How to Start a Newsletter in Under an Hour

So, you want to start a newsletter?

Great idea! 👏

Newsletters are key to building a loyal fanbase and communicating directly with your people. Publications like Morning Brew, with its $75 million valuation, have shown the exceptional value of newsletters. But you don’t need to reach millions.

Imagine 1,000 engaged subscribers receiving your email in their inbox each week.

How might that transform your business?

In this post I’ll guide you through my own simple process of starting a newsletter in less than an hour.

Ready? Let's go.

1. Draft a Simple Strategy

Don’t spend too long on your strategy as it will develop and sharpen over time. But it’s worth briefly outlining some key decisions upfront.

Write or type the answers to these questions before moving on:

• Who is the ideal person to receive your newsletter?
• How will the content of your newsletter help them?
• How often will you email them?
• What would make them want to tell their friends about your newsletter?

Once you’ve answered those questions, let’s create your newsletter.

2. Pick a Platform

Again, don’t sweat this decision too much as you will own your email list (one of the beauties of newsletters compared to social media) and can always transfer your list from one platform to another.

To get moving quickly, I recommend signing up to Beehiiv, which is the provider I currently use.

I’ve used MailChimp and Substack before; both were great. I’ve also heard that ConvertKit is really good.

Every platform has a free tier so you can get started with no commitment. Over time you will learn the ins and outs of newsletters and understand why one platform may be a better choice for you over another, but for now, any of the above options will do the job well.

I gravitated towards Beehiiv because of its pleasing UX, and it has some of the best email delivery rates in the game.

If you choose Beehiiv, you can use my referral link to sign up here.

3. Import Your First 10 Subscribers

Right now, you have 0 subscribers. That’s fine, everyone starts here.

There wouldn’t be much point crafting your first newsletter and sending it out to no one, though, so let’s get the first 10 people on your list.

You’ll do this manually for now. (Save the fancy growth tactics for later).

Contact your friends, family, and co-workers. Tell them you’re starting a newsletter and ask if they wouldn’t mind being one of your first subscribers. Jot down their email addresses and import them to your list.

Once you have 10, it’s time to send your first newsletter out.

4. Send Your First Newsletter

In Beehiiv, you can create your first ‘post’ by clicking “Start Writing” in your dashboard. Other platforms will have a similar option.

Keep your content succinct and always write for your ideal reader. Remember the question you answered earlier: “How will the content of your newsletter help them?"

Hit send.

Boom! 🎉 🚀

Your first newsletter is out there. Congratulations!

From here on your your life will be consumed with 2 things: writing your newsletter consistently and growing it.

Stick at it and it could change your life.

Bonus tips for early subscriber growth.

As a bonus, I want to share a few tips for growing your subscriber list in the early stages:

• Create your landing page with a simple subscribe form for your newsletter. Add the link to your landing page to all your social media bios and direct any potential subscribers to that page. Make sure you clearly articulate why someone should sign up on your landing page.
• Set a short-term goal for growing your list. I would recommend aiming to achieve your first 100 subscribers as quickly as possible.
• Focus on manual labour subscriber growth to begin with. This means continuing to tell your co-workers and friends about your newsletter; you can get lots of direct sign-ups this way, and it’s the most effective use of your time and effort in the early days.
• Follow up with your early subscribers and ask them for feedback. What did they find useful about your newsletter? What could you improve?
• Repurpose the content of your newsletter on social media platforms and link back to your sign-up page. For example, if your newsletter shares your 10 most unusual book recommendations, repurpose this into a Twitter thread or Instagram reel. This will be the best way to reach a new audience and send them to your landing page.
• Reach out to other small newsletters and agree to shout each other out in your newsletters. This works best when you agree on a deal with newsletters in your industry that are not direct competitors.

There’s never been a better time to start a newsletter, whether it's to attract an audience to your products or services, or to create a standalone newsletter business. And the good news is that platforms like Beehiiv make the whole process extremely user-friendly.

Good luck, and please let me know about your newsletter so I can be one of your first subscribers! 😊