option. A developer could probably figure it out.

 

[MTF]

How much would it be to get on a big podcast? I think $1000 would go a decent way in terms of influencer marketing or a podcast or newsletter mention?

The problem is that it's really hard for me to find something relevant where I could pay and advertise. And I reached out to a few dozen of websites/blogs/influencers/newsletters already.

What’s your current optin rate? I don’t think branding would increase it much

Roughly 10% from all traffic (this includes my visits, too, and probably repeat visits from existing subscribers).

The Hustle example you shared has a few things yours doesn’t

It has reviews and testimonials

And it has a disclaimer about it being easy to unsubscribe and that they won’t spam you

If you wanted to tweak the site these are the things I would start with to increase the conversion rate

For now I added testimonials on a separate page (there's a link in the menu called "What Subscribers Say." I'll try to add them to the front page, either when I hire a developer or figure it out myself (Ghost is a pain for easy customization).

As for the disclaimer, I don't know about others but to me it doesn't mean anything. Everyone says no spam and when I see it, I tend to think "okay, so there WILL be spam" instead of "cool, no spam here." For me, it's sort of like saying "I promise I won't lie" (only liars say it).

@MTF - In my opinion you should remove "Join 178 members" as this number is not large enough to imbue social proof. When it goes over 1000, then I think you can add it. Until then, I'd use something ambiguous like "Join an exceptional group of men" or something that compels someone to say, "Yea, that's me!"

Okay, I removed it for now.

 

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[BlindSide]

I've loved this idea of newsletters for a while now. A few I've thought of:

1. I've had SOME success with NFTs. No BAYC or anything, but I did flip one so far for a 100x, and I'm consistently finding myself in good groups. Lots of competition of course with NFTs, it seems like people would prefer video format. A huge fan of MC Calendar though.

2. Wondered about a newsletter where you just focus on becoming consistent in a few domains, and documenting your journey. Improving fitness, and the journey of building out a business as an example.

3. One that is way outside of my wheelhouse, but is in my significant other's, is a newsletter & paid group for Occupational Therapists. There really is no community for them outside of reddit, and seems to be a growing industry.

Great thread.

 

[MTF]

1. I've had SOME success with NFTs. No BAYC or anything, but I did flip one so far for a 100x, and I'm consistently finding myself in good groups. Lots of competition of course with NFTs, it seems like people would prefer video format. A huge fan of MC Calendar though.

IMO there's crazy competition among crypto newsletters and unless you're a big name already, it'll be hard to compete.

2. Wondered about a newsletter where you just focus on becoming consistent in a few domains, and documenting your journey. Improving fitness, and the journey of building out a business as an example.

It sounds a bit like an oldschool personal blog. I think it would be very hard to promote it as people wouldn't understand what it's about (if it's about everything, it's about nothing).

3. One that is way outside of my wheelhouse, but is in my significant other's, is a newsletter & paid group for Occupational Therapists. There really is no community for them outside of reddit, and seems to be a growing industry.

That definitely makes sense and would for sure work. I saw many premium newsletters for professionals and they can charge a lot of money for subscription because they provide a lot of value to advance in your career.

 

[BlindSide]

IMO there's crazy competition among crypto newsletters and unless you're a big name already, it'll be hard to compete.



It sounds a bit like an oldschool personal blog. I think it would be very hard to promote it as people wouldn't understand what it's about (if it's about everything, it's about nothing).



That definitely makes sense and would for sure work. I saw many premium newsletters for professionals and they can charge a lot of money for subscription because they provide a lot of value to advance in your career.

Agreed, and I appreciate the breakdown. The OT one seems to fit the need more than the others.

 

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[redshift]

I'm thinking of adding Patreon or something like that just to see if any of the current subscribers would like to support me financially.

Doesn't Ghost support subscriptions natively as part of the monthly fees? Why take them out into another platform and give up 5-10% of your income?

 

[MTF]

Doesn't Ghost support subscriptions natively as part of the monthly fees? Why take them out into another platform and give up 5-10% of your income?

They do. But there are tax implications depending on the country of the subscriber (like EU VAT) and I'm not sure I want to deal with that as the seller. Perhaps Stripe offers a way to solve it. I'll need to look into it.

 

[MTF]

Update on my stuff:

1. I decided to hire a professional designer to design a professional logo and brand identity. I should have it ready within a week. It costs a few hundred bucks so I think it's sensible. The guy's portfolio is really nice so I hope he'll deliver for me as well.

2. Once that's done, I'll hire a developer to redesign the website according to the brand identity guide. I decided that since my newsletter is about excellence, everything needs to reflect that. This will be my single project for the foreseeable future. I want it to look legit for potential big name partners. I want to be proud of it. I want it to have everything it needs to help change as many lives as possible.

3. In the meantime, I booked two more Swapstack features. One went out today and so far looks like it generated at least one opt-in.

4. I also published a guest post on a blog for men. I don't think it brought any subscribers but at least it's a new backlink from a site with a strong domain authority.

5. I bought the premium version of Feedletter.co since I received more feedback than the free version allows to see.

6. I gained access to Paved.com marketplace (Swapstack competitor). Going through the newsletters listed there now.

 

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[Wandi]

Thank you @MTF for starting this golden thread. Thanks to other who share The insight and recommendation. Because of this thread, I am starting my on newsletter secondbrainclub.substack.com. It is just a side project for me to share the articles, podcast and videos that i found interesting and knowledgeable. I hope I can give value to others by sharing this. Please pray for me to not giving up on this newsletter hahaha

 

[MTF]

Thank you @MTF for starting this golden thread. Thanks to other who share The insight and recommendation. Because of this thread, I am starting my on newsletter secondbrainclub.substack.com. It is just a side project for me to share the articles, podcast and videos that i found interesting and knowledgeable. I hope I can give value to others by sharing this. Please pray for me to not giving up on this newsletter hahaha

That's awesome and I'm honored that your first post on this forum is a post announcing your newsletter. Super happy to see people taking action and trying this stuff out.

I like your Substack's design. It's distinct.

 

[MTF]

I crossed 200 subscribers yesterday. I'm at 204 now.

It took me 22 days to get my first 100 subscribers.

It took me 31 days to go from 100 to 200.

It would be cool to go from 200 to 300 in less than a month.

 

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[MTF]

LOL I just remembered that I set up ads on Google Ads on March 19. The ads are STILL under review 9 days later.

F*ck Google. I'm turning it off and focusing on working with real people. I set up some new newsletter promos recently. Once the redesign is done I'll reach out to new influencers as well (need to find some relevant podcasts and experiment with ads in them).

 

[Andy Black]

LOL I just remembered that I set up ads on Google Ads on March 19. The ads are STILL under review 9 days later.

f*ck Google. I'm turning it off and focusing on working with real people. I set up some new newsletter promos recently. Once the redesign is done I'll reach out to new influencers as well (need to find some relevant podcasts and experiment with ads in them).

That's odd. The automated reviews don't take long. It must be caught by something. Can you get into a chat/message with someone in Google to follow up?