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Complete-Newsletter-Guide

A complete guide/roadmap for choosing, writing, growing, and monetizing your newsletter.

If I'm missing anything or you would like me to expand on an area, please let me know via Twitter/X: @KenJee_DS

📖 Table of Contents

1. Introduction

The zero-to-one roadmap for choosing, writing, growing, and monetizing your newsletter in 2025.

I built this repository because the advice on newsletters is scattered across hundreds of blog posts, paywalls, and YouTube videos. I wanted to create a single, living document that covers everything from "Which platform do I pick?" to "How do I actually make money?"

Whether you are a developer, a writer, or a business owner, this guide is designed to be your operating system.

🌟 Support the Guide

If you find this resource helpful, please Star this repository (click the ⭐ button at the top right)! It helps more people find this guide.

🙋‍♂️ Have Questions?

If you feel something is missing or you need clarification on a specific section, please let me know. I update this guide frequently based on community feedback.

2. Choosing Your Newsletter Style

Before you choose the platform you publish your newsletter on, you should have an idea about who the audience of the newsletter is. You should also consider the type of newsletter you want to publish. This will help inform what platform you want to publish it on.

I recommend thinking of a specific person you are writing your newsletter for. Be very specific, think about their age, where they live, what their interests are, level of education etc. You want to get as specific as possible. You can even give them a name if you want!

Next, think about the type of newsletter content you want to produce. What value are you creating for this person?

There are multiple different types of newsletters you can write. Here are some examples:

  • News: You keep your audience up to date with current events in your field. You can add your perspective and take on whatever is happening.
  • Aggregator: You can aggregate information on a topic so that readers can have all their resources in one place on a topic (this is common for financial newsletters). Many aggregators also aggregate news.
  • Analysis: You give deep insights into a domain or topic.
  • Sales / Deals / Product recommendations: You give your readers tools, deals, and product reviews about things you use yourself.
  • Company newsletter / promotional: Keep users up to date with new product developments and information.
  • Internal team newsletter: Companies send internal newsletters for updates within an organization.
  • Blog: Keep readers informed about your life and experiences.
  • Event newsletter: Keep community up to date with things happening online or in person.

I've seen a few types of newsletters become very popular in the last few years:

  1. Analysis newsletters: Giving unique insights from your personal perspective on a topic or industry seems to be harder to commoditize than aggregators or news.
  2. Local newsletters: These have an even greater connection with readers because you may even see them at local events. People often also feel more connected to their local communities than the broader world.

3. Choosing Your Platform

Do you have to choose? If price isn't an option or if you're not sure, I actually recommend publishing your newsletter on multiple platforms. Almost all of these have different benefits, and although maybe you spread your list across a few platforms, the slight extra work can be worth it. For example, having the paid growth features from Beehiiv + the organic growth capability of Substack could be a real benefit if you're trying to find your best path to growth early on.

I'm currently building a platform called Newsletter Hero to allow you to write your newsletter in one place and post it to multiple platforms.

With that being said, I think three platforms are generally good for most of the population. These 3 are Beehiiv, Substack, and Kit. They have slightly different value adds, so let's break them down:

🐝 Beehiiv

  • Ease of use: User-Friendly but Powerful. It has a modern, clean interface ("Apple-like" aesthetic). While it is easy to write in, there is a slightly steeper learning curve than Substack because it offers significantly more customization options, analytics, and website design tools.
  • Price: Free up to 2,500 subscribers.
    • Paid Plans: Start at roughly ~$39/month.
    • Revenue Cut: 0%. Beehiiv does not take a cut of your subscription revenue.
    • Access to Features: You need to pay for at least the cheapest monthly paid plan ($39/month) in order to get access to all of the unique features (below).
  • Who this is for: Creators who treat their newsletter as a business. It is ideal for marketers, growth-focused writers, and those who want robust SEO and deep analytics without giving up a % of revenue.
  • Unique features:
    • Ad Network: Built-in access to premium sponsors.
    • Boosts: A paid recommendation network to grow or earn.
    • 3D Analytics: Extremely detailed data on subscriber sources.
    • Referral Program: Built-in rewards system for sharing.
    • Audio Newsletter: Users can listen to newsletter instead of read them.

💡 Opinion: In my opinion, Beehiiv is a platform that is the best for paid growth. This is a good balance for those trying to build a brand as well as those who are trying to grow their business.

🧡 Substack

  • Ease of use: Extremely High. The simplest platform to start on. The interface is minimalist and distraction-free. You can set up and publish in minutes with zero technical setup.
  • Price: Free to use (forever).
    • Revenue Cut: 10%. They take 10% of your paid subscription revenue forever (plus Stripe fees). No monthly platform fee.
  • Who this is for: Pure writers, journalists, and hobbyists who want to focus 100% on writing and 0% on tech/marketing.
  • Unique features:
    • Notes: A social-media-style feed (like X/Twitter) for internal traffic.
    • Mobile App: A dedicated app for reading, keeping emails out of the "Promotions" tab.
    • Recommendation Network: Powerful engine for organic writer-to-writer growth.

💡 Opinion: Substack is the best for people who don't have an existing audience and don't want to pay for one. Substack has the best organic growth in my opinion. They have a notes feature that acts much like X/Twitter. This enables you to reach people outside of your current subscriber list. They also have an app that many people use to read the newsletters that they subscribe to.

📨 Kit (formerly ConvertKit)

  • Ease of use: Moderate. Kit is a professional marketing tool. The backend (automations, tagging, segments) is more complex than Beehiiv or Substack and has a steeper learning curve.
  • Price: Freemium (Free up to 10k subs for basic use).
    • Paid Plans: Required for automations, starting ~$29/month.
    • Revenue Cut: 3.5% + $0.30 per transaction for digital products.
  • Who this is for: Professional creators who sell products (courses, ebooks, coaching) rather than just newsletters. The industry standard for those needing advanced email funnels.
  • Unique features:
    • Visual Automations: Best-in-class tool for building complex email sequences (funnels).
    • Commerce: Sell digital products and subscriptions directly.
    • Tagging & Segmentation: Highly advanced user management.
    • Kit App Store: Custom integrations that help you write, scale, and monetize your newsletter.

💡 Opinion: Kit is the best platform for creators who want to sell digital products and automate their business. Unlike Substack and Beehiiv, which focus primarily on the "newsletter" as the product, Kit acts as a backend engine to sell other things (like courses or coaching). If you need your email list to automatically "funnel" people into buying products, Kit is the superior choice.

🎁 Exclusive Deals for Readers

  • Beehiiv: The best platform for growth. (30-day trial + 20% OFF for 3 months).
  • Newsletter Hero: My multi-platform publishing tool. Use code BETA45 for >50% off.
  • Kit: The best platform for automation (60% off your first 3 months)

📊 Quick Summary

Feature Beehiiv Substack Kit
Best For Growth & Business Writers & Community Sales & Automation
Growth Type Paid & SEO Organic (Network) Funnels & Products
Fees Flat monthly fee (0% cut) Free monthly (10% cut) Monthly fee + small cut
Difficulty Low-Medium Very Low Medium-High

Other Platforms to Consider (Medium & LinkedIn)

While Beehiiv, Substack, and Kit are excellent for managing an audience you already have, they can be "walled gardens"—it is hard for strangers to find your work there.

To fix this, many creators use Medium and LinkedIn as secondary platforms to capture new readers and funnel them to their main newsletter.

📝 Medium

  • Why use it: Medium has high "Domain Authority" (SEO). Articles published here often rank higher on Google than a new personal website or Substack. It also has an internal recommendation algorithm that pushes your content to strangers interested in your topic.
  • Key Newsletter Features:
    • The "Import" Tool: You can one-click import posts from your main newsletter. Medium automatically adds a "canonical link," telling Google that your original newsletter is the source (protecting your SEO).
    • Partner Program: You can get paid simply for people reading your work (based on reading time), creating a small secondary income stream.
    • Publications: You can submit your newsletter issues to large Medium "Publications" (e.g., The Startup, Better Marketing) to instantly reach hundreds of thousands of followers.

💼 LinkedIn Newsletters

  • Why use it: LinkedIn is currently the best platform for B2B and professional growth. When you start a LinkedIn Newsletter, the platform aggressively notifies your connections and followers to subscribe, often leading to rapid initial growth.
  • Key Newsletter Features:
    • In-App & Email Notifications: Unlike a regular post, LinkedIn sends a push notification and an email to your subscribers whenever you publish.
    • One-Click Subscribe: It is frictionless for users to subscribe because LinkedIn already has their email address.
    • SEO Indexing: LinkedIn newsletters are indexed by Google and often appear in search results for professional queries.

Other Platforms Overview

Feature Beehiiv ConvertKit (Kit) Substack Flodesk Ghost (Pro) Buttondown SendFox Mailchimp
Free plan available ✅ ✅ ✅ ⚠️ ❌ ✅ ✅ ✅
Organic growth tools ⚠️ ⚠️ ✅ ❌ ⚠️ ⚠️ ❌ ❌
Referral program ✅ ✅ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌
Recommendations ✅ ✅ ✅ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌
Tipping support ❌ ✅ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌
Native ad network ✅ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌
Podcast support ✅ ❌ ✅ ❌ ⚠️ ❌ ❌ ❌
Paid subscriptions ✅ ✅ ✅ ❌ ✅ ✅ ❌ ❌
Native digital product sales ❌ ⚠️ ❌ ❌ ⚠️ ❌ ❌ ⚠️
Analytics and segmentation ✅ ✅ ⚠️ ⚠️ ✅ ✅ ⚠️ ✅
Automation (drips) ⚠️ ✅ ❌ ⚠️ ⚠️ ⚠️ ⚠️ ✅
Design and template options ⚠️ ⚠️ ⚠️ ✅ ⚠️ ⚠️ ⚠️ ✅
Integrations and API ⚠️ ✅ ⚠️ ⚠️ ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅
Custom domain support ✅ ✅ ❌ ❌ ✅ ✅ ⚠️ ✅
0% platform fee on monetization ❌ ✅ ❌ ❌ ✅ ✅ ❌ ❌
Own subscriber data ✅ ✅ ❌ ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅

Additional Resources:

4. Writing Your Newsletter

The platform you choose matters, but the content is what keeps people subscribed. If your writing is boring, no amount of SEO or paid ads will save you.

Here is a framework for creating content that people actually want to read.

✍️ Creating High-Quality Content

1. Finding Your "Voice"

Your "voice" is what makes your newsletter sound like you, not a corporate robot. It is the reason people read your news analysis instead of just reading CNN.

  • Define your "Vibe Attributes": Pick 3 adjectives that describe your style. Are you Witty, Sarcastic, and Brief? Or are you Deep, Academic, and Empathetic? Stick to these.
  • Write to ONE person: Don't write to "my audience." Write to a specific friend or colleague. This instantly makes your writing more conversational and relatable.
  • Resource: How to Establish Your Brand Voice (Guidelines & Examples)

2. The "Unique Value Add" (UVA)

Why should someone give you 5 minutes of their week? You need a clear proposition.

  • Curator: "I read 50 articles so you only have to read the best 3."
  • Expert: "I spent 10 years in this industry so I can explain what this news really means."
  • Experimenter: "I tried this new tool/diet/strategy so you don't have to waste money on it."
  • Resource: How to Write a Unique Value Proposition

3. Storytelling 101

Facts tell, stories sell. Even if you are writing a technical or financial newsletter, wrapping your insights in a story makes them memorable.

The Simple "ABT" Framework:

  • And: Set the scene. "We all want to grow our lists, and there are many tools to do it."
  • But: Introduce the conflict. "But most of them are too expensive for beginners."
  • Therefore: The solution. "Therefore, I tested free alternatives and found the best one."
  • Resource: 7 Ways to Use Storytelling in Email Marketing

4. The "Remix" Strategy (Repurposing)

You don't always need to write from scratch. Your newsletter can be the "Best Of" collection of content you've already created.

  • Twitter/LinkedIn to Newsletter: Take your best-performing social post of the week and expand on it.
  • Video to Text: Use AI tools to transcribe and summarize your YouTube videos into a text-based newsletter.
  • Resource: How to Repurpose Blog Content for Newsletters
  • Newsletter Hero: We do this for you with the click of a button

📧 Subject Lines

Your subject line is the most important sentence you will write. If it fails, your 2,000-word newsletter might as well be blank.

Based on an analysis of 1,315 newsletter campaigns, here are the 5 core lessons for writing subject lines that actually get opened.

1. Cure "Creative Block" with Curiosity & Value

The biggest struggle for creators is simply "What do I write?" Avoid generic titles like "Weekly Update #45." Instead, use these three hooks:

  • The Curiosity Gap: Leave a specific knowledge gap that compels the brain to close it.
    • Bad: "My thoughts on productivity tools."
    • Good: "The $12 tool that replaced my $200/month subscription."
  • Value-First: Lead with the benefit the reader gets, not the feature you are sharing.
    • Bad: "New video on YouTube."
    • Good: "Cut your video editing time by 50% with this workflow."
  • Pattern Interruption: If everyone in your niche uses questions ("Want to grow?"), use a bold statement ("Stop trying to grow."). If everyone uses title case, try lowercase. Break the pattern of the inbox.

2. Technical Fixes > Creative Fixes

Before you obsess over "power words," fix your tech. Analysis shows that authentication issues are often the real reason for low open rates, not bad writing.

  • The Reality: A boring subject line in the Primary Tab will always outperform a brilliant subject line in the Spam Folder.
  • Action: Ensure your SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records are set up (see the Deliverability section above). One creator went from 7% to 22% opens overnight just by fixing this.

3. Personalization (Don't Be Creepy)

"Hey [Name]" is the oldest trick in the book, and readers are numb to it. It often feels manipulative.

  • The Better Way (Behavioral Personalization): Segment your audience based on what they do, not just who they are.
    • Example: "Since you clicked on the Python guide last week..."
  • The "Friend" Filter: Write your subject line as if you were emailing one specific friend. Friends don't use "RE: URGENT LAST CHANCE" on a Tuesday morning. They speak naturally.

4. Standing Out in a Crowded Inbox

Your subscriber likely gets 100+ emails a day. How do you win the scroll?

  • Preview Text: This is the "second subject line" that shows up next to your title on mobile. Do not waste it.
    • Bad: "View this email in your browser..."
    • Good: "...and why it's costing you $1,000/year." (Continues the thought from the subject line).
  • Emoji Strategy: Use them sparingly. 1 emoji can add visual flair; 5 emojis looks like a scam. Place them at the start of the subject line to catch the eye on mobile.

5. Overcoming "Testing Paralysis"

You don't need a list of 100,000 to run A/B tests. But you do need to test the right things.

  • The "Dramatic Difference" Rule: If you have a small list, don't test "Blue vs. Light Blue." Test "Apples vs. Oranges."
    • Test A: A short, punchy question. ("Ready?")
    • Test B: A long, benefit-driven statement. ("How to fix your sleep schedule in 3 days")
  • One Variable Only: Never change the time and the subject line in the same test. You won't know which one caused the win.

📚 Subject Line Resources:

🚀 Level Up Your Writing Workflow

Writing high-quality content is hard enough without having to format it for three different platforms.

I built Newsletter Hero to streamline this entire process. It helps you:

  • Refine Your Voice: Write with compelling storytelling that matches your specific style.
  • Generate Hooks: Create amazing subject lines based on data.
  • Publish Everywhere: Write once and automatically repurpose/post to Beehiiv, Substack, LinkedIn, and X simultaneously.

👉 The product is Live: Try it here

Special Launch Deal: Use Code BETA45 to get the full year for $99 (more than 50% off the monthly rate).

📣 Call to Actions (CTAs)

You can have the best open rates in the world, but if nobody clicks, your newsletter is just a digital diary. The **Call to Action (CTA)** is the bridge between *reading* and *doing*.

Whether you want them to buy a course, read a blog post, or click a sponsored ad, the principles are the same.

1. Why CTAs Matter (Especially for Monetization)

In the Creator Economy, Click-Through Rate (CTR) is often the metric that determines your income.

  • Sponsorships: Brands pay for traffic. If you can prove your audience takes action, you can charge premium rates.
  • Beehiiv Ads / PPC: Platforms like Beehiiv offer "Boosts" and Ad Networks where you are often paid Per Click (PPC) or per acquisition.
    • The Math: If an ad pays $2.00 per click, and you write a lazy CTA that gets 10 clicks, you made $20. If you write a compelling CTA that gets 100 clicks, you made $200. Copywriting directly impacts your wallet.

2. The "Native" Ad Strategy (For Higher Click Rates)

Readers have "Banner Blindness"—they subconsciously ignore anything that looks like a traditional display ad.

  • The Fix: Use "Native" CTAs. Weave the CTA into the flow of your writing.
    • Bad (Banner style): [Click here to see the sponsor]
    • Good (Native style): "I've been struggling with SEO lately, which is why I started using [Tool Name]. It actually helped me fix my broken links in about 5 minutes..."

3. The Psychology of the Click

People don't click "buttons"; they click "benefits."

  • The "Value" Rule: Your CTA text should describe what happens after the click, not the click itself.
    • Weak: "Click here" / "Read more" / "Submit"
    • Strong: "Get the free checklist" / "Watch the video analysis" / "Claim your discount"
  • The "I want to" Test: A good CTA usually completes the sentence "I want to..."
    • (I want to) Download the PDF.

4. Design & Placement

  • The Button vs. Text Link: Use Buttons for your #1 primary goal (buying a product). Use Text Links for secondary goals (references, social shares). Buttons draw the eye; text links feel conversational.
  • The "Above the Fold" Myth: You don't always need the CTA at the very top. For high-ticket items or complex ideas, you need to build trust first. Place the CTA after you have delivered the value.
  • The "P.S." Power: The P.S. line is one of the most read parts of any email. It is a prime location for a final CTA.
    • Example: "P.S. If you want to dive deeper, grab my course here."

5. The "One Goal" Rule

The quickest way to kill your conversion rate is the Paradox of Choice. If you ask a reader to:

  1. Follow you on Twitter...
  2. AND check out your sponsor...
  3. AND buy your merch...
  4. AND read your blog...

...they will do nothing. Rule: Every specific email should have one primary objective. Everything else is secondary noise.

📚 Deep Dive Resources on CTAs:

🌐 Workflow: Multi-Platform Publishing

Once you've written a great issue, you should publish it on multiple platforms (Beehiiv/Substack for retention, LinkedIn/Medium for discovery).

The downside is that formatting one post for four different platforms is tedious and often breaks images/spacing.

5. Deliverability: Getting into the Inbox

You can write the greatest newsletter in the world, but if it lands in the Spam folder, it doesn't exist. Even landing in the Promotions tab (Gmail) reduces your open rates significantly compared to the Primary tab.

"Deliverability" is the art and science of proving to email providers (Google, Yahoo, Outlook) that you are a real person sending valuable content, not a spammer.

Here is the 4-step framework to ensure your emails actually get read.

1. The Technical Setup (DKIM, SPF, DMARC)

If you are sending from a generic address (e.g., yourname@substack.com), the platform handles this for you. However, if you are using a Custom Domain (e.g., hello@yournewsletter.com), you must set this up.

Note: As of Feb 2024, Google and Yahoo reject emails from custom domains that do not have this set up.

  • SPF (Sender Policy Framework): Think of this as your ID card. It tells Google which IP addresses are allowed to send emails on your behalf.
  • DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail): Think of this as a wax seal on a letter. It ensures the email wasn't tampered with during transit.
  • DMARC: This tells Google what to do if an email fails the check (usually, "reject it").

✅ Action Item: If you buy a custom domain, log into your DNS provider (GoDaddy, Namecheap) and add the CNAME/TXT records provided by Beehiiv or Kit immediately.

2. The "Warm Up" Phase

If you buy a new domain and send 5,000 emails on Day 1, you will go straight to spam. Internet Service Providers (ISPs) trust history. A new domain has no history.

  • Week 1: Send to your safest 50 friends/family. Ask them to reply.
  • Week 2-4: Slowly increase volume.
  • The "Reply" Hack: The strongest signal to Google that you are important is if a user replies to your newsletter.
    • Tactic: In your welcome email, ask a simple question: "What is your #1 struggle with [Topic] right now? Hit reply and let me know."

3. Escaping the "Promotions" Tab

The Promotions tab is not "Spam," but it is a graveyard where newsletters go to die. Getting to the "Primary" tab is the holy grail.

How to get to Primary:

  • Ask for it: In your welcome email, explicitly say: "Move this email to your Primary tab so you don't miss the next issue."
  • Encourage "Whitelisting": Ask users to add your email address to their contacts.
  • Limit Images/HTML: Emails that look like "websites" (heavy coding, 50+ images) look like marketing. Emails that look like plain text look like letters from a friend. (Substack excels here by default; Beehiiv/Kit require restraint).

💡 Pro Tip: If you use Beehiiv or Kit, try to keep your "Text-to-Image" ratio high. If your email is just one giant image poster, it will likely be flagged as spam.

4. List Hygiene (The Hardest Pill to Swallow)

It feels good to have 10,000 subscribers. But if 4,000 of them haven't opened an email in 6 months, they are destroying your reputation.

Google looks at your Open Rate to determine if you are spam.

  • Scenario A: You send to 1,000 people. 500 open (50%). Google thinks: "This is high quality."
  • Scenario B: You send to 10,000 people. 500 open (5%). Google thinks: "People ignore this. It must be spam."

✅ Action Item: Every 3–6 months, scrub your list. Create a segment of "Cold Subscribers" (haven't opened in 90 days) and send a re-engagement campaign. If they don't open that, delete them. A smaller, engaged list is infinitely more valuable than a large, dead one.

🛠️ Tools for "Warming Up" Your Email

If you have a brand new domain and want to speed up the process of building reputation, you can use "Warm-up" tools. These tools automatically send emails from your account to other real inboxes in their network, open them, and reply to them, simulating "perfect" engagement.

(Note: I am not sponsored by any of these tools; they are simply the current industry standards as of 2025)

  • Smartlead: Currently the most popular for advanced users. It allows you to warm up unlimited email accounts for a flat fee.
  • Warmup Inbox: A simple, user-friendly option that gives you a clear "Health Score" for your domain.
  • Mailreach: Known for having a very high-quality network of inboxes (fewer bots, more real humans), which provides a better signal to Google.

📚 Deep Dive Resources on Deliverability:

6. Growing Your Newsletter

Growing a newsletter can feel a bit overwhelming at first. The trick isn't to try every single growth tactic at once. Instead, I recommend picking one or two of the "engines" below that feel natural to you and getting really good at them.

Here are the main ways newsletters actually grow today.

🧲 Engine 1: The "Lead Magnet" (Getting people to say Yes)

Before you worry about getting thousands of visitors, you want to make sure the people who do visit actually subscribe. These days, simply asking people to "Sign up for my newsletter" is a hard sell. Our inboxes are already full.

To fix this, you can offer a Lead Magnet. This is just a friendly exchange: "If you try my newsletter, I'll send you this free, helpful resource right now."

Three types of lead magnets that work really well:

  1. The "Curated Resource": Do you have a list of tools, books, or database links you use? Put them in a nice Google Sheet or Notion doc.
    • Why it works: It saves people time. They get your years of research in one click.
  2. The "Quick Fix" (Templates): If you write about a specific topic, give them a tool to solve a problem. For example, a "Cold Email Template" or a "Budget Tracker."
    • Why it works: It solves a specific pain point immediately.
  3. The "Email Course" (My personal favorite): Instead of a PDF, offer a 5-day educational series delivered via email. For example, "5 Days to Better Python Code."
    • Why it works: It trains new subscribers to open your emails every day, building a habit before your regular newsletter even arrives.

💡 A gentle suggestion: If you have existing content, try packaging your best 5 posts into an email course. You can set this up as an "Automation" in Kit or Beehiiv so it sends automatically when someone joins.

📚 Helpful Resources:

🌱 Engine 2: Organic Growth (Social Media)

Here is the honest truth about social media: You cannot be everywhere.

If you try to post on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and TikTok every day while also writing a newsletter, you will burn out in a month. The secret isn't doing everything; it's doing one thing really well.

1. The Strategy: Pick Your Player

To decide which platform to master, just ask yourself one question: Do you prefer writing or making videos?

  • "I like Writing" → Focus on LinkedIn or X (Twitter).
  • "I like Video/Visuals" → Focus on Instagram or YouTube.

2. The "Rent to Own" Mindset

Social media is "rented land." The algorithm can change tomorrow and wipe you out. Your goal is never just "likes"—it is to move people from rented land to "owned land" (your email list).

  • Don't just post links. Algorithms hate links and will bury your post.
  • Do post full value on the platform, and then invite people to join your list for more deep dives.

📚 The Growth Library: Deep-Dive Guides

Once you have picked your ONE platform, ignore the others and study that specific platform. Here are the best guides for each one.

🤝 Engine 3: Platform Network Effects

This is probably the biggest change in the newsletter world over the last few years. Platforms like Beehiiv, Substack, and Kit now have features that help writers grow together. It's much less lonely than it used to be!

1. Recommendations (The Buddy System) Most platforms now let you recommend other newsletters. If you recommend 3 friends, and they recommend you back, you all grow together.

  • When someone subscribes to them, they see a little pop-up saying, "You might also like [Your Newsletter]."
  • This is the #1 driver of growth on Substack, but it works great on Kit and Beehiiv too.

2. Boosts (Paid Growth) If you have a budget, Beehiiv and SparkLoop have "Boosts" or CPA (Cost Per Acquisition) networks.

  • This lets you pay other newsletters to recommend you.
  • The best part? You usually only pay for active subscribers. Unlike Facebook ads where you pay just to show an ad, here you pay only when you actually get a subscriber.

📚 Helpful Resources:

💸 Engine 4: Paid Growth (Ads)

A quick heads-up: I wouldn't recommend spending money on ads until you are confident your newsletter is "sticky." If you buy 100 subscribers but they all unsubscribe because the content isn't ready, you're just burning cash.

Once you are ready, don't guess. Use frameworks.

1. Meta Ads (Facebook/Instagram Lead Forms) This is often the cheapest way to scale. By using "Lead Forms," users can subscribe to your newsletter without even leaving Facebook/Instagram.

2. Newsletter Sponsorships The best subscribers usually come from other newsletters. If someone is already reading a finance newsletter, they are much more likely to read yours. You can use marketplaces like Paved to find newsletters to sponsor.

📚 Paid Growth & Monetization Resource Library

🎁 Engine 5: Referral Programs

You know how Morning Brew got so big? They gave people free stuff for sharing the newsletter. You can do this too.

The concept is simple: "If you share this newsletter with 3 friends, I'll give you X."

  • 1 Referral: A shoutout in the newsletter.
  • 3 Referrals: A PDF guide or access to a private video.
  • 10 Referrals: Stickers or a mug (if you want to handle shipping).

Beehiiv and SparkLoop have this tech built-in, so you don't need to be a coder to set it up.

📚 Helpful Resources:

🔄 The Accelerator: Repurposing

Finally, remember that you don't need to be a content machine. You just need to be smart with what you've already written.

If you write a great newsletter issue, that content shouldn't die in the inbox.

  1. Extract: Turn your main bullet points into a LinkedIn post.
  2. Condense: Turn the main argument into a Twitter thread.
  3. Syndicate: Post the article on Medium (Medium has an "Import" tool that keeps Google happy).

This is actually exactly why I built Newsletter Hero. I realized I was spending hours formatting the same post for LinkedIn, X, and Beehiiv. The tool automates that so you can focus on writing, not copy-pasting.

7. Monetizing Your Newsletter

A lot of people ask, "How many subscribers do I need to make money?" The answer is: fewer than you think, provided you pick the right model.

You don't need 50,000 readers to make a living. You just need to match your monetization strategy to your audience size.

Here is the "Ladder of Monetization," starting from the easiest to the most lucrative.

🔗 1. Affiliate Marketing (The Easiest Start)

You can start this with 50 subscribers.

  • How it works: You recommend a book, a piece of software, or a gadget you actually use. When a reader clicks your link and buys it, you get a commission (usually 20-30% for software, 1-4% for Amazon).
  • The Strategy: Do not just paste links. Tell a story about how the tool solved a problem for you. Trust is the currency here; if you recommend junk, you lose your audience.
  • Best For: Tech, Finance, and Lifestyle newsletters.

📚 Resources:

🚀 2. Paid Recommendations (The "Beehiiv" Model)

This is unique to the modern newsletter platforms (Beehiiv & SparkLoop). It allows you to make money simply by growing your list.

  • How it works: When someone signs up for your newsletter, you show them a list of other newsletters they might like. If they subscribe to those recommendations, you get paid (usually $1.00 - $3.00 per sign-up).
  • Why it's great: You monetize the signup, not the sale. You make money even if the reader never buys anything from you.
  • Best For: Newsletters on Beehiiv or Kit (Creator Network).

📚 Resources:

📢 3. Sponsorships & Ads

This is the classic model. Brands pay to get in front of your audience.

  • The Math: Ads are usually sold on "CPM" (Cost Per Mille, or cost per 1,000 openers).
    • General Niche: $25 - $40 CPM.
    • B2B/Tech Niche: $50 - $100+ CPM.
  • When to start: Usually around 1,000 - 2,000 subscribers. Before that, the administrative work isn't worth the $20 you'll make.
  • Where to find them: You don't need a sales team. List your newsletter on marketplaces like Passionfroot or Paved and let brands find you.

📚 Resources:

☕ 4. Tips & Donations

If you are a hobbyist or write a purely personal blog, this is a low-pressure way to cover your costs.

  • How it works: Add a "Buy Me a Coffee" or Ko-fi link in your footer.
  • The Reality Check: Do not expect to make a full-time living from this. It is usually "pizza money," not "rent money."

📦 5. Digital Products (High Margin)

This is where you start making real money. Instead of getting 20% commission (Affiliate) or pennies per view (Ads), you keep 100% of the profit.

  • The Strategy: Look at what questions your readers ask you repeatedly. Turn the answer into a product.
    • Asked about your workflow? Sell a Notion Template ($20).
    • Asked how to get a job? Sell an Ebook ($50).
    • Asked how to code? Sell a Video Course ($150).
  • The Platform: You can sell these directly inside Kit/Beehiiv, or use Gumroad or LemonSqueezy (which handles taxes for you).

📚 Resources:

🔒 6. Paid Subscriptions

This is the "Substack" model.

  • How it works: Readers pay a monthly fee (e.g., $8/month) for extra content.
  • The Trap: Many writers turn this on too early. If you have 100 free subscribers and convert 5% (which is good), you have 5 paid members. That's $40/month. Is it worth writing double the content for $40?
  • My Advice: Wait until you have at least 1,000 free subscribers before launching a paid tier. Use the "Freemium" model:
    • Free: The main newsletter (Growth).
    • Paid: Deep dives, community access, or archive access (Monetization).

📚 Resources: 📚 Resources:

🤝 7. Consulting & Services (The Fastest Income)

If you have a small list (even 200 people), this is the fastest way to hit $5,000/month.

  • How it works: Your newsletter is your portfolio. It proves you are an expert.
  • The Pitch: "I just wrote 1,000 words about SEO strategy. If you want me to just do this for your company, reply to this email."
  • Why it works: You only need 1 or 2 clients to make significant income, whereas you need thousands of subscribers to make the same amount with ads.

📚 Resources:

🎟️ 8. Paid Webinars & Events

A great middle-ground between a cheap ebook and expensive consulting.

  • How it works: Host a live 90-minute workshop on a specific topic (e.g., "How to set up your analytics"). Charge $49 for a ticket.
  • The Tech: Use Luma to handle the tickets and Zoom links. It integrates perfectly with most newsletters.
  • The Benefit: It creates high engagement and urgency (it's live!).

📚 Resources:

8. Troubleshooting & Resources

A curated list of tools and articles to help you fix technical issues and optimize your workflow.

Top 7 Biggest Newsletter Pain Points (and fixes): Reddit: I analyzed 16,271 posts on newsletters

🛠️ Essential Tools

  • Newsletter Hero – (Full transparency - I made this tool) Write your newsletter once and automatically publish it to Beehiiv, Substack, LinkedIn, and X simultaneously. Ideal for repurposing content without the manual grunt work.
  • Google Postmaster Tools – The official dashboard from Google. It tells you your "Domain Reputation" (High, Medium, Low). If your open rates drop, check this first.
  • Mail-Tester – A free tool to test your "Spam Score." Send a test email to the address they give you, and it will tell you if your DKIM/SPF is broken or if you are on a blacklist.
  • Canva – The industry standard for creating newsletter headers and social media assets quickly.

📚 Articles: Deliverability & Spam Triggers

Final Words & Next Steps

Building a newsletter is not a sprint; it is a marathon of consistency.

  1. Choose your platform (Beehiiv for growth, Substack for writing, Kit for sales).
  2. Set up your tech (DKIM/SPF) so you don't hit spam.
  3. Pick ONE growth channel (LinkedIn, X, or Instagram) and master it.
  4. Monetize only when you have the audience size to support it.

If this guide helped you, I'd love to hear from you.

Good luck, and happy writing.

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Complete roadmap for writing, growing, and monetizing your newseletter

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