215: How to find your true newsletter niche and get paid for it (featuring Ciler Demiralp)

Season 2, episode 15 is here!

In this episode, I chat to Ciler from Newsletter Circle about the realities of building a sustainable newsletter business from scratch.

Here’s a taste of what we covered:

- The surprising career pivot from corporate marketing to running a thriving newsletter business.

- How Newsletter Circle carved out a unique niche in the crowded newsletter space.

- Behind-the-scenes of analysing 75,000 Substack newsletters, and the biggest shock from the data.

- The #1 underrated secret to growing a newsletter audience (hint: it’s not fancy tools).

- Why half of newsletters die off, and how to make sure yours isn’t one of them.

- How to pick a newsletter niche people actually pay for, and why going broad can backfire.

- The real numbers: what most paid newsletters charge and what pricing traps to avoid.

- How to turn loyal readers into superfans (and annual subscribers!) through personal outreach.

- Should you build a paid community space on Substack or move to Slack, Circle, or somewhere else?

- A candid golden rule for anyone dreaming of living off their writing: treat it like a startup, not a hobby.

Make sure to subscribe to Newsletter Circle before you go!

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thedavidmcilroy.substack.com/subscribe