How to start a newsletter

1. Pick a promise: who it's for and what they get, e.g. "One pricing tactic for freelance designers, every Tuesday."
2. Choose a format you can sustain: a short weekly beats an ambitious one you abandon.
3. Pick a platform: Kit for creators selling products, beehiiv for newsletter-first businesses, MailerLite on a budget (comparison).
4. Write three issues before launch, so you have a buffer.
5. Get your first 100 subscribers from your network, a signup link in every social profile, and one useful lead magnet.
6. Ask readers to reply. Replies tell you what to write and build.

Stay legal

Commercial email in the US falls under CAN-SPAM: no misleading headers or subject lines, a valid physical postal address, and a clear way to opt out that you honour promptly (FTC CAN-SPAM guide). Only email people who signed up.

How newsletters make money

• Selling your own services or products (the most reliable for solopreneurs).
• Sponsorships once you have an engaged audience.
• Paid subscriptions.
• Affiliate recommendations, disclosed per the FTC's endorsement guidance.

Inspiration: newsletters for solopreneurs.