Dan Koe spends ~2 hours/day on his newsletter, creating 1 piece of content/week and making $45,275/month.
He broke down his creation process into 5 steps in this tweet.
Discovered via For the Interested.
Stuck On Your Newsletter’s Name?
Are you ready to start a newsletter but can’t think of the “perfect” name? Dan Oshinsky shared a LinkedIn post you need to see. Here’s the gist:
“Often, keeping things simple is just the easiest decision — it’s also the right decision.”
Should You Start a Pop-Up Newsletter?
Craig Mod explains the benefits of publishing “Pop-Up Newsletters” (aka timeboxed, seasonal newsletters with a set ending) in this piece. The advantage?
“Ignore how many subscribers you do or don’t get. The goal is to build a habit of writing and publishing. If you successfully pull off the writing, fantastic! Repeat.”
Learn more about the how and why, including when you could charge for these, here.
Discovered via Inbox Reads.
Are you asking, “What do I write in my newsletter?” TikTok-er Honestceohilary recommends following James Clear’s 3-2-1 method in this video.
Ensure Your Newsletter Reaches The Inbox
Have you spent time, resources, and energy crafting a great newsletter only to have it end up in someone’s spam folder? If so, it may be worth it to take a deep dive into improving your deliverability. Here are a few recent articles on the topic to get you started:
Newsletter Experts Look Forward
Recently, a group of newsletter editors for major publications sat down to discuss what’s next for newsletters during a news:rewired panel. Adam Tinworth liveblogged (is that really one word?) the discussion.
They discussed topics like strategy, open rates, community, and personality, and tossed out some solid tips, which he captured for us here. Here’s my favorite:
“Find someone with a personality and a following in your newsroom — and give them the newsletter,”—Sarah Ebner (head of newsletters at The Financial Times) who joined us for a Newsletter Fest panel last year.
The advice takes me back to Ann Handley’s suggestion that your newsletter needs an emcee. It’s a heck of a lot easier for an email newsletter to feel like a letter if it’s coming from a person, not an entity.
Discovered via The Media Roundup.
The Problem With The Gmail App Prefetching Images
There’s a new culprit for those deceptively high open rates you’ve been seeing: it might be because the Gmail App is prefetching images. Get the details from Chris Adams in this SparkPost article.
Discovered via Really Good Emails.
What Do You Want For Your Newsletter?
What is your vision for your newsletter? What about your goals (or anti-goals)? Shaan Puri wrote a Google Doc when he first started “My First Million” podcast that shares the vision and goals he had. Maybe they can help you, too.
Discovered via For the Interested.
Build Your Subscriber List From Zero
We all start with zero subscribers. Ghost is sharing how to get started and find your founding subscribers in bite-sized increments here.
Discovered via Ghost Newsletter.
Get Really Specific... Or Go Broad?
If you’ve had a newsletter for any amount of time, you’ve likely encountered the dilemma Justin Murphy identifies here. In summary:
“A highly specific brand will grow faster than a vague or mysterious brand. However, the more specific your brand, the less freedom you’ll have.”
So, how do you choose a newsletter topic that has the “right” amount of specificity yet gives you the freedom to write about what you want to write about?
Justin examines personality, preferences, and longevity, plus offers a chart of “indifference curves” that makes the choice feel scientific.
Take a look and let me know your thoughts. I’m constantly struggling to balance the urge to be as multi-faceted in my writing choices as I am in my life interests with a desire to hone in on a niche and own it and it alone.
Discovered via JD Graffam, owner of Simple Focus Software. He shared the link in a text because he knew I’d be intrigued.
