Why I went missing, winning lead magnets, and ad pricing

THE MAIN THING

 🧲 The lead magnet sweet spot

Newsletter creators either love lead magnets (Matt McGarry) or avoid them completely (Josh Spector).

I see two problems with 99% of lead magnets:

1. Complexity: no one wants a 50-page guide because that looks like homework

2. Simplicity: not enough depth to be useful

So, the answer lies somewhere in the middle.

Plenty of successful creators used (and still use) lead magnets to grow their list, but their content did one thing:

It solved a narrow and urgent problem in under 15 minutes.

Think: a template, a short checklist, or a quick step-by-step process.

It should take around 30 minutes to create by repurposing transcripts of conversations you've had, questions people ask on socials, or even your old newsletter content.

Your lead magnet action plan

• Focus on one specific problem your audience is actively trying to solve

• Keep it simple: templates, checklists, or short guides work best

• Aim for under 15 minutes of consumption time

• Gate it behind just an email field (maybe add first name)

• Promote everywhere: social bios, blog CTAs, community forums, LinkedIn/Reddit replies

• Create new ones monthly using content you're already producing
  

A great lead magnet should feel like a shortcut to solve someone's problem.

Just make yours the easiest to find and use.

Do you use lead magnets? 

Hit reply and show me your most successful one. I'll feature some in a future newsletter!

BROUGHT TO YOU BY

Thinking about starting a local newsletter—or already running one?

This is your chance to get in on the ground floor of something special.

Early newsletter events are the best: everyone is approachable, the connections are genuine, and the advice is shared openly.

You’ll leave with fresh ideas, new collaborators, and the kind of insights you can only get from other people building locally just like you.

If you want to grow your newsletter (or finally launch the one you’ve been dreaming of), this is the place to be.

Don’t miss it.

Get $150 OFF your ticket with the promo code DUUCE.

THINGS IN BRIEF

1. A challenge

Corey Wilks set himself a challenge to write a daily newsletter for 30 days.

He shares the results of his experiment including what worked and what didn't. It's a long–but insightful—read.

2. How to price your ads

Figuring out how to price ads in your newsletter can be confusing.

There's no 'right' way, because what fits your letter may not be the perfect fit for a letter in a different niche. 

This guide covers the 5 most common ways to set sponsorship rates for your newsletter. Bookmark this for reference.

3. The Five Lightbulbs framework

If you sell anything in your newsletter, you'll benefit from reading the Five Lightbulbs framework.

You'll find out how to give people five "aha moments" that guide them towards a purchase.

Plus, you might want to see the post just for the beautiful illustrations 😍

4. 90% of newsletters never reach 10k subscribers

Yaroslav Sobko analyzed 500+ newsletter creators to see what made the difference between success and failure.

His LinkedIn post gives you the statistics and outlines what to focus on.

Two stand-out numbers I noticed:

1. Creator Burnout - 52% 

Over half burn out. 

(Low-earners hit 79%).

2. No Audience Fit - 42% 

Average open rate: 35-45%

Without proper segmentation, you're leaving money on the table.

See the rest of the stats.

CLASSIFIED

🗞️ Confused about segmenting your email list? Most people skip it because they don't know where to start. Juliet Lyall wrote a quick guide to help you out: "How to start segmenting your email list" (the actually doable version). Get your free copy now

💡 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!

✒️ E-signature - Need to sign documents electronically efficiently? Easy to use? Get 50% extra credit upon your first payment, Try it now!

📈 Growth in Reverse - Get the Playbooks Top Creators Use to Grow Their Audience. Join for free!

🤝 Lettergrowth - Start Cross-promoting with creators in your niche, one of the best way to grow your audience without spending a dime, plus it makes you network! Start now!

ONE LAST THING

☝️ Why did Noah Edelman sell The Neuron so soon?

When Noah Edelman sold his newsletter recently, it was big news.

 Noah’s story is pretty crazy: He and his co-founder grew their AI-focused newsletter, 'The Neuron,' to 500,000 subscribers and 7 figures of revenue in just 24 months.

Next week, Noah sits down with Alexis Grant to share all the behind-the-scenes details, including:

• Starting and growing the newsletter

• Attracting subscribers

• Selling sponsorships, and

• How he sold The Neuron

I'll be there for all the insights. What about you?

You can register here.