We are in a newsletter bubble:
• Plummeting open rates
• Fake subscriber counts
• Inboxes flooded with mediocre content
So how do you stand out from all the noise?
Choose one of these two options and go all in (before your newsletter vanishes)
First, a quick reframe:
Newsletters with 10,000s (or 100,000s) of subscribers aren't "newsletters."
They're niche news stations.
• Books
• Full Courses
• Prime-time channels
Information is dripped over time, not all at once.
Because of this, the best newsletters do 1 of 2 things:
1. Save you 1,000 hours of annoying work “finding” everything you need to know
2. Save you 1,000 hours of trial and error by accelerating your learning in a particular area.
In other words, they're either:
1. Short and curated
2. Long and original thinking
Let's dive in!
1. Short and curated
These have one benefit: to save the reader time.
All of these publications have a time-related promise:
• The Hustle: “Become smarter in just 5 minutes.”
• Morning Brew: “Get the 5-minute newsletter keeping 2M+ innovators in the loop.”
• Robinhood Snacks: “The 3-minute newsletter with fresh takes on the financial news.”
These publications curate content for you and don't provide "original" thinking.
They are best suited to fast-moving topics or areas like:
• Stocks
• Sports
• Politics
• Pop culture
If you find the right niche, 100,000s of people come to rely on you to keep them up-to-date on their industry, hobbies, and their wider interests.
These newsletters are either free (and monetized through ads) or they ask for a subscription to keep you ad-free and up-to-date.
Here's a checklist to see if "Short and curated" is for you:
1. You write in a fast-moving, “newsy” category (where there is no shortage of things to curate).
2. You write in a giant, non-niche category (money, politics, pop culture, etc.) so you can curate and distill lots of content quickly.
3. You are not ready to start sharing your own original thinking yet (and curation is an easier place to start).
--
2. Long and original thinking
These have one benefit: to accelerate your expertise.
They are usually written by experts in a particular field or niche so you know you're always getting the latest frameworks and analysis.
Here are some examples:
• Write With AI: How to leverage AI in your Digital Writing
• Stratechery: Analysis of the strategy and business side of technology and media
• The Generalist: Unpacking how companies in tech and crypto work and why they matter
They take one niche or vertical and promise their readers to go "in depth."
These newsletters are smart and ask their readers to pay attention, engage, and think.
And they tend to work best in slow-moving niches and create content through the lens of:
• History
• Analysis
• Psychology
They have a loyal base of readers, low churn rates, and are so good people will pay for them.
Here's a checklist to see if "Long and original thinking" is right for you:
1. You write in a slower-moving category (it's difficult to have a compelling Short & Curated “newsy” writing newsletter).
2. You write in an oddly specific niche (like teaching first-time homeowners how to save money by fixing doors, windows, sinks, bathtubs, and more, all on their own).
3. You have deep domain expertise (making your opinions, insights, and perspectives incredibly valuable to the right kind of reader).
--
That's a wrap!
There are only two types of newsletters that can be monetized:
1. Short and curated
2. Long and original thinking
Now you know the types of newsletters that "work" you can make a conscious choice for your own newsletter.
And if you're looking to start your own newsletter in 2024 then you need to know more than just how to "write".
--
There are 7 skills you need to make 6 or 7 figures as a writer:
• Viral Writing
• Ghostwriting
• Offer Creation
• AI Prompt Writing
• Newsletter Writing
• Sales Email Marketing
• Landing Page Copywriting
Combining these 7 skills makes you highly defensible AND profitable as a writer.
And we've put them all into Full Stack Writer.
We're launching this Black Friday and it'll be available for *only* 5 days.
Join the waitlist in the replies.
• Plummeting open rates
• Fake subscriber counts
• Inboxes flooded with mediocre content
So how do you stand out from all the noise?
Choose one of these two options and go all in (before your newsletter vanishes)
First, a quick reframe:
Newsletters with 10,000s (or 100,000s) of subscribers aren't "newsletters."
They're niche news stations.
• Books
• Full Courses
• Prime-time channels
Information is dripped over time, not all at once.
Because of this, the best newsletters do 1 of 2 things:
1. Save you 1,000 hours of annoying work “finding” everything you need to know
2. Save you 1,000 hours of trial and error by accelerating your learning in a particular area.
In other words, they're either:
1. Short and curated
2. Long and original thinking
Let's dive in!
1. Short and curated
These have one benefit: to save the reader time.
All of these publications have a time-related promise:
• The Hustle: “Become smarter in just 5 minutes.”
• Morning Brew: “Get the 5-minute newsletter keeping 2M+ innovators in the loop.”
• Robinhood Snacks: “The 3-minute newsletter with fresh takes on the financial news.”
These publications curate content for you and don't provide "original" thinking.
They are best suited to fast-moving topics or areas like:
• Stocks
• Sports
• Politics
• Pop culture
If you find the right niche, 100,000s of people come to rely on you to keep them up-to-date on their industry, hobbies, and their wider interests.
These newsletters are either free (and monetized through ads) or they ask for a subscription to keep you ad-free and up-to-date.
Here's a checklist to see if "Short and curated" is for you:
1. You write in a fast-moving, “newsy” category (where there is no shortage of things to curate).
2. You write in a giant, non-niche category (money, politics, pop culture, etc.) so you can curate and distill lots of content quickly.
3. You are not ready to start sharing your own original thinking yet (and curation is an easier place to start).
--
2. Long and original thinking
These have one benefit: to accelerate your expertise.
They are usually written by experts in a particular field or niche so you know you're always getting the latest frameworks and analysis.
Here are some examples:
• Write With AI: How to leverage AI in your Digital Writing
• Stratechery: Analysis of the strategy and business side of technology and media
• The Generalist: Unpacking how companies in tech and crypto work and why they matter
They take one niche or vertical and promise their readers to go "in depth."
These newsletters are smart and ask their readers to pay attention, engage, and think.
And they tend to work best in slow-moving niches and create content through the lens of:
• History
• Analysis
• Psychology
They have a loyal base of readers, low churn rates, and are so good people will pay for them.
Here's a checklist to see if "Long and original thinking" is right for you:
1. You write in a slower-moving category (it's difficult to have a compelling Short & Curated “newsy” writing newsletter).
2. You write in an oddly specific niche (like teaching first-time homeowners how to save money by fixing doors, windows, sinks, bathtubs, and more, all on their own).
3. You have deep domain expertise (making your opinions, insights, and perspectives incredibly valuable to the right kind of reader).
--
That's a wrap!
There are only two types of newsletters that can be monetized:
1. Short and curated
2. Long and original thinking
Now you know the types of newsletters that "work" you can make a conscious choice for your own newsletter.
And if you're looking to start your own newsletter in 2024 then you need to know more than just how to "write".
--
There are 7 skills you need to make 6 or 7 figures as a writer:
• Viral Writing
• Ghostwriting
• Offer Creation
• AI Prompt Writing
• Newsletter Writing
• Sales Email Marketing
• Landing Page Copywriting
Combining these 7 skills makes you highly defensible AND profitable as a writer.
And we've put them all into Full Stack Writer.
We're launching this Black Friday and it'll be available for *only* 5 days.
Join the waitlist in the replies.
Want to grab 2024 by the horns and make real progress as a writer?
Then you need to be a Full Stack Writer.
Join the waitlist👇fullstackwriter.co
Then you need to be a Full Stack Writer.
Join the waitlist👇fullstackwriter.co
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