QUICK POLL

THE MAIN THING

 📈 An Alternative To Buying Ads for Growth

Growing a newsletter isn’t easy. 

You either spend time grinding it out organically, or you pour money into paid ads, hoping you can acquire new readers at $1–$2 a subscriber. 

When you see newsletters quickly grow from 1k to 10k in subs, you can 99% guarantee they used ads to get there.

But, the quality of cheap subs is often low, and ads are tricky to run well if you’re not an expert.

What's the alternative?

There's a third way to grow that doesn’t get talked about nearly enough: buying another newsletter.

This is an effective shortcut. 

You can acquire a newsletter that already has the kind of readers you want. 

The newsletter owner has spent months or years creating content, earning trust, and growing a qualified subscriber base. 

Now, if they don’t want to keep publishing, you have an opportunity to add thousands of people to your list who’ve already raised their hands to say, “I want content on this topic.”

The math can actually work in your favor. 

If you're paying $1-2 per subscriber through ads, buying a newsletter with 5,000 subscribers for $2500 to $6,000 starts looking pretty attractive.

It’s instant scale!

Yes, there are things to watch out for.

3 things to assess:

a) Audience alignment: You want a newsletter that serves a similar niche or complementary audience. If you run a B2B marketing newsletter, for example, buying a crypto investing list won’t do you much good.

b) Check the metrics: A list of 8,000 subscribers sounds great until you realize the open rate is 15% because most of the list is inactive.

c) Consistency: Has the letter been published regularly? You might find readers are unengaged if it's been 6 months since a newsletter was sent.

Buying an existing newsletter audience isn't risk-free, but in the right niche, it can be a smart growth lever.

Interested in buying or selling a newsletter? Check out the #1 platform for newsletter deals.

Related: Codie Sanchez shares her insights on growing newsletters in a short interview with "The Six Figure Creator."

BROUGHT TO YOU BY

Paved

Paved helps newsletter creators connect with high-quality sponsors who are actively looking to advertise in newsletters like yours.

If you're ready to start earning from your content, Paved makes it simple to get matched and get paid.

​Get Paid for your content Today!

THINGS IN BRIEF

1. How to write about 1 topic in 32 different ways

Some weeks, it's tough to come up with new content for your newsletter. 

This is especially true when you write 100% original pieces for your readers, and you feel like you've said everything before. 

I saved this article from Matt Giaro because it reminds me there are dozens of angles you can use to write about similar topics. Matt's post is useful for sparking ideas for newsletters, social media, and articles. 

Would you try #31?

2. Five templates for pitching your newsletter

Dylan Redekop posted 5 handy templates you can use to pitch your newsletter on social media and your landing pages.

3. Write to yourself

Do you have a newsletter, personal, or business goal that's important to you? Consider writing a letter to your future self.

Forget about sticky notes and kanban boards. A short letter reinforces your commitment and helps keep you on track (it’s not magic, it's science:))

4. Appear on a podcast

Guest podcasting seems to have overtaken guest blogging as a way to grow your audience, but you might want to start with smaller podcasts and work your way up. 

If you've got a pitch ready, you can make a list of podcasts to target, or you can browse through this website of podcasts looking for guests.

CLASSIFIEDS

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🗞️ Ezoic - The Web's Largest List Owners are Winning while Traditional Sites Fall Behind. Learn More!

💰 Acquire the Web - Join 6,000+ buyers in their quest for their next digital investments. Sign up for free

🐝 Beehiiv - Get 20% off your first 3 months on any plan + a 30-day trial on one of the best mailing tool out there. Get started now!

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ONE LAST THING

☝️ Make an extra $100 from your newsletter

Let’s skip the usual “sell ads” or “add affiliate links.” Those are fine, but here's one overlooked tactic you can use next week:

Sell a “Signal Boost” to your niche

If your audience overlaps with creators, founders, or startups, offer a “signal boost” slot. This is a small paid feature where someone’s post, launch, or idea gets presented to your readers.

Example: “For $50, I’ll feature your launch in my Sunday ‘What’s New’ section.”

People will pay for visibility when it’s organic and aligned with their niche/business.

Tip: Limit it to one per issue and call it a “community highlight” (or similar) because it feels less transactional.

Do you want more money-making tips like this?

Hit reply with a "YES" and I'll post another one next time.