Newsletters . . . they're like the new podcast. Everyone is making one . . . so how do I stand out?
It's a question I've been pondering as I recently hit the one year mark on writing a newsletter. What have I learned? What insights can I share with others? I've compiled my findings in 3 steps.
Once upon a time, there were two newsletters, Hustle and Morning Brew
There are others - mere shadows at their feet
Then there's you - a mere speck of dust in the newsletter world.
They were and are the great gods of the Newsletter world.
Substack arrived on the scene back in 2017 and brought with it simplicity.
Just as Shopify made creating a digital store easy, Substack put Newsletter creation within the reach of everyone.
And - I mean everyone
These days it feels like everyone is building a newsletter, about everything and anything.
Cooking, mind maps, creative writing, tech, Entreupeneurship - you name it!
Well - let me tell you a cold hard truth.
Many of those newsletters are going to fail.
Many people aren't willing to do the two difficult things you need for a newsletter to succeed.
First Step: Are you willing to do these two things?
Ok - so you made it this far. You're still determined to start a newsletter.
Well - you need to niche down. What's your topic of choice? Remember - the broader you go - the more competition you have. A newsletter about creative writing will have more competition than a newsletter about dystopian cyberpunk novels. The Hustle and Morning Brew are kings of the general interest newsletter (news, tech, business, marketing). What niche can you be the king of? For example, does your town have its own daily newsletter? I really doubt it! Brainstorm! Where can you add value?
Third Step: The Growth Hustle.
Ok. You've started writing consistently. Now what? Well, you got to hustle this newsletter or you'll be writing to yourself. We don't want that, do we? Here are 10 solid growth hacks - which you can start on tomorrow.
I've rolled up my sleeves and worked hard every week and month to gain momentum. "Never give up!" That's my motto.
My newsletter is called "The Land of Random" and it's the digital equivalent of digging through a box of vinyl at the record store. Fun and random internet links every week! If you'd like, please subscribe at http://thelandofrandom.substack.com
It's a question I've been pondering as I recently hit the one year mark on writing a newsletter. What have I learned? What insights can I share with others? I've compiled my findings in 3 steps.
Once upon a time, there were two newsletters, Hustle and Morning Brew
There are others - mere shadows at their feet
Then there's you - a mere speck of dust in the newsletter world.
They were and are the great gods of the Newsletter world.
Substack arrived on the scene back in 2017 and brought with it simplicity.
Just as Shopify made creating a digital store easy, Substack put Newsletter creation within the reach of everyone.
And - I mean everyone
These days it feels like everyone is building a newsletter, about everything and anything.
Cooking, mind maps, creative writing, tech, Entreupeneurship - you name it!
Well - let me tell you a cold hard truth.
Many of those newsletters are going to fail.
Many people aren't willing to do the two difficult things you need for a newsletter to succeed.
First Step: Are you willing to do these two things?
- Write Consistent high-quality writing- Whether weekly, daily, or any other schedule, you have to consistently make content that people will learn from or be entertained by. It's the old "bread and circuses."
- Hustle - You have to hustle. People aren't just going to subscribe to your newsletter after magically finding it online. That's not how the internet works 99.9 percent of the time. Unless you have an insane amount of time/budget and pump out MSCHF style viral content every week - people aren't going to discover you on their own. YOU have to go to them.
Ok - so you made it this far. You're still determined to start a newsletter.
Well - you need to niche down. What's your topic of choice? Remember - the broader you go - the more competition you have. A newsletter about creative writing will have more competition than a newsletter about dystopian cyberpunk novels. The Hustle and Morning Brew are kings of the general interest newsletter (news, tech, business, marketing). What niche can you be the king of? For example, does your town have its own daily newsletter? I really doubt it! Brainstorm! Where can you add value?
Third Step: The Growth Hustle.
Ok. You've started writing consistently. Now what? Well, you got to hustle this newsletter or you'll be writing to yourself. We don't want that, do we? Here are 10 solid growth hacks - which you can start on tomorrow.
- Ask you friends. Seriously! This is how you can get 20-50+ subs. Post on your Facebook/Twitter/etc first. How did that go? I recommend making a video describing your newsletter. That always works better than mere text!!
- Andrew Kamphey always recommends this growth hack. DM all of your LinkedIn contacts and ask them to subscribe to your Newsletter. It WILL work. I messaged 100 people last week and got about 8 new subscribers! Not bad - especially when you're just getting started!
- Create valuable pieces of content that people will like + share. Dru Riley and Eric Stromberg are masters at this. I recommend checking out their content and taking notes. Deep Dives on topics (Dru's Trends Newsletter) + Succinct Summarizations (Eric's Screenshot essays) always do well. People want fast bite-sized info, or they want to study something for an hour. Provide something along these lines on a regular basis.
- Create lead Magnets. Do you write books? create websites? Make Email Templates? What can you give away to entice people to subscribe to your newsletter? I always recommend trying to stay relevant to your audience.
- Learn from others. It's difficult to succeed if you're an isolated island. Join Newsletter groups. Whether Newsletter Crew, Newsletter Creators on Facebook, or the Newsletter group on Indie Hackers (and there are others) make sure you have a community you can learn from. It really does help!
- Launch on Product Hunt, Hacker News, Indie Hackers, Reddit, Facebook Groups, Discord groups, Twitter, Slack Groups, and your College Alumni Facebook Group. Seriously! You need to post your newsletter everywhere! It's best to make sure your content is relevant to each platform + that group. Posting a gamer newsletter in a gardening group will probably not go over well, for example.
- Start a referral program. This is a very valuable tool (Sparkloop is made specifically for newsletters) and I recommend trying a referral tool once you hit at least 1000 subscribers. Unless you're making decent money before that point - it usually isn't worth the costs.
- Get Retweeted. Seriously, Twitter is a great place for growing a newsletter. Tweet consistently every day, engage in conversation with "big Twitter Peeps" in your space, create + share value, and you will see new subscribers!
- DO NOT GET DISCOURAGED. This is most important of all. It's very hard to grow a newsletter, and it's easy to give up. Motivation is necessary and essential! YOU will stick out from the 100's of other newsletters. You will grow!
- Cross Promote. Talk to other Newsletter writers and trade shoutouts! This will really help you get traction, especially in the early days. It's a very powerful tool in the Newsletter world, and I can't recommend it enough. Some people with larger lists will even sell ad space - which you can buy!
I've rolled up my sleeves and worked hard every week and month to gain momentum. "Never give up!" That's my motto.
My newsletter is called "The Land of Random" and it's the digital equivalent of digging through a box of vinyl at the record store. Fun and random internet links every week! If you'd like, please subscribe at http://thelandofrandom.substack.com