How to Start a Newsletter People Actually Read in 6 Easy Steps

If you're thinking of starting a newsletter now, you're not late to the show.

Newsletters are everywhere these days, and for good reason. Whether you're building a business or growing a personal brand, newsletters give you a way to build real relationships, connect with potential clients, and impact your industry.

This guide will show you, step-by-step, how to start a newsletter: from picking a niche that works and identifying your target audience to sending your first issue.

So strap in and enjoy the ride.

Step 1: Define your newsletter's purpose and audience

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Before writing your first issue or picking a platform, your newsletter’s purpose must be defined. That is, you must know why it exists and who it’s for.

Getting this right from the outset shapes every other decision down the line and gives you a higher chance of making an impact in your space.

However, to define your newsletter’s purpose, you must have found a niche and a target audience.

Choosing a niche that works

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There's a saying that “he who speaks to everybody speaks to nobody,” and that's truer now than ever.

Choosing a niche helps you resonate with a specific demography of people who care about what you’re saying.

So, how exactly do you choose a niche for your newsletter?

1. Write down what you know or care about:
   Try listing topics you deeply understand, have extensive experience in, or enjoy.
2. Find the intersection between interest and demand:
   Look at online forums and social media threads to see questions and discussions about each topic. Tools like Google Trends and Answer The Public can help here.
3. Narrow the topic to reduce competition:
   If your chosen area is broad or highly saturated, refine it. Focus on a specific group or angle that makes your newsletter easier to position.
4. Validate your niche before you commit:
   Share the idea with a small group of people who fit your target audience to gauge reception. You can also create a quick sign-up form to see if anybody signs up.

There are successful niche newsletters that pick specialized topics like industry insights, tech trends, marketing strategies, or some other niche. 

Some examples are:

1. The Hustle: A newsletter that summarizes key events and trends in business and tech in a way that appeals to founders and professionals.
2. TLDR Newsletter: This newsletter curates daily news on AI, software development, and tech startups and links out for those who want more detail.
3. Demand Curve: A newsletter that breaks down growth strategies for startups. It covers landing pages, paid ads, email, and more.

Identifying your target audience

Knowing your audience lets you write content that feels relevant and relatable. 

If you're speaking to early-stage startup founders, your tone, topics, and even length will differ from a newsletter aimed at corporate marketers.

To define your audience:

• Start with one person: Describe a single reader. What’s their role? What challenges do they face? What type of information would help them do their job better?
• Go where they hang out: Look at LinkedIn posts, Slack groups, Reddit threads, or Discord servers where your audience spends time. Take note of the language they use, the topics they engage with, and the questions they ask.
• Keep it narrow at first: You can expand later, but starting with a tightly defined group can help you build traction faster.
• Decide who you want to reach: Try a statement like “_______ who want _______.” E.g., Marketing professionals who want to stay updated on Martech trends, Small business owners who want to master financial management, etc.

If you want to narrow it further, a good place to start is to list out all groups encompassed in DEI and pick the one you most associate with.

Once you have your niche and target audience, working on your newsletter’s purpose becomes easy.

Step 2: Pick the right newsletter platform

The tool you choose will shape how easily you can launch, manage, and grow your newsletter. 

You don’t need all the bells and whistles to get started, but you should look for a platform that covers the basics well.

Here are the key features that matter:

• Automation: Can you set up welcome emails, drip campaigns, or re-engagement flows without writing code?
• Design templates: Are there clean, mobile-friendly templates you can customize without much design work?
• Analytics: Does it show open rates, click-through rates, and subscriber growth over time?
• Integrations: Can it connect with your website, CRM, or lead capture tools without needing a developer?

Most email marketing platforms offer these in some form, but each has its strengths. Here are a few options worth considering:

• GetResponse: Strong all-in-one tool with email, landing pages, automation, and webinars. Great if you're looking for more than just email.
• Brevo (formerly Sendinblue): Solid choice for transactional and marketing emails. It includes automation, SMS, and CRM features.
• MailerLite: Known for its clean interface and simplicity. Good for smaller lists and people new to email marketing.
• Sender: Widely used and beginner-friendly. Offers robust analytics and prebuilt templates, with generous features even on the free plan.
• Kit (formerly ConvertKit): Designed specifically for newsletter creators. Focuses on writing and publishing without extra distractions. Ideal if you want a minimalist setup or a lightweight email marketing platform like MailerLite.

Step 3: Create engaging and valuable content

A newsletter only works if people open it, read it, and want to hear from you again. That means your content must be useful and easy to consume.

Here are tips for creating newsletter content subscribers will want to read:

1. Write compelling subject lines

Your subject line is the first thing people see. If it doesn’t spark interest or feel relevant, readers will scroll past it.

Here are some best practices:

• Keep it short, ideally under 50 characters so it's not cut short.
• Be clear, not clever. Your reader should immediately understand what to expect in the email.
• Avoid misleading clickbait. It hurts trust and long-term engagement.
• Write a few variations before you hit send. Often, the second or third idea is stronger than the first.

Examples of engaging subject lines:

• “5 marketing tactics that actually worked this quarter”
• “What SaaS founders are missing about user onboarding”
• “The latest AI tools I’m testing (and what’s worth skipping)”

2. Structure your newsletter for readability

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People scan before they read. A wall of text is an invitation to close the tab or delete the email.

Here's how to make your newsletter easier to read:

• Break up content with short paragraphs and subheadings.
• Use bullet points and bold text to highlight key ideas.
• Include visuals if they support the content.
• Always add a call-to-action so the reader has a clear next step.

Choosing a format that fits your topic and voice is also essential. A few common ones include:

• Curated content: This typically involves sharing links with brief commentary. Great for founders or marketers who want to become trusted sources.
• Original insights: Share lessons, frameworks, or behind-the-scenes decisions. This builds authority and trust.
• Story-driven: Use anecdotes to walk readers through a concept or challenge. Stronger connection, but takes more time to write.

You can mix formats, but staying consistent helps readers know what to expect.

3. Adding personalization and automation

Personalization goes beyond adding a first name to the subject line. It’s about making your content feel like it was written for the reader rather than a list.

Here are some tips for personalization and automation:

• Insert dynamic content based on location, behavior, or interests.
• Segment your list to send targeted content to different groups.
• Automate sequences like welcome emails, product updates, or re-engagement flows.

For example, a marketer might send different content to subscribers who clicked a link about SEO versus those interested in paid ads. 

On the other hand, a career coach might have different onboarding sequences for those who signed up for 1:1 coaching and those who registered for an online course.

Step 4: Grow your newsletter audience

To grow your newsletter, you have 2 options:

1. Building it from scratch.
2. Leveraging your existing platforms to drive subscriptions.

Building an email list from scratch

To build your email list from the ground up, you’ll have to give people a good reason to subscribe. 

Effective opt-in strategies include:

• Lead magnets: Offering free resources like ebooks, checklists, or templates related to your niche.
• Exclusive content: Giving subscribers access to insights, interviews, or updates they can’t find anywhere else.
• Gated resources: Offering a tool, webinar, or in-depth report that requires an email to access.

It’s important to keep your list clean and permission-based. 

Buying email lists or scraping addresses are risky and can damage your sender reputation and break privacy laws. So, focus on building a list of people who actually want to hear from you.

Promoting on social media and other channels

If you're already active on platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter, or forums your newsletter should be part of your regular content flow.

Here are tactics that work well:

• Share your newsletter link along with a key takeaway or highlighted quote to give people a reason to click.
• Share your newsletter in relevant Slack groups, subreddits, or Discord servers when it’s genuinely helpful.
• Partner with another creator or founder for a joint issue or guest feature. You can tap into each other’s audiences.
• Swap mentions with creators that serve a similar audience but cover different topics.

Further read: 10 Best Social Media Management Tools In 2025

Step 5: Measure performance and optimize

Tracking and optimizing your newsletter's performance is essential if you want better engagement, higher retention, and more conversions.

Key metrics to track

The three most important metrics to start with are:

• Open rate: This tells you how many subscribers opened your email. If your open rate is low, try rewriting your subject line to be clearer or more specific.
• Click-through rate (CTR): This measures how many people clicked a link in your email. A low CTR may mean the content didn’t feel relevant or the call-to-action wasn’t strong enough.
• Unsubscribe rate: This shows how many people left your list after a specific email. Occasional unsubscribes are normal, but a spike may mean the content feels off-topic, too frequent, or doesn't add value.

Track these metrics regularly, but avoid overreacting to a single email. Look for trends over time to make informed decisions.

Further read: SaaS Reporting: Key Metrics To Track & 5 Tools To Use

A/B testing for better engagement

A/B testing involves sending two variants of your email to a small portion of your list. The one with better performance then gets sent to the rest.

Most platforms let you do this quite easily.

You can test things like:

• Subject lines: Try different wordings or structures. For example, question vs. statement.
• Content formats: Compare curated vs. original content, or long-form vs. short-form.
• Sending times: Test sending in the morning vs. afternoon or weekdays vs. weekends.

Run one test at a time so you can isolate what made the difference. And give each test enough volume to get meaningful results.

Step 6: Monetize your newsletter (optional)

Monetization isn’t the goal for everyone, but if you’re creating valuable content regularly, there are several ways to earn from it without compromising its integrity.

1. Sponsored content

Brands are often willing to pay for access to engaged, niche audiences.

You can offer:

• Dedicated sponsored issues.
• Banner placements within regular issues.
• Sponsored sections with short blurbs or links.

2. Paid subscriptions

If your content delivers insights readers can’t easily find elsewhere, consider a paid model. This works best when:

• You consistently provide original research, analysis, or frameworks.
• Your audience sees your insights as a direct benefit to their work or growth.
• You have a track record of delivering value for free and want to offer a deeper tier.

3. Affiliate marketing

Recommend tools, courses, or products you already use and trust. 

The key is relevance. Choose affiliate products that:

• Solve real problems for your readers.
• Fit naturally within your content.
• Have a solid reputation and fair pricing.

4. Digital products

You can also create and sell your own resources. This might include:

• Ebooks or guides.
• Courses or workshops.
• Notion templates, swipe files, or toolkits.

Here are examples of popular newsletter and their monetization techniques:

• The Pragmatic Engineer: Started as a free newsletter, now offers a paid subscription with in-depth engineering career advice.
• Marketing Examples by Harry Dry: Monetizes through sponsorships and a course.
• Dense Discovery: A curated weekly newsletter that uses sponsorships and reader donations to stay sustainable.
• TLDR: A daily tech newsletter that includes affiliate links, sponsored sections, and promoted job listings.

Start your newsletter today

Starting a newsletter doesn’t have to be complicated. 

You don’t need a perfect setup or a massive list to begin. What matters most is showing up consistently, staying true to your purpose, and delivering something useful to your audience.

Every great newsletter starts small. So figure out your niche, choose an emailing platform, and send your first email.

Good luck!