How I’m Growing My Newsletter Like Fire
393 to 1114 in 90 days — let me help you.
I created a Substack account a year ago to start a newsletter, but not for the reasons why I write one right now. I started it because everybody was doing it and preaching how creating an email list is a must.
I’d think okay, maybe someday this list will help me. Maybe I’ll sell something someday. I’m being honest with you, it was selfish — and that's what happens when you overdose on success porn and think life has one strategy that fits all.
This may be the spiritual part of me talking to you, but I feel when you attach just a selfish reason to something, it may not always work out. If you add a purpose or higher meaning and deliver value to fulfil that purpose, it does.
Think of the time you dated somebody because you found them attractive versus when you dated somebody because they fulfil your soul. Even if you haven’t done either, what feels more wholesome?
Similarly, because there wasn’t a meaning attached, I wasn’t active. I sent out one post in December and January, two in February. Mid-march onwards, I became regular with my weekly emails, but I was missing one critical ingredient to attract new readers and retain old ones.
Let me share with you what helped and what didn’t.
Before We Move On, Please Look at My Stats
More like my newsletter stats, you colourful minded human.
On July 01, I had 393 subscribers. As of September 30, my total followers are 1114. That’s a 183% increase in just 90 days!
It was on 19th June that something moved, my post was shared on LinkedIn and Twitter. But it took me a few more weeks to realise what people really want.
Here are my beautiful stats post June 19, but it still took me a few weeks to realise the strategy.
3 Ridiculous Things I See Too Many People Do
I’ve subscribed to over 20 newsletters. There are some common themes in most of these newsletters that make me not want to read them. As a creator, you must know you’re in an attention economy. One swipe and game over. Nobody wants to hear what you have to say.
Selling things all the time
Some newsletters start with a summary followed by how their paid version has more benefits. If somebody finds value in your content, they will read it till the end.
And that's precisely why you should add a CTA at the bottom instead of bombarding the first look as a brochure.
“Marketing is no longer about the stuff that you make but about the stories you tell.” — Seth Godin.
Being painfully boring
Newsletters can be really long with no flow. Consider practising writing and laying out the content of your newsletter before typing it out? Nobody wants to spend 5 minutes reading something that doesn’t excite them.
Think of the number of unread mails your readers have and be the unread mail worth reading till the end.
Copy-pasting
Some newsletters are by writers who write on a particular platform. The ones that I’ve subscribed to from a platform, chances are that I enjoy your articles and want to read more of your beautiful writing.
But what happens next? You copy paste an article of yours, which I’ve probably read. Then I think, why did I subscribe?
It’s like a YouTuber getting subscribers from YouTube and sending the same videos in their newsletter — chances are, the audience has watched it already!
I made this mistake for the longest time. This is the reason my newsletter didn’t attract many people in the initial months.
3 Reasons You Probably Shouldn’t Start a Newsletter
Now that you know what not to do, building an email list might get harder. Now is your time to think, should you really start a newsletter? Let me help you by giving you three reasons you probably shouldn’t.
- To build an audience: 10 interactive people are better than 1000 people. What's the point of getting 1000 people on your mailing list if they don’t even engage with you? Build relationships instead. It’ll take you a long way.
- To sell things: solve a problem instead. I took a LinkedIn poll and after almost 70,000 views and a few hundred upvotes; I wrote an ebook about building a side hustle and making money online. People wanted to know about it, and I confirmed it from my newsletter family who affirmed the same.
- To talk about yourself: everybody has an interesting life, they just need to notice it. 750 words about what you did last weekend isn’t something people may want to know. Perhaps end with something thought-provoking or teach us something from an experience?
If your intention isn’t as shallow as the above points, let me tell you what I did and see if it works for you.
Still Want to Build It? Steal My 5 Top Secrets.
These are the exact things that helped me. They may all not work for you because nothing is one-size-fits-all, but maybe some will. And from there, you can continue to experiment and see what works for you and your audience.
1. Become regular for them to want you
Land up week after week, no matter what. My favourite newsletter, Integral by Shreyans Singh, is by an undergrad student. He lands up in my mailbox at the same time and day every week. Week on week, he’s provided value, and now I know I have to open his mail no matter what.
2. Give the reader an insight into your life
My June 19 post was a copy-paste from one of my articles, but there was one difference as compared to other posts — it was vulnerable as hell. It took courage to write and was relatable to people. The next thing that surprised me, people started sharing it on LinkedIn, urging others to subscribe! It was such a wonderful feeling.
“Do what you do so well that they will want to see it again and bring their friends.” — Walt Disney
3. Don’t be a superhuman
People want to relate to others. If you’re into self-improvement, don’t portray yourself as a perfect robot and try to inspire others. Tell them about your downfalls and how you overcome them. Tell them how you handle the lows. Don’t try hard to sound perfect and be somebody you’re not.
4. Be bloody interesting
People who open your email should want to stay. Do:
- remove unnecessary words and sentences
- add pictures sometimes
- add a quote for freshness
- write what's worth peoples 5 minutes
Don’t just do what others are doing, be interesting in your own way. Experiment with styles. I once experimented starting my newsletter with what I’m up to, that worked well! Here’s what it looked like:
I hyperlink things for the reader to quickly access it.
5. Provoke a thought
There’s enough negativity on the internet, make your newsletter a peaceful place and use your space to make a change. Whatever your genre is – tech, fashion, psychology, or anything else, you can use it to improve your reader’s life. Leave them with something to think about, ask a question, or end it with your own learning. Have a takeaway, even if that’s your own experience from training your dog.
My Final Advice to You
One thought that I always mention in my newsletter even if it sounds redundant is this:
Your time is precious, and I’m so grateful that you’re devoting a fraction of it to me.
Because I write every newsletter with this thought at the back of my head. It’s not just a newsletter for me, it's my way to make a change. It’s my way of making an impact.
One person positively impacted is better than zero.
Everything has come to us easily, we can type a book at the convenience of our laptops. Think if we lived in a time where you needed to dip your quill in the ink, would you think more before penning down?
You will, because of
- the effort required to write
- limited resources
Value your reader's time and be grateful that you have a chance to have a bit of it. With that thought, create something amazing.
“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” — Maya Angelou
Click here to subscribe to my weekly newsletter that leaves you healthier and happier. Want to upgrade your life with a side hustle and make money online? Download my free ebook.
If you liked this, you might enjoy:
