Free guides to start, grow, and monetize a newsletter

Starting a newsletter means deciding three things before you write: who it is for, what they get from each issue, and how often it arrives. A clear promise, such as a weekly briefing on a specific industry, makes it easy for people to decide to subscribe and easy for you to decide what to include.

Choose a cadence you can keep for at least six months. Weekly is common, but a reliable monthly issue is better than an irregular weekly one.

Newsletter growth usually comes from three sources. First, capturing people who already visit your website or social profiles, with subscribe forms and pop-ups. Second, word of mouth from existing readers, which a referral program rewards. Third, cross-promotion with other newsletters, through recommendations or paid placements.

Focus on one source at a time and measure where new subscribers come from. Growth that brings in engaged readers is worth more than a large number of people who never open.

Email deliverability is the likelihood that your newsletter reaches the inbox rather than the spam folder. Mailbox providers decide based on your sending domain's authentication records (SPF, DKIM, and DMARC), your complaint rate, and whether recipients engage with your emails.

Inkwave handles authentication for you. Your part is list quality: only email people who asked to hear from you, make unsubscribing easy, and stop sending to readers who have not opened in a long time after a re-engagement attempt.

There are three common ways to earn from a newsletter. Sponsorships are paid placements you sell directly to brands, and they work best with a focused audience. An ad network fills placements for you, which is useful when you do not have time to sell. Paid subscriptions charge readers for access to some or all of your content, and they work best when readers see your work as uniquely valuable.

Many newsletters combine them, for example a free edition with sponsors and a paid edition with extra analysis. Start with the model that fits your audience, and add a second one once the first is reliable.