How to build a successful newsletter from scratch

If I were starting a newsletter from scratch today, here's the first thing I do before writing a single word:

Know that there's more to “picking a niche” than you think.

It’s true that picking the right niche makes growing and monetizing 10X easier.

But I've never seen a newsletter fail because they picked the “wrong niche”.

There are very few bad niches.

However, I've seen dozens of newsletters fail because they don't solve a problem for one ideal reader.

Choosing a niche is not just about picking a market, an industry, or a topic.

It's about picking a PROBLEM to solve.

Here's the framework I use with founders in Write, Grow, Sell to do this the right way:

The right niche sits at the intersection of all four.

Here's how to find it:

The easiest, most straightforward way to create content is to write something YOU want to read.

When you create content that solves a problem you have — or someone you know intimately has — you can assess the quality of that content quickly and directly.

You know the problem and the value of its solution.

There's no substitution for that.

Tim Ferriss says it best: “Don't try and please anyone but yourself. The second you start doing it for an audience, you've lost the long game.”

Write down a list of 5–10 things for each of these:

For example:

None of these are radical ideas. They scratched their own itch.

There are 6 reasons people actually read newsletters:

Each reason is a base desire that needs to be met.

Or a painful problem in your reader's life that must be solved.

If the content you're publishing doesn't serve at least 1-2 of these needs, your newsletter won't be successful.

Look at your newsletter ideas. Which of the six do they hit?

If the answer is "none" or "I'm not sure," that's the problem.

Bonus: Is your topic trending up?

Will the audience for this niche be bigger in 5 years?

Will the audience’s need for the information be higher soon?

If so, that gives you an advantage.

But your topic doesn't have to be trending. It just can't be declining.

Audiences that command higher ad rates are generally:

Higher-earning audiences command higher ad rates than lower. Niche audiences command higher rates than general. Professional audiences (industry/job function-specific) command higher rates than consumer.

For example:

Most newsletter sponsors are in these 2 categories:

According to data services like Who Sponsors Stuff (see there top 100 newsletter advertisers) and my experience with over 100 clients.

Now, this doesn't mean you must be in those niches to succeed. You do not need to build a sponsorship-dependent business.

There's other ways to monetize. But it helps.

What is the advertiser depth in your niche?

If sponsorships matter to you, you want a large market to sell advertising to.

Here’s a framework for seeing how big the market is:

If you listed out every possible advertiser that would likely be interested to get in front of this audience, how long is that list?

Will your audience buy something from you?

Are they already buying products in these categories? → Information or educational products, services, memberships, subscriptions, events, communities, coaching, etc.

Or another product or service you already have?

If so, that's a good sign.

Think about this:

Would a large enough portion of my audience be willing to pay for access to information, community, events, or coaching products to drive 7−figures in sales?

When most people pick a niche, they go too broad.

It's easier to start more niche, then expand over time.

Going broad and try to niche down later is a recipe for disaster.

Examples:

Niches within niches help you stand out and grow faster when you're starting from scratch.

Even if you only appeal to 0.1% of people globally, that's still 8 million people.

Naval said it best: “Become the best in the world at what you do. Keep redefining what you do until that is true.”

After niching down 2−3 levels you’ll find a topic you can be the best in the world at.

This is the big shift.

Don't try to build a better version Morning Brew or 1440 Media.

Don't try and be the next James Clear or Codie Sanchez.

Create something different.

Different is better than better.

It's better to be first in a category than to be better in someone else's. And if you can't be first, design a new category where you can be first.

This is category design.

If you’re starting a newsletter you want to be in a category of one.

That does not mean:

It means no other newsletters do exactly what you do.

By creating a category you stand out. Even if you’re not an expert (yet) you can become the best in the world, in that category.

And by creating a new category, you can…

Or “own” a phrase or idea in that category.

The most powerful concept in marketing is idea ownership.

Jay Clouse explained this well: “Instead of trying to build an audience, work to build an association with a specific word, phrase, or idea. When you're associated with that word, the connection spreads. As it spreads, it gets stronger. That association is what actually builds the audience.”

Examples of publishers and creators that own a word:

When people want to learn or do something around the word or idea you own…

They come to YOU.

When they talk to friends about related topics, they mention you. When they search topics about your owned idea, you show up.

You probably won't have your one word or idea figured out before you start. That's normal. It emerges as you publish.

Your job to be done is your value proposition. It's the problem your content solves. It's the reason people subscribe and read.

Every great newsletter does a specific job for its readers:

Find your job to be done by answering two questions.

Example:

When I started, my market of 1 was my first two employees at my marketing agency.

I wrote my first 5–10 newsletter issues to teach them how to grow newsletters for our clients. Other people found that content useful too. More joined. Over time, the content broadened.

Why it works:

When you write to 1 real person it makes the content you create feel personal.

Personal content helps you solve that person’s specific problem.

And what is personal is universal: The problems that person has are problems most of your subscribers will have too!

A few rules for nailing your job to be done:

Don't be vague. Jobs like "make me smarter," "entertain me," or "inform me" are too generic. Your job needs to be tangible — something people would pay for, even though your newsletter is free.

Talk to your market of 1. Build a customer avatar doc. Then interview 3–5 real people.

Ask:

Think small. If your job can only help 1,000 people right now, that's fine. Help those 1,000 better than anyone else. You can expand later.

Fill in the blank. I help [market of 1] avoid [problem] by [solution].

Morning Brew's, written by Alex Lieberman: "We help the emerging business leader avoid looking like a schmuck in front of their boss by giving them a 5-minute conversational read about the most important stories in business today."

Mine: "I help founders and creators stop wasting time and money building their email list by giving them actionable step-by-step guides on how to start, grow, and monetize their newsletter based on real-world experience."

If you can't fill those blanks clearly, you don't have a job to be done yet.

Keep working on it.

Don't overcomplicate this. Don't be a perfectionist.

Your niche and job to be done will evolve by publishing.

The best thing you can do now is start. Publish your weekly newsletter. Repurpose your content everywhere. Talk to your ideal readers, and keep going.

If you want to get results faster:

Join Write, Grow, Sell before the deadline on Monday.

This program… The curriculum, AI resources, and community inside have helped more people than anything build successful newsletters from scratch.

See the hundreds of success stories for yourself here: