Rory Epps retweetledi
This morning, I wrote a long email on how I build profitable newsletters. Since this platform allows long form now, I figured I'd post it here too.
Happy New Year,
It’s 4:26am on January 11th, 2024 and it’s been 71 days since I’ve emailed you.
I’ve had a rough draft titled “How To Build A Profitable Newsletter in 2024” written for about 64 days.
Why haven’t I finished it?
Probably because I want it to be perfect.
Why?
I don’t know. It's never going to be perfect after all.
So what’s wrong with me?
I don't know. I'm trying to figure that out.
Nonetheless, this morning I’m discarding that entire draft. And I’m just going to write as if I’m sitting across from you at a coffee shop.
It works out because I have a literal coffee in front of me. How convenient and realistic.
Before I get started, there are three important notes when it comes to building a newsletter:
1. This requires money. Not a lot of money, but some of it. If you don’t have any money, then go do something insanely valuable for someone in return for the lowest price. For example, paint someone’s entire house for $1,000. It makes no sense to do that as a business model, but you just need some funds.
2. This also requires time. Not a lot of time, but some of it. Watch less TikTok or otherwise optimize your time in whatever way works for you.
3. This is not the only way to build a profitable newsletter. This is my way. I really don’t care about anyone else’s way since this works so well.
Now let’s get into it. This should be straightforward.
Do you have your coffee? Or water? Tea? Stiff whiskey?
Step 1: You need an idea.
But not just any idea.
There are too many distractions in life already. There’s no room for mediocrity anymore.
If your newsletter isn’t an absolute must-open every time you send it, then you’ll fail.
This isn’t 2005 where everything online is still fresh and people will casually open their email and read about the latest cycling news.
It’s 2024 where we get a notification on our phone and somehow before we even open it, another notification has distracted us.
It’s brutal, soul crushing, and brain rotting… but I digress.
Use these six questions to gut check your idea:
1. Do you love the topic?
2. Can you provide a unique angle or insight?
3. Will the email make your reader’s life actually better in some way?
4. Is there an absolutely clear reason for your reader to open it every time?
5. Are there obvious (digital) products to sell to them? Natural upsells?
6. Is there plenty to say, create, write about, and so on for a long time to come?
Your answer needs to be Yes to all of those.
And be strict with yourself. Don’t fall into the mental trap of justification because you're married to a bad idea.
#3 is particularly important.
If you love surfing (#1), have won awards for your surfing ability (#2), have a course on surfing (#5), and could talk about surfing all day long (#6), you still need to nail #3 and #4.
We’ll get into that. My point is, make sure you’re answering all of these questions with an undeniable, resounding Yes.
Step 2: Keep your set up simple.
Now that you have your idea, don’t run off and set up an LLC, a full-blown website, useless cards with your name and pretentious title, or anything like that.
You still won’t really know if this is going to work, so just:
- Sign up at ConvertKit or Beehiiv.
- Register a domain.
- Get an @domain email address. Choose something friendly like “hello@domain.com”
- Create a Facebook page. It can be empty.
That’s it. No need to launch a site or anything else.
At this point, you’ve spent somewhere around $15.
Step 3: You need a killer Facebook ad.
Your entire newsletter will be built upon this step. No pressure.
My challenge website grew to 85,000 subscribers in about 5 months and more than 75,000 came from a single ad.
The Hustle, which sold for $20 million, was largely built on one ad creative.
I cannot emphasize enough that you should absolutely obsess over creating the killer ad that will literally make your business (or otherwise break it).
Here’s how I do it:
First, list all the pain points your target reader is experiencing. It can be as simple as needing to save time and as important as their survival.
Actual pain points that cut them to the core.
Let’s say you’re starting a newsletter that helps seniors save money.
Their pain point isn’t money.
It’s fear.
Fear of not being able to pay the bills, fear of losing everything, even the fear of missing out on a deal.
Second, list all the ways you can solve - or at least help with - their problem.
In this example, you could curate all the latest deals. Literally help them save money so that their fear of not having enough is reduced.
Everybody wants help in one way or another.
Third, create a PDF (use Canva or Google docs) that delivers immediate value. This is your lead magnet.
The thing you will give them that will get them to give you their email address.
In this ongoing example, it could be a massive list of every available senior discount you can possibly find along with how much money each one can save them.
Make absolutely sure that this is legitimately valuable. You want your reader to be in disbelief that it was free.
Fourth, create your first couple of ads.
Note: I’m not going into the technical set up here. There are plenty of resources, including on Facebook itself, covering how to do that.
But what’s your creative look like? How do you hit their pain point effectively enough to get them to give up their email address?
I like to use ChatGPT for this part now. Particularly the image since DALL-E became part of it.
For example, “Give me a photo of a confident senior woman holding a jar of money. Do it in a way that will pop out in Facebook feeds.”
[no image because this is Twitter]
Not bad at all. You can play with the prompts endlessly til you get what you want.
As far as the copy goes, I don’t use ChatGPT because I think I’m better. But you can try that as well.
I would use something like:
“I saved $378 last month with this… I still can’t believe it was absolutely free to download. I’ve sent it to all my friends!”
This copy covers a lot of bases:
- Fear of missing out
- It’s free
-It’s instant
- Pain point relief (saving money)
It would be tough for virtually any senior citizen to ignore that ad. That’s the feeling you want to create in your target reader.
That fear of missing out on this (free) item they can possess in seconds in return for a simple email address.
Step 4: Welcome them by providing unexpected value
Okay, they’ve given you their email address.
They’ve read your PDF and they’re currently trying to figure out why their printer won’t work because it’s so good they want to frame it.
Your free resource belongs in a museum.
Now they open your Welcome email and here’s what you do:
Ask them for multiple favors. Ask them to Reply, to whitelist you, to send you a photo in the bathroom.
Kidding. Don’t do what everyone else does.
What you’re actually going to do is thank them and then provide a link to the free guide in case they missed it or need it again.
Then you’re going to tell them a brief and personal story about why you started the newsletter. Whether it’s true or not, you started it to help them. Don’t self-serve and beat your own chest during this paragraph or two.
Now they briefly know the person behind the award-winning PDF. A connection is forming.
But you’re not done. You’re going to give them two more free downloads. No strings attached, just additional value.
They’re going to think you’re smoking some kind of drug from an unknown corner of the world at this point, and it’ll be genuinely confusing as to why you’re giving them so much value.
But they’re going to love you for it because we all love people who do things for us, seemingly without reason ( though everyone’s got a reason).
At the end of the welcome email, thank them again, mention they can reply to the email, and sign off.
Step 5: Formulate your daily / weekly email with clear intent.
Most emails follow the same format, and, not coincidentally, most are terrible.
Keep it simple. Write it like you’re writing to a friend. You don’t need huge logos at the top, social media icons in the footer, and random callouts because you saw another newsletter do it.
Every word and every pixel should be used with intention.
Another problem is that some emails are just packing way too much into them. Maybe the one you’re reading right now falls into that camp.
But don’t assume “the more, the better.” It isn't my dog at the park looking for additional ungodly substances to roll around in.
I can’t tell you exactly what to include because every niche is different, but always gut check yourself when it comes to whether something should be included
Generally, I like to view my newsletter’s content in two buckets:
1. Money-making
2. Not money-making
You’re welcome to steal those incredibly clever terms.
Money-making portions are links to my site (display ads), a sponsor, or a link to a digital product.
Not money-making is all the other stuff you can consume and enjoy right in the newsletter itself.
I’ve found if your email is too much of a digest (8 links to your site’s articles and that’s it), people get tired of it quickly.
Give them reasons to stay inside the newsletter. While they’re there, they’ll click around. And best of all, they’ll be a lot more likely to continuously open it.
Step 6: Continue building the bridge.
Look back at Steps 1-5 as building the foundation of the bridge between you and your reader.
You gave them an abundance of free value.
Then you gave them a glimpse of who you are.
Then you gave them even more value they didn't see coming.
And now each day or week you send a new email, you have an opportunity to add one more piece to the bridge.
What’s on the other side of the bridge? Their loyalty… and, therefore, revenue.
However, there’s another important piece to building the bridge.
Never forget the first PDF you sent them in return for their email address. That’s why they’re with you after all.
Let’s go back to my senior savings idea.
If they gave me their email address in return for an enormous list of all senior discounts, then my email should include more deals every time I send it.
A miniature version of the PDF.
While they’re in the email, you can provide other relevant content, but never stray too far from the first PDF.
Build a web of ideas around that PDF because that’s really what your business was founded upon.
Here’s an example of doing it wrong:
I give you my email address in return for The Ultimate Cheat Sheet To Winning At Blackjack.
Let’s assume it’s good, but then I get a welcome email that’s either bland or perhaps tries to get me to sign up with a casino.
You already burned the bridge at this point, but let’s say I still don’t unsubscribe because my wife walks by wearing literally anything at all and distracts me.
The next day you send another email and the featured article is 11 Casinos You Must Visit Before You Die.
It’s unbelievable how many marketers and entrepreneurs think this is related enough to actually resonate. I don’t mean amateurs trying to start a newsletter. I mean people with large businesses (and failing at email).
You got my email address because I want to win at blackjack. Help me continue winning at blackjack!
And if you do, I’m probably going to listen when you tell me how to win at poker.
And so on.
The ability to consistently deliver value that hits the mark every single time is what separates success from failure.
Step 7: Make money. You deserve it.
If anybody deserves to make money at this point, it’s you.
You found a niche and crushed it. You’re delivering more value than anyone else.
Your readers aren’t going to mind you getting something in return.
There are a few ways depending on your niche:
-Display ads by having a corresponding website
-Sparkloop / Beehiiv Boosts to recommend other newsletters
-Sponsorships
-Affiliate offers
-Digital products
-Physical products
I tried all of these except physical products with my challenge site over those 12 months.
For me, display ads and sparkloop pretty were consistent.
Digital products were actually on a great trajectory, but they required a lot more work than I thought. I was creating printables and selling access to them.
The recurring revenue grew pretty well, but it just wasn’t something I wanted to spend my time on.
I do recommend, if you love your niche and have the time, to try that route.
Same with physical products. People will absolutely buy stuff from you at this point, but, again, make sure you hold your products to the same standard as your newsletter.
It really is as simple as being so good that you cannot fail.
Wrapping this up.
Well, I need to leave this coffee shop. I only ordered a hot water and the baristas are judging me.
If you take anything away from this email, keep the bridge in mind.
Every point of contact you make - from the first ad to the eventual point of sale - should be done as a natural, helpful, and cohesive bridge the reader doesn’t even realize they’re on.
Continue to make their lives better each time you connect with them. Relentlessly.
That truly does make it impossible to fail.
Moving forward, I plan to send more frequent emails. I'm not sure how often.
Thanks for reading,
Scott
English
