How to Grow a Million Dollar Newsletter

If you’re anything like me, you like to put the cart before the horse.

Before I even start writing, I want to get people subscribed to my newsletter.

Why?

Because the thrill of seeing new subscribers roll in is a massive motivator.

Once you’ve got subscribers, the pressure to keep them engaged drives you to create killer content.

My advice?

Build your subscriber base as you develop your content.

Let your audience inspire you and learn what works best as you go.

That’s why this week, we’re diving into GROWING your newsletter.

Ready?

Grow Your Following the Right Way

Before we dive in, I want to stress a word of caution.

It’s not just about amassing a huge number of subscribers; it’s about building a loyal and engaged audience.

Focus on quality over quantity and attract subscribers who genuinely care about your content.

This means avoiding shortcuts like buying email lists or using shady growth tactics (I’ve tried them, and they don’t work).

Instead, build your list organically through valuable content, genuine engagement, and strategic marketing.

Now that’s out of the way…

The Best Ways to Grow a Newsletter in 2024

Ready to grow your newsletter?

Here’s a detailed guide on how to do it effectively.

Understand Your Target Market

Knowing who you’re writing for is the foundation of a successful newsletter.

If you’re running a successful business, you should already have a good understanding of your customers pain points.

Example:

My buyer persona is online business owners who are tech-savvy, entrepreneurial, and ambitious.

Most of you came from LinkedIn, so therefore, you care about LinkedIn Growth, Social Selling, Email Newsletters, Offer Alignment, Automation, etc.

Your goals? Make more money, work less, live/work where you want.

I can write about email newsletters because I understand the challenges and aspirations of online business owners, and how amazing a newsletter can be at growing your business & personal brands.

What will you write about?

Make a Killer Landing Page

Next, you’ll need a landing page to capture email addresses.

Here’s mine as an example: https://ajsilber.com/newsletter/

Include things like:

• Who the newsletter is for.

• What you’ll be talking about.

• Testimonials (see section below).

• Who you are.

Carrd is a great way to build a quick landing page for your new newsletter.

If you DON’T have a website, I recommend starting with that.

If you do have a website, just create a page and a form to capture emails.

Pro Tip: The shorter the form, the easier it is for people to subscribe.

Copy my strategy and JUST have someone put their email address in to subscribe.

Create Lead Magnets

If you’re going to build your newsletter, you’re going to need lead magnets.

Lead magnets are incentives offered in exchange for an email address.

Examples: A cheat sheet, guide, free course, etc.

You’ll need to give a little to get a little.

My best advice here?

Make your free sh*t better than your competitors paid sh*t.

Two things:

1. There’s no minimum amount of lead magnets you can have. 5 is better than 2.

2. I’m not leaving you hanging. Check out the cheat sheet below for a quick guide!

Write Great Content

This one probably goes without saying, but I need to mention it.

Consistently delivering high-quality content is crucial for the success of your newsletter.

This can be as easy or as hard as you make it.

Focus on providing value, whether through informative articles, entertaining stories, or practical tips.

Pro Tips:

1. Stay Authentic: Let your personality shine through your writing.

2. Create a Content Calendar: Plan your content in advance to ensure consistency.

3. Analyze and Optimize: Use analytics to track what content resonates most with your audience.

4. Would I Find This Valuable: Before you hit publish, think to yourself “would I find this valuable.”

5. Money or Time: I try and stick to topics that either save my audience time or make them more money. It’s hard not to see value in that.

Get Rockstar Testimonials

Social proof is a powerful persuasion tool.

Showcase testimonials and success stories from your readers to build credibility and trust.

How do you get more testimonials?

Reach out to your most engaged subscribers and ask.

Once you’ve got them, add them to your landing pages and use them as social proof for social media posts.

Here are a few of mine.

Grow Your Social Following

I’ve spent the last 4 months growing my following from 0-40,000 people on LinkedIn.

It’s a daily effort, but once you have the audience, you can leverage them to do things like…subscribe to your newsletter!

Each time I post, my CTA is “Subscribe to the newsletter.”

Most likely, you’re here because of that.

That strategy has gotten me over 1,500 subscribers in the last month.

Pro Tip: Work on your personal brand and get started today.

Thank me in five years…

Other ways to grow your subscribers with social:

• Engage with your audience through comments.

• DM your audience with your newsletter as a resource.

• Launch a live, free training. Collect emails as a sign up.

Run Paid Ads

The dirty secret of growing a newsletter is that most subscribers are paid.

(I’ll be launching paid ads for this newsletter in June).

Investing in paid advertising can help you reach a larger audience quickly.

Platforms like Facebook & Instagram allow you to target specific demographics, interests, and behaviors.

Start by creating compelling ad copy and visuals that highlight the value of your newsletter.

Drive traffic to the landing page you created above.

It’s pretty simple.

Look to get your costs down to $1 a subscriber.

Want 50,000 subscribers? That’ll be $50,000.

Closing Thoughts

There are no “growth hacks” or “inside secrets” to growing a newsletter.

I could giveaway a Ferrari in exchange for subscribers.

Would those people be loyal fans OR do they just want the Ferrari?

Focus on consistent growth over time THAT is what works.

I you enjoyed this weeks tactic for growth!