Unlocking Success: Five Key Takeaways From Top-Earning Email Newsletters

Learning to Fly

The Wright Brothers, Wilbur and Orville Wright, were two American inventors responsible for one of the most revolutionary inventions of all time—the airplane.

What does your newsletter have in common with the invention of the airplane? Funding. 

You see, the brothers spent four years of trial and error and rigorous experimentation, finally achieving success on December 17, 1903 when they launched the first powered flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. The plane was named “The Flyer,” and it successfully flew over 120 feet in 12 seconds at a speed of 30 mph.

However, the Wright Brothers still had a significant challenge ahead of them. They wanted to make "the Flyer" something more than a fun toy. They needed money and investors to keep improving it. 

The same happens with email newsletters around the world today. The idea may be brilliant, with much to offer to the public, but it goes nowhere without money to keep turning the "Flywheel."

Few writers, business owners, and content creators know how to monetize their email newsletters. They may have great content, but they are struggling to see the financial gains they want.

Learning from the success of others is the best way to build a successful business and maximize your profits.

In this post, we will share three lessons from three newsletters (The Hustle, Morning Brew, and Milk Road) that got monetized, not only with five or six figures, but with seven and eight figures.

Lesson #1: Believe in Yourself.

First, a Little Bit of Context:

Sam Parr's story is an inspirational one, a shining example of the power of believing in yourself to achieve success. Born in Missouri, Sam Parr is a scrappy entrepreneur who has taken risks and worked hard to get where he is today.

He is the founder of The Hustle, a hugely successful newsletter that provides insightful and humorous analysis of tech and business trends. He also hosts a podcast and conferences all around the world.

With grit and determination, Sam was able to grow The Hustle into what it is today–a thriving online publication with over 2 million monthly readers. He has been featured in major media outlets such as Forbes, CNN, Bloomberg Businessweek, and Inc. magazine for his work with The Hustle. 

In addition to being an entrepreneur himself, Sam also serves as an inspiration to others by actively mentoring aspiring entrepreneurs through workshops and speaking engagements throughout the U.S. and Canada.

How do you expect someone to trust you enough to sponsor you if you can't even trust yourself? The level of your confidence in your job is projected on all that you do. Do you have enough confidence to make others trust you?

Hundreds of millions of people with incredible talent, skill, and knowledge never dare to start something for themselves. They never take the leap of faith and bet on themselves. Sam Parr's example is an invitation to believe in yourself.

Sam Parr's journey to success shows us that ordinary people like us can create our destinies, no matter how humble the beginnings. Through belief, hard work, and perseverance, anything is possible. 

According to Sam, "No matter what your idea — you can make it happen if you believe in yourself, put in enough effort, have a good team around you, and make the right decisions."

Sam's story inspires anyone who has ever felt held back by their circumstances or is afraid of taking a risk and pursuing their dreams. He shows us that you can create something unique with nothing more than ambition and a vision for what could be. 

Sam encourages us all to show that we believe in ourselves by taking chances, dreaming big, and never giving up on our goals, no matter how daunting they seem.

Sam Parr's story also serves as an inspiring reminder of the power of taking risks and betting on yourself–even when faced with seemingly insurmountable obstacles. His example should remind all of us that we, too, have the potential within ourselves to achieve great things if we dare to try.

The world needs more people like him (and like you), who are unafraid to think differently, seize the opportunities they have been given, and create something unique. With his example in mind, let's all strive to make our dreams come true by believing and betting on ourselves.

Be bold and believe in yourself–you never know what you might achieve. As Sam Parr said, "You have to risk it if you want the biscuit."

Don't procrastinate–sign up now and send your first email newsletter today.

Lesson #2: Be Better Than the Competition (Morning Brew and The Hustle).

Morning Brew and The Hustle were like the LA Lakers and Boston Celtics of business email newsletters. In conversation, Sam Parr, founder of The Hustle, and Austin Rief, founder and CEO of Morning Brew, said, "It is always good for a business to have kind of an enemy."

The Hustle and Morning Brew fight each other day by day. Austin and Alex wanted to crush The Hustle, and The Hustle wanted to overpass Morning Brew. 

There was a time when Alex was printing a copy of Morning Brew and The Hustle every morning for over nine months. 

Then, Austin and Alex sat down together to analyze line by line to find out who had the better copy, who was more appealing to their niche, and who brought the better stories. More importantly, they planned how to beat the competition in the following email newsletter.

Sam Parr and his team had almost daily meetings to figure out how Morning Brew was engaging customers, which companies were paying for ads, and how they could beat them.

Investors need to see more value in your content than in your competition. You must be on top of your competition if you want to get readers, gain sponsors, and make money from your email newsletter. It is a constant process that requires effort. Studying the industry and the competition is one critical element that separates email newsletters that make money from those that don't.

One of the best ways to surpass the competition is by crafting great subject lines that bring results. Here is a list of the best 100 subject lines that will skyrocket your open rates

Lesson #3: Find Your Niche (Milk Road).

Some email newsletters may take years to gain their first dollars, but Milk Road made six figures in just six months while essentially copying the Morning Brew and The Hustle email newsletter playbook.

Milk Road began as an idea between friends Shaan Puri and Ben Levy. Together, they wanted to create something that would help people better understand the cryptocurrency world. 

After brainstorming ideas and creating the perfect concept for a newsletter about crypto, Shaan and Ben got to work building out their platform. They made their website, designed their newsletter template, wrote content for their first issue, and then it came time to launch.

It is crucial to highlight that Shaan and Ben first identified and understood their audience and then built the newsletter.

Once they had established Milk Road as an authoritative source of information on cryptocurrency investing, Shaan and Ben decided it was time to expand their offering further by partnering with Bitfo, a crypto media brand.

Because Bitfo saw value in a niche newsletter that spoke directly to their target market, the partnership formed quickly. The typical financial newsletter wouldn't be capable of getting that deal. For help getting sponsors, here is an excellent guide to securing a sponsor for your email newsletter.

This partnership allowed each company to leverage the other's strengths to serve their customers better. For example, Biffo provided crypto investing tools and data-driven content, while Milk Road provided access to expert advice from industry leaders on topics related to cryptocurrency investing. 

This partnership has helped both companies grow significantly over the past few months.

Finding a niche is an essential part of creating a successful business. It helps to identify the unique needs within your industry so that you can focus your energy and resources on providing the products or services that fulfill those needs. Finding a niche is necessary to build a competitive advantage in an increasingly crowded marketplace.

By identifying where you can add value and fill gaps in the market, you can create demand for your products or services and stand out from competitors. 

When you find a niche, you can target specific customers who will appreciate what makes your business unique. This means that instead of trying to appeal to everyone, you can tailor your marketing efforts towards those who will find value in your offer, leading to higher customer satisfaction and loyalty.

Ultimately, finding a niche is an essential part of building a successful business in any industry. It helps to create differentiation, drives demand for your products or services, and enables you to target the right customers with the right message. By finding your niche, you can maximize your potential for success in today's crowded marketplace.

To understand where your audience is, you need to track data. beehiiv has created 3D analytics to help make analytics easy for you. It is the perfect GPS to help your email newsletter reach growth, monetization, and success.

When you understand exactly who your readers are, where they came from, what they're interested in, and how they engage with your content, you are on the right path to making money with your email newsletter.

Lesson #4: Monetize Effectively.

Monetizing email newsletters can be challenging, but it can be a lucrative business with the right strategies in place. 

Here are a few tips that our friends at The Hustle, Morning Brew, and Milk Road have implemented successfully to reach seven figures.

Diversify Your Revenue Streams.

The Hustle has successfully monetized their newsletter by diversifying their revenue streams. They've incorporated advertising and sponsorship deals and even built a paid membership model, Hustle Con, which is a conference for entrepreneurs. 

On the other hand, Milk Road offers premium subscription content that includes exclusive news, crypto tips, and other perks.

Morning Brew has launched a podcast to complement their daily newsletter. By diversifying revenue streams, these brands can generate more income and ensure that they are independent of one source of revenue.

Experiment With New Revenue Models 

To stay ahead of the competition, it is essential to experiment with new revenue models. 

The Hustle, for example, launched a new product called Trends that provides insights into emerging industries and markets. This has proven to be a successful revenue stream for the company and has helped them to stay relevant in a highly competitive market. 

By experimenting with new revenue models, these brands have generated additional income and engaged their audiences.

By following these tips and looking at successful brands like The Hustle, Milk Road, and Morning Brew, you can take your email newsletter to the next level and turn it into a profitable business.

Lesson #5: Focus on Content Quality

What else do Morning Brew, Milk Road, and The Hustle have in common? They focus on creating high-quality content to reach a seven-figure revenue. 

These newsletters have established themselves as experts in their respective niches by delivering unique and valuable insights to their readers.

Milk Road is a subscription-based newsletter that provides daily insights into the cryptocurrency industry. The newsletter focuses on delivering high-quality content that is relevant and informative to its readers, which has helped it build a loyal readership base and achieve significant revenue growth.

Similarly, The Hustle is a daily newsletter that provides business and tech news in a conversational and easy-to-understand format. By focusing on clear and concise content quality, The Hustle has been able to attract a large readership base and generate significant revenue through advertising and sponsorships.

If you're looking to improve your content quality and grow your readership base, here are three tips to keep in mind:

1. Focus on creating relevant and valuable content for your target audience. Understand your readers' pain points and provide insights and solutions they can't find elsewhere.

2. Use data and analytics to track your content performance and optimize your strategy. Pay attention to metrics like open rates, click-through rates, and engagement to understand what content resonates with your readers.

3. Prioritize clear and concise writing that is easy to understand. Avoid jargon and technical terms that may alienate your readers and focus on delivering information in a conversational and engaging tone.

You Can Do It, Too!

Starting and running a successful email newsletter is no easy feat, but it is possible if you:

1) Believe in Yourself.

2) Become Better Than the Competition.

3) Find Your Niche.

4) Monetize Effectively.

5) Focus on Quality Content.

With these five things in mind, beehiiv can help you start and grow your email newsletter so that it becomes a success story like Morning Brew, Milk Road, or The Hustle. Sign up today and get started on creating content that will engage and delight your subscribers.