Summary
Launching a successful newsletter requires certain lessons learned through experience. One important lesson is to start the newsletter as soon as possible, even if it’s not perfect, and listen to reader feedback to improve. It’s also crucial to ignore the noise and comparisons to other newsletters, focusing instead on creating unique and valuable content for your specific audience. Building audience research into the strategy early on is another key lesson, as it helps understand readers’ needs and tailor the newsletter accordingly. Additionally, seeking advice and learning from other newsletter operators can provide valuable insights and strategies for success.
Highlights
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I wasted a lot of energy worrying about what others were doing and why others seemed to be so far ahead of us. Learn what you can from other newsletters and figure out how to apply those lessons to your newsletter, but don’t worry about their list size, open rates, or success with monetization. Focus on what you can control: your newsletter and your strategy
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If you don’t make time to ask questions and truly listen to what readers have to say, how will you build a strategy around their needs?
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What I would say is to keep things simple rather than trying to do everything. Keep it really focused on one thing: Writing the best newsletter and building the best newsletter product. The big mistake I think we made was trying to do too much. Really narrow in on the one thing you do really well and just do it the best for that audience
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I was so focused on deliverability, I was so focused on the open rate, and it takes away from that fundamental question of, “Why is someone who’s getting hundreds of emails a day opening this product?” And the second we were able to nail that, everything else just rolled into place.
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You have to put in the work regularly, however busy you are, to make your newsletter a success. You can’t stop because you’re bored or have too many other things to do.
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The other advice would be to always remember that while your newsletter might be great, people won’t know that unless they open it. Subject lines are key — not an afterthought!
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newsletters can be a tool to build a community around. Our digital lives are lousy with carnival barkers and lacking in dialogue. Fostering two-way dialogue with readers improves the user experience on both sides of the screen
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Bottom line: as you build out your newsletter, make space for community involvement, and make sure that’s a Day 1 item. My own business is better for it. Yours will be, too
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A list of 5K super-engaged readers beats 50K less engaged ones. Cleaning your list diligently of bad subs now will help your engagement and deliverability rates later
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Newsletter operators are out there, and communities for people like us exist! Had I networked with and sought them out sooner, I would’ve saved a lot of time and headaches while building up a newsletter
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I’ve spent my career in national magazines and was trained to think about broad audiences. But newsletters don’t work like that. If a newsletter isn’t relentlessly focused on a hyper-specific audience, people will tune out fast.
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If you want to be relevant in inboxes, then find an audience that feels underserved — and be incredibly, unwaveringly predictable in serving them.
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Up front, identify what you want to be: A super-successful independent creator (think: Casey Newton, Heather Cox Richardson, Matthew Yglesias) or a full-blown company (Morning Brew, TheSkimm, The Dispatch). This will determine virtually all downstream decisions
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Our big top-level takeaway: Don’t be afraid to charge a fee for at least some of your newsletters! By and large, readers recognize that writing, knowledge, information, and entertainment have value and are willing to pay for it — especially now when sources of independent journalism and writing are becoming so few and far between as the media landscape contracts
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Follow your passion, not trends. In the world of newsletters, authenticity counts. When crafting your content, prioritize subjects that ignite your own passion, not just what you assume your readers want from you. Your enthusiasm will resonate with authenticity, creating a genuine connection with your audience. Readers can tell the difference between something born from genuine interest and something that was produced solely to please others. By staying true to your passions, you not only cultivate a more engaging newsletter but also attract a community that shares your genuine enthusiasm. Remember, authenticity builds trust, and trust is the cornerstone of a successful and lasting newsletter
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Big hits only contribute so much in terms of the growth of your list compared to a steady, consistent pattern of output. While a viral newsletter edition can generate a temporary surge in subscribers, the real growth lies in a consistent output of work. Establishing a steady pattern of quality content shows reliability, keeping your audience engaged over the long term. Reliable content builds trust and anticipation, converting one-time readers into dedicated subscribers. Consistency, like a steady heartbeat, sustains the lifeblood of your newsletter, contributing more significantly to list growth than sporadic, attention-grabbing spikes. Aim for a balance between quality and frequency, cultivating a dependable rhythm that makes it possible for your newsletter to become an integral part of your readers’ routine. Steady wins the race
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I wish I had switched from Mailchimp to Substack earlier
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The growth is more likely to be slow and steady, but a small list of subscribers who are actually engaged with your product can be so much more valuable than a social handle with a large, passive following, where ultimately who sees your content is in your control. In short, don’t be frustrated if your growth is slow — consistency is key, and your list doesn’t need to be huge to be monetizable. It just needs to be healthy
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Though smaller than anticipated, the newsletter community, both on Twitter and in private Slack and WhatsApp groups, has proven to be an invaluable resource. The camaraderie among other newsletter creators — even my direct competitors — has been truly shocking compared to my experiences in other industries
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These days, running the Agenda costs nearly twice as much as we originally thought it would. Had I known that, I would have never had the courage to start. Because here’s the other thing nobody told me: Newsletters are lucrative as hell. The Agenda is already earning more than double what we originally hoped