It took me a while to launch a newsletter.

I didn't take action because I was waiting for that perfect moment. That moment never comes.

What should we write about? Will these topics pique the interest of the readers? Why would they sign up?

Which platform? What should I publish? Who's going to read this?

I had so many questions and the more I read, the more doubts I had.

I've been reading what other content creators have to say about creating a newsletter. Now, I'm going to show you some of the best insights from several creators.

What my favorite writers or content creators have to say about creating a newsletter:

"Start a newsletter as soon as possible" - Sinem Günel

She recommends you build a newsletter if you want to:

Build credibility, authority, and an audience online
Monetize your skills and passion
Make a living curating or creating content

When starting a newsletter, it is important you have a clear message. Having a clear message is a great help for you.

But not having a clear message, you can still start a newsletter.

The difference is people will want to get in touch with you

She adds, having a newsletter allows you to build a strong relationship with your audience. You control your email list and owning an email list means you own your audience.

Sinem Günel recommends to all writers to start a newsletter as soon as possible. There's no such thing as being too early to start.

A newsletter, it's the first important step to becoming a creator - Ali Abdaal

Creating a newsletter is the first step to becoming a creator.

Ali Abdaal reinforces the idea by giving 3 reasons:

It's completely free
It's very low friction
It's private in a nice way

I was so scared to start my newsletter for no reason. Ali's advice is precious:

"Send your first several issues completely in private and hopefully, that'll help you get over the hurdle of any emotional barriers that get in everyone's way." (Ali Abdaal, 2024)

There's no point in obsessing on followers if, in these social platforms, we don't own the audience. We are building our house on borrowed land.

Ali remembers us an email newsletter can become an asset that we can further monetize down the line if we want to.

"You share whatever you want without worrying about 'what the algorithm wants'" - Kieran Drew

When you create a newsletter, you own the audience and the content you create.

What kind of content should you publish in your newsletter? Kieran Drew in his newsletter, gives suggestions or what he calls 'newsletter archetypes':

The curator

As a curator, you gather interesting resources for your audience. Saving them time and effort by doing the leg work.

The reporter

The reporter focuses on analyzing. While some go deep into a topic, others go broad on many. This is for those who enjoy research.

The thought leader

You have a very specific knowledge and you'd like to share it with others.

You're someone established as a thought leader. Your focus is on storytelling, opinions, predictions, and problem-solving (or, problem highlighting—your products do the solving).

The explorer

This is where most of you will start. Myself included. I use the newsletter to share what I'm learning, doing, and thinking.

Kieran says this 'guide-not-guru' approach attracts an engaged audience as you build. The more results you have, the better stories you tell, the more your business grows.

At some point on your journey, "the subject of 'starting a newsletter' comes up" - Nicolas Cole

What's the right time to launch a newsletter?

Cole believes that it's time to start a newsletter when:

You have built your daily writing habit. and you are constantly practicing in public
You're building an audience
You started gathering data on 'what works' for that audience (topics, formats, etc.)
Your library of content is growing
You are accumulating attention for your work on social platforms

His reasons are like the other creators mentioned, but he adds one point in particular:

"A newsletter is a natural progression from shorter-form content (Tweets, Threads, LinkedIn posts, Medium articles, and Quora answers) to longer-form content." (Nicolas Cole, 2023)

If you are starting a newsletter, let me know—I'd love to know about it (or answer any questions you have to get started!).

Reference List

Günel, Sinem. (2024) How To Start Your First Newsletter in Less Than 10 Hours. Last version is available here. (5 January 2024)

Abdaal, Ali. (2022) How To Start an Email Newsletter. Available here. (5 August 2022)

Drew, Kieran (2024) What's your newsletter archetype? Available only to newsletter subscribers (12 July 2024)

Cole, Nicolas (2023) How to Start a Newsletter for Free: The Ultimate Guide. Available here. (21 November 2023)

Want To Start A Newsletter? Here's What You Need To Know Before You Start

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