Start a Newsletter
Everyone says ‘start a newsletter’ like it is one decision, but then comes the platform maze, the blank first issue, and the fear of emailing five subscribers. The truth: a newsletter is just a regular email people asked for. Pick a simple tool, write one good issue, and let consistency do the compounding.
TL;DR / Quick Fix
Quick fix: pick one topic and one sending rhythm — weekly beats ambitious-daily-that-dies. Choose a simple email platform, write like you talk, and keep a consistent format readers recognize. Grow with one signup form on something you already publish; your first fifty subscribers matter more than any growth hack.
Follow these steps
- Pick a topic and a promise. One sentence: who it is for and what each issue delivers. ‘A weekly email with three practical tech tips for busy parents’ beats ‘my thoughts on things’ — specificity gets signups.
- Choose a simple platform. Free tiers of the major newsletter platforms handle everything: signup forms, sending, archives. Pick one and commit — migrating later is possible, dithering now is fatal.
- Write the first issue before announcing. Draft issue one completely — subject line, content, sign-off. If writing it felt like a chore, rethink the topic now, not after you have promised readers a schedule.
- Set a rhythm you can keep. Weekly or biweekly, same day. Readers build habits around your schedule, and a sustainable pace beats an ambitious one that dies by issue four.
- Put one signup form where readers already are. Your blog, your social bio, your email signature — one clear form beats five hidden ones. Pair it with a blog and each feeds the other.
- Ask readers to reply. Replies boost deliverability and give you endless topic ideas. End early issues with one genuine question — the answers become your next issues.
What NOT to do
- Do not buy an audience before you have ten issues. Ads for a newsletter with no archive convert terribly — content first, promotion second.
- Do not email people who did not ask. Imported contact lists and scraped addresses get you marked as spam and can get your account banned.
- Do not obsess over open rates early. With fifty subscribers, every metric is noise — replies and forwards are the signals that matter.
- Do not change topics every month. Readers subscribed to a promise; keep it for at least twenty issues before pivoting.
Frequently asked questions
How often should I send?
As often as you can sustain quality — weekly is the sweet spot for most. Consistency of schedule matters more than frequency.
Can a newsletter make money?
Yes: paid subscriptions, sponsorships, and selling your own products. All need an engaged list first — monetize after issue thirty, not issue three.
What should I write about?
The overlap of what you know, what you enjoy explaining, and what a specific group of people wants. If you also make videos, a podcast and newsletter reinforce each other.