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Email Newsletters

Why Start A Newsletterโ€‹

Creating a newsletter is an easy way to get into being a creator.

  1. The barrier of entry is very low. Itโ€™s possible to get started for free with free software offerings.
  2. Itโ€™s low friction. All it takes is sitting down, writing something, and sending it out.
  3. Itโ€™s private in the sense that youโ€™re not broadcasting your face or doxxing yourself. Youโ€™re also not beholden to a platform like YouTube or Instagram, where you donโ€™t own the audience.
  4. Writing underpins many other forms of creativity.
  5. It can potentially be a source of income in the future, in the form of affiliate links or sponsorship sections.
  • Obligatory: focusing on this being a source of income up front (i.e. an external goal) is a bad idea.

Topics To Write Aboutโ€‹

Roughly speaking, you can write about whatever you want. If itโ€™s content you enjoy creating, then youโ€™re more likely to retain the discipline to continue to contribute to your newsletter in the future. Consistency is important for growth.

Another option is curation: taking particularly interesting content youโ€™ve found online and sharing it with your subscribers.

Softwareโ€‹

  • ConvertKit (free for first 1,000 subscribers, paid after that)
  • Ghost (either self-hosted or the cloud offering)
  • Substack

Revue was a newsletter platform owned by Twitter, but was shut down on January 18, 2023.

Newsletters I Subscribe Toโ€‹

Referencesโ€‹