E22: Emails. They seem so old-school, right? You have to first write who you are sending them to. Then you write why you're sending them. Then you write what it is all about… So boring! And yet, as of November 2021, Substack had over a million paying subscribers and the top 10 authors on Substack collectively make $20 million per year. If that alone doesn't change your perception of regular ol' email as a powerful business on its own, maybe you should stop right here. Still here? Good. Because I'm devoting the rest of the episode to telling you how you can launch a successful newsletter.

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TOPICS:

Growing Business of Newsletters (1:00)

Who Should Have a Newsletter? (1:53)

How Many Subscribers Should You Have Before Launch? (2:38)

How to Choose Newsletter Topics (3:06)

How To Get Your First Subscribers (3:55)

Building in Public (5:46)

Newsletter as a Start Up (9:03)

3 Questions to Ask Yourself (9:25)

Content is Everything (10:45)

Content + Distribution = Growth (14:18)

Pass the 'Regret Test' (17:27)

Ask Me Anything (17:54)

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First Class Founders is a show for indie hackers, bootstrapped founders, CEOs, solopreneurs, content creators, startup entrepreneurs, and SaaS startups covering topics like build in public, audience growth, product marketing, scaling up, side hustles, holding company, etc.

Past guests include Arvid Kahl, Tyler Denk, Noah Kagan, Clint Murphy, Jay Abraham, Andrew Gazdecki, Matt McGarry, Nick Huber, Khe Hy, and more.

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