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:
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
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: