21 Lessons I Learned in 4 Months of Building a Newsletter

Today’s email is straightforward.

Here are 21 more lessons I’ve picked up in the past four months.

1. A newsletter is just a fancy name for building an email list.

2. You can grow your newsletter with organic content, paid ads, or both.

3. Organic content brings higher-quality subscribers but takes time and effort.

4. Paid ads are the honey pond for subscribers. They’ll grow your list faster, but only if you know how to target your ideal audience.

5. You can’t grow fast without a bribe.

6. A bribe is a valuable offer you give someone in exchange for their email.

7. It should deliver a quick win and shape your subscriber’s first impression of you.

8. You can build a bribe using content you’ve already written. Just package it well, and differently.

9. Always send a welcome email to set expectations. What is your newsletter about, how often you’ll send it, and what they should look forward to?

10. Write tangible content. Don’t say, “Here’s how to be more productive.” Instead, say, “10 tools I used to save 10 hours a week as a busy mom”

11. Find a slogan for your newsletter. It should be something catchy that sums up your value.
    Examples:

    • “Not Republican. Not Democrat. Just Christian.” — The Pour Over

    • “Get smarter in 5 minutes.” — Morning Brew

12. Use your slogan in ads, welcome emails, and your sign-up page.

13. Always sell, promote, or ask for something in your newsletter. (Guilty of not doing this enough… But I’m working on it.)

14. Develop your tone of voice. Even if you’re anonymous, write like someone your readers know. Make it personal.

15. Write to one person. Imagine who they are, and what they need, and speak directly to them.

16. There are multiple ways to monetize your newsletter:

    • Sponsorships and ads

    • Affiliate/referral products

    • Selling your own products

    • Paid newsletters or paywalls

17. All of these can make you a lot of money, but pick one model first. Once you start seeing results, branch out.

18. Newsletters are simple businesses. Don’t overcomplicate them.

19. Be willing to invest money to grow your list. Without a list, your content is worthless.

20. Stick to it for 6 months. Test. Adjust. Improve. You’ll know whether it’s worth scaling or letting it go.

21. I started writing daily. Then switched to twice a week. Now I’m leaning toward once a week until my list is big enough to send more emails.

Those are the fundamental lessons so far.

If you’re thinking about building your newsletter (or already have one) use these as your blueprint.

And if you need help writing emails that grow your list and make sales, reply to this email. I might be able to offer an insight or two :)