I started Life’s a Game to really reconnect to my love of writing and see if I could write long form after growing my Twitter/X profile to 110,000 followers.
The newsletter quickly grew to 60,000 subs in year.
So I figured I’d share what I would do if I had to built it again from scratch today……
Story time: starting my newsletter I went against a lot of best practices and yet I grew to 60,000 subscribers and over $180k in sponsor revenue in year 2.
Sharing my tips below…
➡️ 1. The 50 Subject Line test
Most newsletters fail because they pick a topic they *should* talk about and not something they are passionate about talking about.
If you can’t write the newsletter for a year, you won’t see significant money.
Sit down and write 50 subject lines about all the things you’d want to write about.
Then categorize them and figure out who would benefit from those.
➡️ 2. Th 10 person survey
I’d next find 10 people who fit that description and ask if you could send the first few newsletters to them for feedback.
This gets you into the rhythm of producing while ensuring your format resonates.
➡️ 3. The 6 month test
Once you’ve received feedback, I’d commit to a 6 month test of one format.
Most newsletters fail because they simply can’t stay consistent.
Sponsors and subscribers are looking for stability.
Build the muscle of showing up.
➡️ 4. The 90/10 sales rule
Most of you are starting a newsletter as a sales vehicle to your products….
And that’s OK
but I’m starting to see newsletters that don’t add any value. They just sell.
Focus on 90% value.
10% sales.
This increases your referrals because no one refers commercials but they do refer documentaries.
➡️ 5. Network effects
There are two network effects I’d focus on right from the beginning:
- who do I know that reaches my audience on social?
- who do I know that reaches my audience via email?
Find 5 people in both cohorts who is just a few steps ahead of you and ask for a shoutout in exchange for a dedicated promotion of their product when you hit 10,000 subscribers.
Here’s a sample script to steal:
Hey ______!
I love your content about X helping Y achieve Z.
6 months ago I started a newsletter helping those same people solve the following pain points:
- pain point
- pain point
- pain point
I’m now confident in the format, value and feedback I’ve received and looking to partner with a few people to help cross promote each other’s content.
I know I’m a few steps behind you so I’d do a promo now and then again when I hit 10k as part of my 10k celebration!
Here’s the copy for the promotion so you can see what (newsletter) is all about:
Insert Promo copy
Let me know what you think!
Appreciate you,
Name
➡️ 6. Inject yourself
Many newsletters miss the opportunity to build emotional connection with their audience.
Ways to build connection:
- images
- life updates
- stories
Those are the 6 things I’d do if I was starting my newsletter again today from scratch before I ever touched paid marketing.
Bet you didn’t think you’d get a lesson within a lesson!
Lollll more stories to come.
Your email is DEFINITELY ready.