Monetizing Newsletters: When Creators Strive With Ideas

We are in the early stages of understanding how to fund writing. There is tension because we value good writing but don't want to pay for it or think it's the best business model.

And this got me thinking! Are newsletters ultimately just an entry point to one or more major business industries? NAAS (Newsletters-as-a-service) may eventually become DNCB (Digital Native Community Brands).

I am convinced that brands will partner with these newsletter creators for the simple reason that with audiences increasingly shifting to dark social channels (newsletters/inboxes, chats, etc.), brands will have no choice but to change their approach and allocate budgets from content and advertising.

When monetizing through adverts, one can stick to classic formats such as sponsoring or focus on offering a service, a form of value to audiences such as invitations to an event, discounts, the opportunity to test a product ... creativity can also come into play: with its "Sponsored answers," the format used by newsletter Protocol can serve as insp... See more

New funding models and opportunities will help these creators in their early days. From Substack to Gumroad, several companies have announced the establishment of dedicated funds with grants and stipends. Cash advances could be democratized, like in the music and publishing industry. As investors express their interest in the development of these o... See more

In real life, only a few crème de la crème creators survive on only subscription incomes. Like Andrew Kamphey said: you have to fire up everything, test everything. The technique that works for one creator may not necessarily work for the other, so creators need to get out there and try different strategies.

Many newsletter creators offer services outside the scope of their newsletter. These are “digital goods”: training modules, white papers, access to private communities, etc. As lifelong learning becomes an absolute necessity to remain competitive in a constantly changing world, these digital goods could also be monetized with brands by tapping into... See more