Start a newsletter in 47 minutes

My Exact Newsletter Playbook

I just got back from a month-long hiatus (called paternity leave). My family of three became a family of four and life is great.

I also had a midlife crisis and started running and exercising every day, waking up early, and taking care of my health like I never have before. I wrote about it here.

I am intimately familiar with the time restrictions of operating a side hustle. That’s why this newsletter will tell you exactly how to launch a revenue-generating newsletter in 47 minutes. You don’t have time, I don’t have time.

Let’s make this easy.

Here's the exact playbook I use for starting a newsletter that can generate 6-figures in less than 12 months, including amount of time each step takes.

1. Open an account on beehiiv (2 min) 🐝 Drop to the bottom of this email for the link to get started. It actually does only take 2 minutes.

2. Create a simple landing page for new subscriber acquisition (0 seconds, automatically created — 5 minutes if you customize). If you open an account and do nothing, beehiiv will automatically create a landing page for you that includes a signup form.

3. Generate a simple, 1-step welcome sequence. This will send an email to your subscribers the moment they subscribe. Tell them what and when to expect your newsletter, ask for a reply. This is an opportunity to engage at a time your subscribers are most open to interaction. Your welcome email will be your most opened email. Make it really, really good. (15-30 minutes — can take longer if you make it complex or wordy).

4. Create an onboarding survey with 3-5 questions. When someone subscribes, ask them for their name, birthday, career — whatever pieces of data are relevant for you to know. The survey is optional, but answers will be tied to the subscriber's profile, which can then be used for segments and automations (5 minutes). The absolute best onboarding survey I know of is Tyler Denk’s Big Desk Energy newsletter. Subscribe and go through his onboarding flow — all built on beehiiv. Pristine. ✨ 

5. Add Boosts to your onboarding flow — these are other publications you'll recommend, ideally with content that compliments yours. When a subscriber joins your newsletter, they will be asked if they'd like to also subscribe to these. If they do, you will get paid from those newsletters. This is how you generate revenue on day one. Don't skip this step. (10 minutes)

6. Create an awesome, reusable template. Sections, borders, headers, colors, custom content breaks, etc. All built with beehiiv in beehiiv. The world is your oyster with the option to make your newsletter look and feel as unique as you'd like. (15-30 minutes).

7. Actually write your newsletter. Whether it's daily or weekly, consistency is the most important part. You can have an incredible system for subscriber acquisition but if you don't add value continuously over time, your list quickly becomes cold and less meaningful. Especially with recent email science changes, the longer you go without emailing your list, the more likely it will be that your email will go to spam when you do finally email them.

Total time to get started: 47 minutes.

In less than an hour, you can have a repeatable process and start your newsletter journey.

You can do everything I just described before you clock out for the day.

2024 is here. It’s time to transform your newsletter goals into reality with beehiiv. 

Born from the minds behind Morning Brew, beehiiv offers an intuitive, no-code platform that simplifies newsletter creation and website design. Equip yourself with advanced growth tools, monetization strategies, and analytics that matter. 

Trusted by the world's leading newsletters, beehiiv is not only top-tier but also the most wallet-friendly option available. 

Begin your free trial today — no credit card, no hassle. 

Start building →

My next post will be what to do after a month of consistently sending to build a stronger content system. You'll learn how to 1) grow faster 2) monetize more effectively and 3) maintain pristine list health.

Make sure you go follow me at LinkedIn and Twitter/X where I give a lot more consistent newsletter advice (and also am a moron, it’s fun).

Until next time 👨🏻

Fatherpreneur