How Nik's Piks Became NYC's Go-To Vintage Fashion Newsletter

From retail to tech, beehiiv is the home of thousands of newsletters.

But what about newsletters in the fashion industry?

Ah, don’t you worry; we have a case study for you!

In the heart of NYC, which is not only one of the world's fashion capitals but also the backdrop of our case study, there lives a newsletter uniting the fashionistas of the Big Apple.

Vintage looks have been trending for years, and popup shops have been doing just that, “popping” up and then “poof,” gone in a flash.

As a New Yorker, sometimes hearing about an event a few days before is just too late, and tickets have long been sold out.

With fashionistas and bloggers scrambling to be the first to hear about high profile, exclusive events, it’s a struggle.

That’s where Nik Pollina’s Nik’s Piks newsletter comes into play.

Nik’s Piks is a weekly newsletter that highlights the best shopping events or new stores popping up in New York City.

Let’s strut down this newsletter catwalk and discover the backstory of Nik’s Piks!

The Seams and Dreams of Nik’s Piks

Nik Pollina is a vintage store owner living in NYC. Before that, she worked for a big tech firm. Her story is inspirational.

A big tech firm handed Nik a negative situation: she was laid off. However, she took that negative situation and used it to fuel her entrepreneurial spirit.

In 6 months, Nik grew her social media platforms to 65K followers, signed several 5-figure social media brand partnership deals, started her own vintage clothing business that has already had six popups across NYC, a vintage studio space in Brooklyn, and launched her social media and digital marketing consulting business.

Impressive, right? But where does a newsletter fit into Nik’s already incredible portfolio?

Two reasons crossed Nik’s mind about why a newsletter would be vital to her business.

“When I realized that I was making similar videos over and over on social media that would be better suited in a list or a calendar, I started to question whether videos were the correct medium for this information,” divulged Nik during our conversation.

She continued, “I already collected my followers’ emails as a way to have access to my followers regardless of what happens with social media platforms. Whether algorithms or governmental changes occur, I will always have a way to connect with my highest-engaged follower base through email.”

And Nik’s Piks newsletter sashayed out of the fashion vault and made its debut.

Hemlines to Headlines: Stitching Up a Newsletter

As we learned from Nik, owning your audience is key, and collecting emails is the way to do it.

But what information would best suit Nik’s followers when reading her newsletter?

“There were so many cool popups and sales I wanted to highlight around NYC. From there, we realized it was best to create a weekly newsletter,” reminisced Nik.

She added, “A lot of my social media followers were asking what shopping events they should attend in NYC. I would post events that I was attending; but by the time my followers saw them, the events would be winding down.”

That was a key moment: knowing her followers couldn’t experience events the way she did.

“We also share updates on my own personal vintage store, which is another great way to leverage the newsletter,” remarked Nik.

Newsletter Elegance Meets Social Media Chic

Many have debated about social media marketing and how essential it really is to a business – even in this case study.

Having an engaged social media following and a highly engaged email subscriber list are crucial for business success.

Nik has 205K followers across all of her social media platforms.

Nik’s Piks newsletter gives Nik the ability to be consistent, offering her followers information on a regular basis about all the amazing shopping events that happen in NYC every week without boring other followers who are less interested in the shopping events.

With her newsletters, Nik said, “I am also able to extend my subscribers exclusive discounts to vintage stores, which helps create a great community of serious shoppers.”

Offering 99 of the best NYC Vintage stores and staying in the know for the best NYC sample sales and popups, Nik’s Piks has been able to engage its readers and stay runway-ready with NYC’s hottest vintage trends.   

The Grand Design of Nik’s Piks

What does Nik see for the future of Nik’s Piks? A community.

“My goal is to build a community of shoppers who love vintage and thrifting as much as I do!” replied Nik.

Building a community for your newsletter takes time but also engagement.

How do you add engagement aspects to your newsletter?

• Adding polls and questions

• Having an “us” mentality versus “them” mentality—replace “you” with “we” and “them” with “us”

• Finding ways to make your audience feel like a part of your publication

Nik continued, “I also want to have more events where we can meet in person eventually. These higher-intent followers give me a group of people to test new ideas, events, and opportunities out.”

Another aspect of the future of Nik’s Piks is more thought leadership pieces on fashion and sustainability in shopping and possible opportunities to grow to other cities.

The future is beaming for Nik and her newsletter!

Why Trust Me

Linda Hwang has extensive experience in B2B marketing and previously worked at a renowned international facilities management company. There, she played a crucial role in creating effective content and social media marketing plans. Now, Linda is a marketing consultant who helps small businesses create compelling brand stories.

Why beehiiv Is the Retro-Chic Secret Weapon for Nik’s Piks

As an email newsletter platform, of course, we had to ask Nik about her past experiences with other providers. She chuckled at the memories and added, “It wasn’t pretty.”

Nik proceeded with, “The service we used was more of an email service provider (ESP) rather than specializing in newsletters. A lot of the features were lacking.”

Enter beehiiv.

beehiiv made Nik’s transition from social media to inbox influencer seamless.

According to Nik, “beehiiv is a newsletter platform that makes it incredibly easy to launch your idea in newsletter form.”

She added, “beehiiv’s features are built specifically for newsletters, which makes it so much easier to manage.”

We had to ask what her all-time favorite beehiiv feature was.

Her thoughts? The beehiiv Ad Network.

“I like that we are directly connected to advertisers, making it easy to find new potential partners for the newsletter.”

Turning Vintage Vibes Into Modern Monetization

When asked about her strategy for monetizing Nik’s Piks, Nik’s response was straightforward: create something super valuable for the people who subscribe to her newsletter.

In exchange for subscribing to Nik’s Piks, subscribers get a free list of the best 99 vintage stores to shop at in NYC.

“This was something I created for my friends, and they saw a ton of value in it,” commented Nik.

Heirloom Style Tips for the Aspiring Newsletter Maven

Not only is Nik an inspiration when it comes to her entrepreneurial spirit, but she also has some great nuggets of wisdom for novices who want to start their own newsletter journeys.

“Do it!” she remarked. “It’s been so fun to grow the Nik’s Piks community.”

But if your gears are turning, one great strategic point Nik offered was, “Make your lead magnet such a no-brainer that people would feel bad not signing up!”

The Future Is Bright (and Wearing Vintage)

There you have it! 

You now know the story of how Nik Pollina turned her passion for vintage fashion into a thriving newsletter community and social media following.

With beehiiv as its platform and Nik Pollina’s keen eye for style, Nik’s Piks is set to continue its reign as NYC’s ultimate shopping guide.

Who knew an inbox could be so in vogue?

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