Derek Johanson – Build a Newsletter

Building a Profitable Newsletter Empire

A Comprehensive Guide to Launching, Scaling, and Monetizing Your Email Newsletter

This guide provides a structured curriculum for building a successful newsletter, covering everything from initial setup and growth strategies to monetization and advanced management techniques. It incorporates expert insights on paid advertising and email deliverability, along with practical templates and guides.

✅ Module 1: Introduction – Setting the Stage

• Course Goals: Defines the objectives of the program, setting clear expectations for learning outcomes.
• My Journey: Shares personal experiences and lessons learned in scaling newsletters.
• How To Take The Course: Outlines the best approach for navigating the course materials.
• Why Build A Newsletter: Explores the benefits and potential of newsletters as a content and business tool.
• Key Newsletter Terminology: Introduces essential terms and concepts.

✅ Module 2: The Setup & Foundations – Laying the Groundwork

• How To Choose Your Newsletter Niche: Provides strategies for identifying a profitable and engaging niche, considering market demand and personal interest. Research shows that niche newsletters often have higher engagement rates due to targeted content.
• How To Choose A Type Of Newsletter (Content/Voice/Format): Guides the selection of appropriate content, tone, and format to resonate with the target audience.
• How To Brand And Name Your Newsletter: Covers branding principles and naming strategies to create a memorable and recognizable identity.
• How To Choose Your Technology Stack: Recommends tools and platforms for newsletter management, including email service providers (ESPs), landing page builders, and analytics software.
• How To Build A Landing Page: Provides guidance on creating effective landing pages to capture subscribers.
• How To Build A Lead Magnet: Explains how to create valuable free resources to incentivize sign-ups.
• How To Design Your Newsletter: Offers tips for designing visually appealing and user-friendly newsletters.
• How To Choose Your Sending Frequency: Helps determine the optimal sending schedule to maintain engagement.
• How To Determine Your Ideal Sending Time (Day/Time): Provides insights into timing strategies for maximizing open rates. Studies show that sending emails at optimal times can significantly increase engagement.

✅ Module 3: Growth – Expanding Your Reach

• My Story With Faster Than Normal And The Intelligence Age: Shares examples of successful newsletter growth strategies.
• Good Growth And Bad Growth: Differentiates between sustainable and unsustainable growth tactics.
• Evaluating Growth Channels: Provides a framework for assessing the effectiveness of various growth channels.
• Organic Growth Channels: Explores free growth strategies, including social media marketing, content marketing, and SEO.
• Paid Growth Channels (With Special Guest, Matt McGarry): Features expert insights on leveraging paid advertising, including platforms like Facebook Ads and Google Ads, to drive subscriber growth. Matt McGarry has a proven track record of driving millions of subscribers for leading newsletters.
• Word Of Mouth: Emphasizes the importance of organic sharing and referral programs.

✅ Module 4: Engagement – Nurturing Your Audience

• What An Engaged List Is And Why It Matters: Explains the significance of an engaged subscriber base for long-term success.
• The Core Engagement Metrics: Covers key metrics such as open rates, click-through rates, and unsubscribe rates.
• Deliverability Essentials (With Special Guest, Demand Curve): Provides expert advice on email deliverability, ensuring emails reach subscribers’ inboxes. Demand Curve, a leading growth marketing agency, shares crucial insights on avoiding spam filters and maintaining a positive sender reputation.
• How To Improve Engagement: Offers actionable strategies for boosting subscriber engagement.

✅ Module 5: Monetisation – Turning Subscribers into Revenue

• When To Monetise: Guides the decision-making process for when to start monetizing the newsletter.
• The 17 Ways To Monetise (Including Affiliates, Job Boards, Digital Products, Events, Investment Funds, SaaS, & More): Explores diverse monetization strategies, from affiliate marketing and sponsorships to selling digital products and hosting events.
• Tracking Profitability (Unit Economics And Net Profit): Provides tools and techniques for measuring and optimizing profitability.

✅ Module 6: Sponsorships – Partnering with Brands

• When To Start Finding Sponsors: Offers guidance on when to begin seeking sponsorship opportunities.
• How To Build A Sponsor Kit: Provides templates and strategies for creating compelling sponsor kits.
• How To Find Sponsors: Explores methods for identifying and reaching out to potential sponsors.
• How To Contact Sponsors: Offers tips for effective communication and negotiation.
• How To Work With Sponsors: Provides best practices for managing sponsor relationships.
• Managing Sponsorship Bookings And Calendar: Offers tools and techniques for organizing and tracking sponsorships.
• How To Price Ads: Provides guidance on setting competitive ad rates.
• How To Write & Design Ads: Offers tips for creating effective ad copy and visuals.

✅ Module 7: Paid Newsletters – Offering Premium Content

• When To Go Paid: Guides the decision-making process for transitioning to a paid newsletter model.
• Benefits And Challenges Of A Paid Newsletter: Explores the advantages and disadvantages of paid newsletters.
• Examples Of Paid Newsletters: Provides case studies of successful paid newsletters.
• How To Get Free Subscribers To Sign-Up: Offers strategies for converting free subscribers into paying customers.

✅ Module 8: Templates & Guides (17 Resources) – Practical Tools for Success

• Comprehensive resources including Notion templates and Excel spreadsheets for niche finding, branding, technology stack selection, landing page optimization, growth tracking, deliverability, engagement, monetization, ad pricing, sponsor outreach, demographic surveys, media kits, revenue calculation, profitability modeling, and subscriber acquisition cost analysis.
• These tools are designed to streamline the newsletter building process and provide actionable insights.
• These templates are designed to help with the practical application of the concepts taught in the modules, and to make the process more efficient.