A Quick Guide To Starting A Newsletter And Getting Your First 1,000 Subscribers

In 3 Simple Steps

“I want to start a newsletter. What should I do?”

This is one of the most common questions I get asked.

So, I want to give you a crash-course on how newsletters work — as well as help you filter through some of the noise so you can get started quickly.

But…

Before we dive in, I want to point something “meta” out to you.

As a reader of my articles on Medium, what you are expecting is information that helps you move forward as a digital writer & creator.

Which means my job is to work HARD to figure out:

• What questions you have
• What topics you’re most interested in
• What walkthrough guides you would find most valuable
• What problems you are struggling to find non-obvious solutions to
• And what outcomes you want to unlock (for yourself and your business)

This guide on how to start a newsletter is a great example of us listening to what questions readers (like you) are asking, and then creating content that answers those questions.

And this is the big secret to building a successful newsletter.

You don’t have to be “brilliant.”

You just have to be clear about who your target reader is, and then listen to what questions that person has — and answer them.

And with that…

Let’s dive in!

Step 1: Choosing the right newsletter platform:

There are 3 options you have to choose from.

• Substack: For casual creators
• Beehiiv: For advanced/marketing-minded creators
• ConvertKit: For expert-level business-minded creators

Here’s a quick rundown of each one:

Substack: If all you want to do is write & publish, Substack is your best bet.

• Easy setup
• Simple interface