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So What? The Consulting Newsletter’s Journey to 11,000 Readers
The Story to 11,000 Subscribers in One Year
Kanishka Kumawat & Brandon Storey
October 9th, 2024
There are thousands of news-style newsletters.
People are starting to realize how great of a business opportunity it is to launch a newsletter.
You need to do what you can to stand out from the crowd. The So What? newsletter does this by sharing consulting news with a dash of humor.
In just on year, So What?’s creator was able to grow his consulting newsletter to 11,000 subscribers.
So What? is a beehiiv newsletter “for consultants by consultants.”
In the weekly newsletter, the founder shares the latest news in the consulting world, industry advice, and, of course, hilarious memes.
Now, let’s dive into how beehiiv helped the founder grow his newsletter list to 11,000 engaged readers in just one year.
Table of Contents
So What? Backstory
We asked the founder of So What? To give us a breakdown of how the newsletter came to be.
He shared, “As consultants, we noticed that there wasn't a great newsletter option for keeping up on consulting news – something akin to many finance industry newsletters (i.e., Exec Sum, Short Squeez, etc.).”
He continued, “We wanted to create something that all consultants could count on as a source of the best news, gossip, and consulting-focused content.”
Zero to 11,000 Subscribers
Going from 0 to 1,000 subscribers is often the hardest part of the journey for newsletter operators, but that wasn’t the case for the So What? newsletter.
Why? Because of the built-in audience the founder grew on social media leading up to the newsletter’s launch.
He remarked, “For us, it was very easy because we have a large shared audience on Instagram (591,000 followers).”
But the real challenge was going from 1,000 to 10,000.
The founder explained, “Scaling to 10,000 engaged readers was not easy, and we are still working on ways to grow our subscriber base.”
Why beehiiv?
When searching for a newsletter platform, the founder was looking for something easy to use. He was already familiar with a few beehiiv publications like Exec Sum and Short Squeez, so he gave it a chance.
The founder shared:
He continued, “I was familiar with beehiiv from Exec Sum and Short Squeez, and people really raved about how easy it was to use. They were right. I went for it and haven't thought about switching since.”
Results With beehiiv So Far
So what kind of results has So What? had with beehiiv so far? Two things: monetization and rapid growth.
The founder shared, “We are starting to make meaningful ad revenue and are closing in on being able to break even on our investment in a beehiiv subscription!”
He’s been able to grow so fast primarily due to an organic social media strategy.
He shared, “We've scaled quickly by promoting our newsletter via Instagram and X on a weekly basis. We've scaled quickly, but there's always more to do!”
Enjoying this beehiiv case study? Learn how Captain Yar earned $65,000 in 7 months with beehiiv.
So What? Monetization Strategies
One of the most popular ways newsletter operators are monetizing in 2024 is through sponsored ads. beehiiv makes this easy with the Ad Network, an advertising marketplace built directly into the beehiiv platform.
With the beehiiv Ad Network, you can connect with advertisers, place ads with just a few clicks, and earn easy revenue every month.
The founder explained:
The ROI of beehiiv
What kind of return has So What? got since using beehiiv? His newsletter earnings are covering the cost of his beehiiv subscription, and his revenue continues to grow.
The founder shared, “beehiiv is focused on helping me recoup my subscription fee, and I think I'm on track for doing so by the end of the year (plus maybe some profits!).”
But that’s not all. The founder is also saving a ton of time since he doesn’t have to use a dozen different tools to do everything to ensure that his newsletter’s running efficiently.
Favorite beehiiv Features
We asked the founder what his favorite feature is, and he admitted it was hard to choose just one. His favorite aspect of beehiiv is its all-in-one capabilities.
The founder shared, “I can't say I have one favorite feature, but my favorite aspect of beehiiv is how comprehensive it is. I think I really use a ton of the features in the platform: content editor, website builder, analytics and dashboards, monetization opportunities (Boosts, Ads, etc.), automations for list cleaning, and the list goes on.”
Community: A Key to Success
One of the ways the founder has found success with his newsletter in a short period of time is by connecting with other newsletter operators and creators. One way he’s done this is by joining the beehiiv Slack community, the “hiiv.”
He shared, “I've been pleasantly surprised by how much I've loved the hiiv community on Slack. I lurk mostly in the slack channel with an occasional post, but it is really cool to see what other creators are doing. It is also pretty helpful to see what other creators are struggling with because pretty much everyone faces the same challenges – lots of great shared learning!”
We asked the founder if he had any advice for newsletter operators thinking about launching on beehiiv.
He answered, “The hardest part about making a newsletter is creating great content. If you can do that, beehiiv will take care of the rest. Writing a weekly newsletter is a tremendous commitment, especially if you're a one-person operation. If you stay dedicated and try your best on making the content great, the rest will take care of itself.”
Key Takeaways
The So What? Newsletter was launched one year ago to help consultants get the latest news with a twist of humor. Since then, it’s grown to 11,000 engaged readers and established consistent revenue through sponsored ads.
Here are some key takeaways:
Look at Your Expertise: Trying to come up with a newsletter idea? Look at the things you’re already good at. Do you have years of experience in a particular industry or career path? How can you leverage your background to launch a newsletter in that space?
Leverage Social Media: One of the best ways to grow your newsletter is to launch on social media. Start with one platform and begin posting content. Promote your newsletter regularly on social media, and you’ll be able to tap into consistent growth.
Monetize From Day One: You don’t need to wait to monetize. You can start earning revenue from day one with tools like beehiiv Boosts and the Ad Network. Use your earnings to pay for your beehiiv plan and then start reaping the profits as you grow.
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