Start a Paid Newsletter

1. 1

   Pick a niche with a yearlong runway

   A topic you can write about weekly for a year and that a definable group (an industry, a role, an obsession) would miss if it stopped arriving.

2. 2

   Launch free on Beehiiv or Substack

   Both are free to start and handle hosting, signups, and payments. Spend the saved time on the writing, not the tooling.

3. 3

   Nail one repeatable format

   Five links with commentary, one deep dive, one case study. A recognizable structure makes issues faster to write and easier to forward.

4. 4

   Grow with borrowed audiences

   Cross-promote with similar newsletters, answer questions on Reddit and LinkedIn, and use platform recommendation networks. Every issue should be easy to share.

5. 5

   Pitch sponsors at 1,000 subscribers

   Niche sponsors pay for engaged small lists; a focused 1,000-reader list can command $100 to $250 per placement.

6. 6

   Layer in the paid tier

   Keep the free issue and add a paid edition with deeper analysis, templates, or community at $5 to $15 a month. Converting 5 percent of the list is a normal, real result.

Do not take our word for the money. Put your own numbers in and see what this idea has to earn before it works. Free, instant, no account needed.