How to Start a Newsletter That Grows

Email newsletters are having a moment — and for good reason. Social media algorithms decide who sees your content. SEO takes months to deliver results. But your email list? You own it completely. Every subscriber opted in to hear from you, and every issue you send lands directly in their inbox.

A well-built newsletter is one of the most valuable content assets a startup can build: it compounds over time, builds a direct relationship with potential buyers, and doesn't depend on any platform's algorithm.

This guide walks through how to start a newsletter from scratch that actually grows.

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Step 1: Define Your Newsletter's Niche and Value Proposition

The biggest mistake new newsletter creators make: starting too broad. "A newsletter about marketing" doesn't give anyone a reason to subscribe over the hundreds of other marketing newsletters already in their inbox.

Your newsletter needs a specific angle:

What specific problem does each issue solve?

Who specifically is it for?

What will readers know or be able to do after each issue that they couldn't before?

Strong newsletter angles:

• "A weekly 5-minute brief for B2B content marketers on AI tools and workflows" (specific audience, specific format, specific topic)
• "Every week: one data-backed insight about content marketing ROI" (specific value, specific cadence)
• "The newsletter for startup founders who hate writing but know they need to" (specific persona, specific pain point)

The more specific your angle, the easier it is to find and attract the right audience.

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Step 2: Choose Your Format and Cadence

Format options:

Curated newsletter: Round up the best content, tools, and news in your space each week. High value for readers, easier to produce. Risk: becomes commoditized if everyone curates the same content.

Original essay: One in-depth insight, argument, or guide per issue. Builds the most authority. Requires more production time.

Hybrid: 1 short original piece + 3–5 curated items. Balances authority-building with curation efficiency.

Data-driven: Original data and analysis each issue. Most differentiating but hardest to produce.

Cadence options:

• Daily: High growth potential but extreme production demands. Only works if you have a clear daily format.
• Weekly: Most common. Sustainable for most teams. Creates consistent reader habit.
• Biweekly: Good if weekly is too demanding. Less habit-forming.
• Monthly: Low production burden, but readers may forget you exist between issues.

Start weekly. Adjust based on your capacity and reader feedback.

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Step 3: Choose Your Platform

Top newsletter platforms:

Beehiiv: Built for growth-focused newsletters. Best referral and recommendation features. Good for monetization. Growing fast.

Substack: Easy to start, built-in discovery network. Best if you want to monetize through paid subscriptions. Takes 10% of revenue.

ConvertKit: Better for email marketing integration with landing pages and automation. Good if you also run email marketing campaigns.

Mailchimp: Broad, established, not specifically built for newsletters. Good if you need free tier.

Ghost: Excellent for creator-focused publications with paid tiers. More control, more setup required.

For most startups and content marketers building a B2B newsletter, Beehiiv or ConvertKit are the strongest choices.

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Step 4: Build Your Initial Audience

Growing a newsletter is the hardest part. The first 100 subscribers take as much effort as the next 1,000.

Warm launch strategies:

Personal outreach: Email or message 50–100 people you know who are in your target audience. Tell them what you're building, why you think they'd find it valuable, and ask them to subscribe. A personal ask converts at 30–50% vs. 1–3% for cold.

Social media announcement: Post about your newsletter on LinkedIn and Twitter/X. Describe what you're building, who it's for, and how to subscribe. Do this multiple times in launch week.

Existing audience: If you have a blog, social following, or email list, announce the newsletter there. These people already like your content — many will subscribe.

Your network: Tell everyone you talk to in the first month. Add a newsletter mention to your email signature. Include a subscribe link in your LinkedIn bio.

Content-led growth strategies:

Lead magnet: Create a free resource (template, guide, checklist) that requires an email address to download. Promote the lead magnet in blog posts and on social. New subscribers get the lead magnet; they also get added to your newsletter.

Cross-promotions: Partner with other newsletter creators in adjacent spaces for newsletter swaps — you mention their newsletter to your subscribers, they mention yours to theirs. These work best when you each have 500+ subscribers and similar audiences.

Referral program: Tools like Beehiiv have built-in referral programs where subscribers earn rewards (exclusive content, free tools, swag) for referring friends. This can accelerate growth significantly.

Content SEO: Write blog content that attracts your target readers, then convert them to subscribers with a newsletter opt-in embedded in the posts.

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Step 5: Write Your First 5 Issues Before Launching

Don't launch until you have 5 issues written or outlined. Here's why:

• It helps you figure out your format before you have subscribers judging you
• It means you're not scrambling for content the week after launch
• It gives you confidence that you can actually produce the format you've committed to

Write issues 1–3 before you announce to anyone. Write outlines for issues 4 and 5. Then launch.

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Step 6: Develop a Sustainable Production Workflow

Consistency is the #1 predictor of newsletter success. A missed issue breaks the habit you're building with readers.

Build a production workflow that makes each issue repeatable:

Weekly template:

Tuesday: Research + outline for next issue
Wednesday: Draft the issue
Thursday: Edit + add links
Friday: Finalize, schedule for Monday

Issue template:

Subject line: [Hook] + [Specific promise]
Preview text: [Secondary hook]

[Intro: 2-3 sentences setting up the main topic]

[Main section: original insight, essay, or curated piece]

[Secondary section: tools, links, or additional resources]

[CTA: subscribe, forward, reply]

Batch where possible: curate 2–3 issues of links at once. Write your intro templates in advance. The more templated your production, the more sustainable it becomes.

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Step 7: Track Growth and Optimize

Key metrics:

• Subscriber growth: How many net new subscribers per week?
• Open rate: What percentage open each issue? (Industry average: 30–40% for B2B newsletters)
• Click rate: What percentage click links? (Industry average: 2–5%)
• Unsubscribe rate: What percentage unsubscribe? (Under 0.5% per issue is healthy)

Optimization strategies:

Subject lines: Test different subject line styles — question vs. statement, curiosity vs. clarity, short vs. long. Subject line is the biggest lever on open rate.

Send time: Test different days and times. Tuesday–Thursday, morning or early afternoon, tends to work well for B2B. But your audience may differ.

Content format: Ask subscribers what they find most valuable. A simple reply-to poll ("Was this issue valuable? Reply yes or no") gets you feedback you can act on.

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Common Mistakes to Avoid

Starting without a clear angle: "A newsletter about marketing" is not enough differentiation. Be specific about who you serve and what unique value each issue delivers.

Inconsistent publishing: Missing issues breaks reader habit. If weekly is unsustainable, drop to biweekly — but be consistent.

Not promoting it: Great newsletter content with no growth strategy reaches 50 subscribers and stalls. Growth requires active effort, especially in the first 6 months.

Optimizing for vanity metrics: A 60% open rate sounds great — until you realize it's on a list of 200 subscribers. Focus on growing your list AND maintaining engagement.

Making it too long: Readers have limited attention. A tight 500-word issue that delivers one clear insight beats a sprawling 3,000-word digest every time.

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How Averi Helps

Producing a newsletter consistently is the hardest part of running one. Averi helps you draft newsletter issues faster — whether you're writing original essays or curating and summarizing content from your blog.

Many Averi users repurpose their best blog posts into newsletter issues, significantly reducing the production time per issue. Averi maintains your brand voice so newsletter issues sound like you, not like a robot summarizing your posts.

Start writing your newsletter with Averi →

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FAQ

How many subscribers do I need to monetize?

Sponsorships become viable at around 5,000–10,000 subscribers for B2B newsletters. Paid subscriptions can work at smaller numbers if your content is highly specialized and valuable. Product promotion (using the newsletter to drive SaaS signups) works even at 500 subscribers.

What's a good open rate for a B2B newsletter?

30–40% is healthy for B2B newsletters. Above 40% is excellent. Below 20% suggests either a deliverability issue or content that isn't connecting with readers. Watch trends over time more than absolute numbers — declining open rates are a warning sign.

How long should each issue be?

Match length to your format. Curated newsletters: 300–500 words. Essay newsletters: 600–1,200 words. Data-driven newsletters: 400–800 words. Test with your audience — reply rates tell you if people are reading to the end.

Should I build my newsletter on my own domain or use Substack/Beehiiv?

Using a platform is significantly faster to launch and manage. The trade-off: Substack owns your subscriber relationship to some degree, and you're building on someone else's platform. Beehiiv and ConvertKit allow you to export your list, giving you more control. For most startups, start on a platform and export if you outgrow it.

How long does it take to grow to 1,000 subscribers?

Highly variable. With active growth strategies (personal outreach, cross-promos, social promotion, lead magnets), 3–6 months is achievable for a focused B2B newsletter. Without intentional growth, it can take years. The newsletter grows as fast as you promote it.