Introducing The Newsletterist

Welcome to The Newsletterist—your insider guide to the business of newsletters.

The newsletter ecosystem isn’t just evolving—it’s accelerating. New platforms, monetization models, and growth tactics are emerging faster than most creators can keep up. Whether you're running a one-person operation or building the next media brand, staying ahead means knowing what moves the medium before it becomes the next big trend.

That’s why we created The Newsletterist.

Every week, we distill the noise into sharp, actionable insights to help you grow smarter, monetize faster, and build a more resilient newsletter business. We track the shifts so you can capitalize on them.

From platform intel to proven playbooks, The Newsletterist is your unfair advantage in a crowded, fast-changing space.

Let’s get to work.

—Phat X. Chiem, Editor

🗞️ The Lede: The NYT Just Validated the Paid Newsletter Boom: Here’s What It Means for You

When The New York Times writes about how much people are spending on paid newsletters, you know this game is no longer niche.

One woman in this story says she spends $3,000 a year on newsletters 😲 On Substack alone, there are now 50,000+ paid newsletters pulling in revenue from 5 million paying subscribers.

That’s not a trend. That’s a full-blown shift.

For content creators, this is a massive green light: If your newsletter solves a real problem, delivers valuable insights, or entertains consistently, it's time to consider creating a paid version. People will pony up good money for good content—more than you think. Multiply a $5-$10 monthly subscription by a few thousand folks, and you’ve got yourself a real business. There are some newsletter operators earning well into the six figures on a single publication.

But here’s the flip side: more writers = more competition. Just like with podcasts, TikTok or any other marketing channel, the space will eventually get crowded; it’s the natural way of things.

So what should you do?

• If you’re not charging yet, ask yourself: Why not? Is my content unique, valuable and worth charging for? If yes, it’s time to test the waters.

• If you already have a paid tier, double down on what keeps people subscribed. Focus on retention, create a content moat, and be ruthless about what makes your newsletter uniquely valuable.

This moment won’t last forever. Treat your newsletter like the business it is.

🚀 What’s new in newsletters

👗 Fashion brands building Substack personas: Apparel brands like Madewell, American Eagle, and M.M.LaFleur are embracing Substack to cultivate deeper connections with their audiences through long-form, editorial-style content. Madewell's "Well Said" features personal essays and style inspirations, while American Eagle's "Off The Cuff" shares trend analyses and internal brand insights. This shift reflects a broader trend of brands leveraging newsletters to connect with consumers on a more personal level. [Modern Retail]

🎯 Newsletter platforms beef up ad tools: As newsletters take off, email service providers are doing more to help operators connect with advertisers. Beehiiv recently launched a tool called Direct Sponsorships to allow publishers to sell their own inventory. [Marketing Brew]

✍️ Novelist Andrea Bartz on why you need to start a newsletter now: The author of The Last Ferry Out has built a thriving author community and a loyal reader base—due in no small part to her Substack newsletter. “There are people who wouldn’t otherwise know about me and my books who, through the Substack, have become what feels like internet friends. It still feels like Substack is one of the good places on the internet.” [Elle]

🎸 Billboard launches newsletter all about the charts: The music industry’s publication of record is getting on Substack with a newsletter focused on what’s happening across its 200-plus charts. Targeted at industry insiders and fans alike, the newsletter aims to be the “go-to source for real-time chart analysis, record-breaking moments and behind-the-scenes insight into what’s driving the hits.” [Billboard]

📈 Growth tips & tricks

🚀 My Substack was dead. Then, I built my newsletter around a community and grew it 5,400% [Escape the Cubicle]

💰️ Former Substack creators say they’re earning more on new platforms that offer larger shares of subscription revenue [Digiday]

✍️ Comparing the costs & functionality of Substack vs Beehiiv vs Ghost vs Kit [Press Gazette]

📈 How to grow a creator-based newsletter business with Puck’s Sarah Personette [Digiday]

From the Ink Media Insights blog

How great B2B newsletters turn readers into customers

B2B newsletters have become one of the most critical tools for nurturing business leads. And those that actually deliver value by informing, helping and engaging readers are emerging as the new gold standard for building brands and gaining customers.

A well-crafted newsletter can bridge the gap between brand awareness and customer conversion by consistently delivering value to an audience that has already expressed interest. Unlike social media posts or paid advertising, newsletters create ongoing, personalized communication that helps turn readers into buyers.

Here’s why newsletters are so powerful for lead nurturing and how businesses can maximize their effectiveness.

💪 Tools & resources you should know

[Content may contain affiliate links to support our publication]

Start your first newsletter on Beehiiv [link]

Create beautiful on-brand forms with Typeform [link]

Send up to 12,000 emails to 1,000 subscribers for free [link]

The go-to platform for newsletter creators [link]

🧠 Send us your story ideas!

What would you like to see covered in the world of newsletters? Just reply to this email to get in touch!