TL;DR
Email newsletters are a free, low-friction way to build an owned audience and monetize as a creator; start by writing about what interests you on platforms like Substack or Beehiv, then grow through consistency.
Key Takeaways
- 1Email newsletters are completely free to start, require minimal friction, and let you own your audience directly—unlike YouTube or social media platforms
- 2You can write about anything that genuinely interests you; intrinsic motivation and consistency matter far more than early monetization
- 3Successful newsletters range from personal journals (Sunday Snippets) to curated links (Five Bullet Friday) to niche expertise (Morning Brew, sold for $70M)
- 4Use free platforms like Substack or Beehiv to launch without cost; you can monetize later through sponsorships, affiliate links, or selling products
- 5Building an email list creates direct relationships with subscribers, enabling future revenue streams and deeper community connections
Notable Quotes
“now every time I send an email I make around $5,000 which is more than I was making in a whole month of working full-time as a doctor”
— Host
“YouTube owns the audience and I right now I'm just you know building a house on borrowed land”
— Host
“being consistent is the ultimate secret to getting results”
— Host
“I treat my newsletter as a public Journal of sorts where I'll just share whatever I want”
— Host
Chapters
1. Why Start an Email Newsletter
Explores five key reasons: completely free, low friction, private audience growth, focus on writing fundamentals, and owning your audience directly. Unlike YouTube or social platforms, you build a relationship with subscribers you control.
2. What to Write About
Three main approaches: write freely about whatever interests you (personal journal style), curate interesting articles/links weekly, or focus on a specific topic you're passionate about. Intrinsic motivation and consistency are more important than immediate success or monetization.
3. How to Get Started Step-by-Step
Choose a free platform (Substack or Beehiv recommended), sign up, write a brief description, publish your first issue, and share. No cost, no setup barriers—you can start immediately and grow your subscriber base organically.
4. Monetization Pathways
Several revenue models exist: sponsor slots (paying $5–7K per issue for established newsletters), affiliate links, selling products/courses, or selling the newsletter itself (Morning Brew's $70M sale example).
Key People & Entities
- Alex Liberman
- Founder of Morning Brew; started the daily business/tech newsletter in his university dorm and sold it for $70 million
- Tim Ferriss
- Founder of Five Bullet Friday; runs one of the most successful newsletters with over 2 million subscribers built around weekly curation
- Substack
- Free email newsletter platform recommended for beginners; also serves as a personal website for your newsletter
- Beehiv
- Free email newsletter platform alternative to Substack for starting newsletters without cost
- ConvertKit
- Paid email platform used by the host; more powerful and feature-rich but requires a subscription after 1,000 free subscribers
Glossary
- Email list
- A collection of subscriber email addresses that you directly own and can contact; distinct from social media followers who are owned by the platform
- Owned audience
- Subscribers or followers you have direct contact with via email, as opposed to relying on algorithms or platform policies to reach them
- Intrinsic motivation
- Creating content because you genuinely enjoy the process and the subject matter, rather than for external rewards like money or views
- Curation
- Selecting and sharing existing interesting content (articles, books, podcasts, etc.) rather than creating original content
- Affiliate links
- Links to products or services where you earn a commission if someone clicks and makes a purchase