I was recently speaking with someone who shared that they wanted to start a newsletter. They have a service-based business and tons of information and topics in mind but felt confused about where to start. Where do you host a newsletter? Do you write your newsletter and send it from the same place? What do you write about? Does everything need to be original or can I curate links? Do I need to tell the owner of the links that I’m including them in my email? So let’s jump into a quick start guide for how to start a cult community in 90 days.
Where do you send your newsletter? I recently wrote a post comparing Substack and beehiiv that you can read here: What’s the best platform for newsletter writers?. In this article, I also mention other newsletter hosting platforms to consider. The only one I didn’t add was Kajabi. It’s a little expensive up front, but if you’re looking for an all-in-one platform for course creation, digital products, and newsletter writing, it might be a good option.
How did you design your newsletter? Did you use a template? Substack was super minimal, so I didn’t do a lot of designing there. They also don’t have templates, but they do allow you to duplicate previous posts if you want to use/repeat a similar format. I would duplicate previous posts that had elements, formats, or sections I wanted to use. I liked the simplicity early on because it allowed me to focus on the content/writing rather than endlessly tweaking the design. Kit and beehiiv make creating templates much easier. Kit does come with built-in template options, and Palladio is a place where you can buy templates for Kit if you want something a bit fancier. beehiiv doesn’t have built-in templates, but you can create and save your own, making it easier to use different formats. This is one of my most used features. I took inspiration from some beehiiv newsletter designs, and here are a few you might like: Creator Spotlight, Big Desk Energy, Creator Economy NYC.
How do you let people know about your newsletter? I’m starting a second newsletter from scratch, and my biggest question was how to find an audience for women’s sports fans. Here’s what I recommend for new writers:
You have to market it! Start with your friends and family, then leverage your social media platforms and other community interest groups that might have people who are interested in what you’ll be sharing. Consistency and quality are your best friends when you start. If people sign up, they are expecting to hear from you. You can see what your audience engages with most, you can experiment with different formats, and then refine what’s working best. Here are a few places you can share about your newsletter:
your Twitter, Linkedin, or Bluesky cover image. It’s valuable real estate and your online billboard. It’s one of the first things people see when they visit your profile.
your social media bio. All social media platforms allow you to put a link in your bio. You can include it in a social media landing page (bento.me looks really cool and is free) or you can direct them to a custom landing page for your newsletter or website.
your Linkedin Featured Post section. Many people add well-performing posts here, but I think this section works best when adding custom links.
your pinned post on Instagram, Twitter, or Threads. If posting a video, make sure to add a first frame that tells them the post is about a newsletter with text.
your email signature. We all use email and it’s an easy way to get new business inquiries to check out your newsletter.
your post comments. If you put a link in your Tweet or Linkedin post, it may not get the same amount of reach. But putting a link in the comment of your post often is very helpful. Auto-comments/first comments on Twitter and Linkedin have been huge attention drivers for me.
A sign-up form in the hero section of your website. Making your sign-up form above the fold is an easy win for website visitors.
Industry newsletters. What better place to find newsletter subscribers than where they already are? There are tons of newsletters that report on things in different industries: podcasting, sports, wellness, finances, etc. Find newsletters that take submissions or guest posts and share your newsletter.
On podcasts. Both your own and ones that you are a guest on. This sounds like a no-brainer, but it really helps to send attention to your newsletter.
YouTube. Both the channel links section and video descriptions. Great for new and returning viewers.
What other questions do you have about writing a newsletter?
