The most common newsletter Q's:

1️⃣ Should I build free or paid?
2️⃣ What should I focus on early on?
3️⃣ How/when to monetize a free newsletter?
4️⃣ How do you sell ads?
5️⃣ How paid newsletters work?

We answered each in 6 mins...🧵
..and yes @joshcolter I'm wearing a hat in all 😜
2️⃣ What should I focus on early on?
3️⃣ How/when to monetize a free newsletter?
4️⃣ How do you sell ads?
5️⃣ How do paid newsletters work?
6️⃣ BONUS: How do you find ideas for paid newsletters?
If you're new here, go ahead and follow me (@damn_ethan) to learn more in the coming weeks.

I also did a longer thread on this here, with data and price examples:

You can also see a bunch more info in this slide deck for free: bit.ly/3mJmc1y

• • •

Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to force a refresh
 

Keep Current with Ethan Brooks

Ethan Brooks Profile picture

Stay in touch and get notified when new unrolls are available from this author!

Read all threads

This Thread may be Removed Anytime!

PDF

Twitter may remove this content at anytime! Save it as PDF for later use!

Try unrolling a thread yourself!

how to unroll video
  1. Follow @ThreadReaderApp to mention us!

  2. From a Twitter thread mention us with a keyword "unroll"
@threadreaderapp unroll

Practice here first or read more on our help page!

More from @damn_ethan

6 May
Affiliate deals can be big money for newsletters.

Nerdwallet and BankRate both make $150m+/yr on an affiliate model.

You also don't need a huge audience to start (unlike other ads).

Here's an overview, with insider tips from operators at Motley Fool, Morning Brew, and more...
Remember... A free newsletter is big enough to monetize when it has any 2 of these:

1️⃣ A big audience
2️⃣ High engagement
3️⃣ Readers ready to spend money

With affiliate deals, you're only paid on performance, so advertisers often don't care how small your audience is. Image
If you're not familiar, an affiliate partnership is an arrangement with another company.

Rather than them paying to place an ad in your newsletter, you're paid a commission when you:

👀 Drive leads to them (Cost Per Lead) or...
💰 Sell their product (Cost Per Acquisition)
Read 13 tweets
4 May
I hate the term "community building."

It used to mean something, before it was popular. Now it's just a buzzword.

It's also poorly defined.

So here's a framework that takes the mystery out of it. I call it the "pyramid of priority" (PoP).

It works like this...🧵
First, let's take the mystery out of it.

I've shared this before, but at its core, community building is just connecting people in a way that's helpful to them.

That's it.

Still, it can help to have a framework to think through, which is where PoP comes in handy.
From bottom to top, the pyramid goes from least to most flexible:

🧭 Mission: The specific change you want to make
🧑🏾‍🤝‍🧑🏻 Members: Who you're creating change for
🖥️ Medium: How you reach people
📈 Metrics: How you measure success
📣 Messaging: How you talk to/about members
Read 16 tweets
4 May
If you run a newsletter, reader interviews are insanely valuable.

No survey can beat 15 minutes face-to-face with a real person -- especially for paid newsletters.

We use 'em all the time at @TheHustle & Trends.

BUT you have to ask good questions.

Here are my 3 favorites...👇
1️⃣ "Tell me the story of the day you decided to pay for Trends."

Technically not a question 😂 But super powerful.

When people tell you a story, they'll recall more vivid details than if they're just answering a question.

Much better than "Why did you join?"
2️⃣ "Since joining, what has surprised you most about Trends (good and bad)?"

Good surprises = Things you should be marketing but aren't.

Bad surprises = Opportunities to improve your product.

Much better than "What are we doing right/wrong?"
Read 7 tweets
3 May
Okay, this is gonna be controversial...

But as-promised -- recommendations on the best tools for your newsletter stack.

These are based on my opinion as a developer and newsletter operator + research into what's being used at The Hustle, Morning Brew, NYT, and others... 🧵
As a quick reminder, there are 5 key parts to your newsletter's technical stack:

🖥️ Website
📜 Registration Software
💸 Payment Processor
✉️ Email Service Provider (ESP)
📈 Analytics

Companies use a mix of pre-built and custom tools. More on this here:
If you're just starting out, pick a simple all-in-one tool, like Substack or MailChimp.

Whatever's easiest and cheapest.

Focus on writing a kick-ass newsletter. That's the most important thing.

Save these recommendations for after you've gotten established and monetized.
Read 13 tweets
2 May
Let's talk about newsletter tech.

Most people ask, "What ESP should I use?"

But that's only the beginning. There are actually 5 key tools that power a newsletter biz.

Here's a quick overview for beginners...🧵
The combination of tools that power your newsletter is called your "stack."

There are 5 key parts:
🖥️ Website
📜 Registration Software
💸 Payment Processor
✉️ Email Service Provider (ESP)
📈 Analytics

The most important thing to know: Your stack is always a work in progress.
A quick breakdown:
🖥️ Website: For publishing blog posts & landing pages

📜 Registration: Adds people to your list

💸 Payment: For billing subscribers/advertisers

✉️ ESP: For designing & sending the email

📈 Analytics: Measures newsletter, marketing, and website performance
Read 11 tweets
30 Apr
Have you heard of the Inverted Pyramid?

Once you know it, you'll see it everywhere.

It's a framework you can use to make ads in your newsletter better.

Better Ads >> More Clicks >> More 💰

Here's how it works...🧵
Marketers have a term: AIDA

It stands for Attention, Interest, Desire, Action.

Great ads:
1️⃣ Grab readers attention
2️⃣ Transform their attention/interest into desire
3️⃣ Prompt them to act

The inverted pyramid helps you structure your ad to do this well.
You do this with:

👀 Eye-catching headlines
📈 Easily readable body copy
🚀 Great use of links and calls to action

Let's use this old example from The Hustle to talk through each...

(I guess you're welcome eToro)...
Read 11 tweets

Did Thread Reader help you today?

Support us! We are indie developers!


This site is made by just two indie developers on a laptop doing marketing, support and development! Read more about the story.

Become a Premium Member ($3/month or $30/year) and get exclusive features!

Become Premium

Too expensive? Make a small donation by buying us coffee ($5) or help with server cost ($10)

Donate via Paypal Become our Patreon

Thank you for your support!

Follow Us on Twitter!

:(