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Abstract

first few followers with ads or subscriptions. I didn’t start running any ads in my newsletters for more than a year after establishing it.</p><p id="2c9d">But eventually, earning money from your newsletter is necessary to survive.</p><p id="b29c">Newsletter readers like consistency. Whether you post weekly or monthly, you’ll find yourself dragging your feet eventually because of the redundancy.</p><p id="685d">One way to stay energetic and engaged in the project is to start seeing some money roll in. Even if it’s not much, it proves you can actually earn money from your newsletter and will help push you to keep posting.</p><p id="0eeb">I’ve monetized my newsletters in a number of different ways:</p><ul><li>PPC</li><li>Dedicated emails</li><li>Ad spots</li></ul><p id="095a">No matter how you decide to monetize your newsletter, the important thing is you do it.</p><h1 id="65a6">3) Provide value</h1><p id="32db">You don’t need to be a guru to start a newsletter. But you do need to be clear about your level of expertise. Many readers are just as interested in someone documenting a journey as they are an expert talking at them.</p><p id="a970">However, whether you’re an expert or a rookie documenting your journey, you have to provide value to the reader. Show them why it’s important to read every newsletter. Don’t just publish the same drab or some AI-generated fluff. Get in there and mix it up a little.</p><p id="c661">I like to make my newsletter entertaining and include my recent wins and losses. Hopefully, it shows readers that I’m not an expert, but I’m learning every day with a smile on my face. That’s my goal, at least.</p><h1 id="dedc">4) Stay authentic</h1><p id="0790">No one enjoys reading fake content. Being authentic and clear about your niche. I’ve found the best way to do that is by being transparent.</p><p id="9d3a">Staying honest with your readers comes off as legitimate. Not every project is a win. Not everything you do results in a 100x gain.</p><p id="b0d6">But talking about your processes and what you expect to do or

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see in the future helps you appear authentic and credible.</p><p id="6af2">And newsletter readers will hold you accountable. They’ll start questioning your big wins. You have to be prepared to show proof of your claims.</p><h1 id="4229">5) Listen to your community</h1><p id="1b25">Poll your subscribers. When I first started out, I sent out a weekly feedback request at the bottom of every newsletter. I wanted to learn if readers were really enjoying it.</p><p id="afaf">If you receive comments with suggestions, don’t ignore them. Respond. Not only will it bolster your authenticity, but it will also show readers you hear their ideas.</p><p id="f2db">It’s impossible to create a rich community of readers if the content is one-sided. They need to be able to reach you just as easily as you reach them.</p><h1 id="d1da">6) Read other newsletters</h1><p id="1e4f">I’ve gotten some of the best ideas for format, style and language from other newsletter creators. I’m not stealing what they do, but they help jog my brain and get me going.</p><p id="7441">Plus, supporting other newsletters opens the door for them to support you. Substack’s recommendation feature allows newsletters to recommend other publications they find valuable. It can help generate subscribers and is one of the <a href="https://readmedium.com/substack-vs-convertkit-where-to-house-your-next-newsletter-40853842022a">reasons I prefer Substack</a> to other newsletters.</p><h1 id="65e8">7) Keep posting</h1><p id="ab67">If you do nothing else, keep creating and sending original content.</p><p id="5ae7">At first, it might seem like you’re screaming into the void. But, little by little, your readership will increase, and readers will expect to see your posts delivered straight to them.</p><p id="f9b4">The great thing about newsletters is you don’t have to customize each individual email to every reader. They all get the same thing. No matter how big your newsletter list grows, you’ll continue to produce the same energy and amount of work. The scalability is unmatched.</p></article></body>

7 lessons learned from earning my first $1,000 in newsletter subscription revenue

The culmination of my 3-year journey

I recently received a notification from Substack indicating my newsletter had earned its first $1,000 in annual subscriber revenue. Naturally, I was elated to learn about the milestone as I had only activated the paid subscriber feature a year ago, in February 2023.

Of course, the journey of the Side Hustle Club newsletter spans back further than a year ago. It’s a project I started during the pandemic in December of 2020. Since then, I’ve published about 150 posts about side hustles and extra income.

Over the last few years, I’ve learned a lot about newsletter marketing, Substack and the benefit of a newsletter community. These are my biggest takeaways.

1) Make it a community

A newsletter is more intimate than any blog post. It’s delivered straight to your readers’ mailboxes and, most times, allows readers to reply or comment to emails. It makes building a community of like-minded readers fairly easy.

Once said community is established, it’s important to nurture it as it grows. Being transparent with readers about the information you’re conveying and your personal expertise surrounding the matter is key to gaining trust and keeping it.

Replying to comments and feedback you receive will also bolster trust and improve likeness with readers. It shows you’re not a machine who ignores requests but a writer who’s open to ideas and alternative takes.

Good newsletters typically harbor rich communities of active readers, making them valuable.

2) Monetize it, eventually

Don’t immediately inundate your first few followers with ads or subscriptions. I didn’t start running any ads in my newsletters for more than a year after establishing it.

But eventually, earning money from your newsletter is necessary to survive.

Newsletter readers like consistency. Whether you post weekly or monthly, you’ll find yourself dragging your feet eventually because of the redundancy.

One way to stay energetic and engaged in the project is to start seeing some money roll in. Even if it’s not much, it proves you can actually earn money from your newsletter and will help push you to keep posting.

I’ve monetized my newsletters in a number of different ways:

PPC
Dedicated emails
Ad spots

No matter how you decide to monetize your newsletter, the important thing is you do it.

3) Provide value

You don’t need to be a guru to start a newsletter. But you do need to be clear about your level of expertise. Many readers are just as interested in someone documenting a journey as they are an expert talking at them.

However, whether you’re an expert or a rookie documenting your journey, you have to provide value to the reader. Show them why it’s important to read every newsletter. Don’t just publish the same drab or some AI-generated fluff. Get in there and mix it up a little.

I like to make my newsletter entertaining and include my recent wins and losses. Hopefully, it shows readers that I’m not an expert, but I’m learning every day with a smile on my face. That’s my goal, at least.

4) Stay authentic

No one enjoys reading fake content. Being authentic and clear about your niche. I’ve found the best way to do that is by being transparent.

Staying honest with your readers comes off as legitimate. Not every project is a win. Not everything you do results in a 100x gain.

But talking about your processes and what you expect to do or see in the future helps you appear authentic and credible.

And newsletter readers will hold you accountable. They’ll start questioning your big wins. You have to be prepared to show proof of your claims.

5) Listen to your community

Poll your subscribers. When I first started out, I sent out a weekly feedback request at the bottom of every newsletter. I wanted to learn if readers were really enjoying it.

If you receive comments with suggestions, don’t ignore them. Respond. Not only will it bolster your authenticity, but it will also show readers you hear their ideas.

It’s impossible to create a rich community of readers if the content is one-sided. They need to be able to reach you just as easily as you reach them.

6) Read other newsletters

I’ve gotten some of the best ideas for format, style and language from other newsletter creators. I’m not stealing what they do, but they help jog my brain and get me going.

Plus, supporting other newsletters opens the door for them to support you. Substack’s recommendation feature allows newsletters to recommend other publications they find valuable. It can help generate subscribers and is one of the reasons I prefer Substack to other newsletters.

7) Keep posting

If you do nothing else, keep creating and sending original content.

At first, it might seem like you’re screaming into the void. But, little by little, your readership will increase, and readers will expect to see your posts delivered straight to them.

The great thing about newsletters is you don’t have to customize each individual email to every reader. They all get the same thing. No matter how big your newsletter list grows, you’ll continue to produce the same energy and amount of work. The scalability is unmatched.