The Secrets Behind The Most Successful Newsletters with Matt McGarry
Sep 20, 2023
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Matt McGarry, founder of Newsletter Operator and GrowLetter, shares the secrets behind successful newsletters. Topics include determining suitability of paid ads, creating effective ads for conversions, promoting newsletters on social media, monetization strategies, and insights on being a creator.
To stand out in a crowded niche, take a different angle or perspective for your newsletter to gain more dedicated subscribers.
Monetize your newsletter through sponsorships, paid subscriptions, courses, coaching, or consulting services, utilizing strategies like email automation and social proof.
Improve open rates by making a great first impression with a compelling welcome email, optimizing landing page conversion rate, and continuously refining email structure and design.
Deep dives
Differentiate Your Newsletter to Stand Out
To stand out in a crowded niche, don't aim to have a better newsletter than the competition, but rather take a different angle or perspective. Going niche and exploring a specific problem or audience within your niche can help you gain more dedicated subscribers. Focus on providing a consistent and visually appealing format for your newsletter, creating sections and templates that make it easy for readers to navigate. Additionally, optimize your newsletter landing page to have a high conversion rate and employ clear and compelling call-to-actions throughout your content.
Effective Strategies for Monetizing Newsletters
To monetize your newsletter, you can rely on sponsorships, paid subscriptions, courses, coaching, or consulting services. When it comes to sponsorships, consider targeting a specific niche with a high CPM and where the audience has significant buying power. Building a strong value proposition and showcasing social proof, such as the number of readers or prestigious companies associated with your newsletter, can help attract sponsors. Utilize effective strategies like implementing a welcome series email automation, including call-to-actions in your broadcasts, and leveraging pre-call-to-actions in organic content to convert subscribers into paying customers.
Improving Open and Click-through Rates
To improve open rates, focus on making a great first impression with a compelling welcome email, thank you page, and subject line. Encourage subscribers to take specific actions like replying to emails, moving them to primary folders, or clicking links within your content. Optimizing your landing page conversion rate can significantly impact future open rates. For click-through rates, ensure your content provides value and consider experimenting with different types of hooks and visual elements. Test and optimize subject lines and preview text to maximize open rates and continuously refine your overall email structure and design for better engagement.
Key Metrics to Track for Newsletter Success
Several key metrics indicate the success of your newsletter, including landing page conversion rate, open rate, click-through rate, unsubscribe rate, and spam reports. Aim for a high landing page conversion rate by focusing on a clear and compelling value proposition. Open rates around 40-50% and click-through rates around 5-10% are generally desirable. Monitor and optimize your welcome email's open rate to ensure effective engagement. Keep unsubscribe rates below 0.5% per newsletter send and minimize spam reports. These metrics will help you gauge the effectiveness of your newsletter and make improvements where necessary.
Balancing Work and Life as a Creator
Maintaining a consistent schedule can help balance work and life as a creator. Set achievable goals for your content creation and distribution, whether it's publishing a newsletter, creating social media posts, or other forms of engagement. Prioritize your tasks, create a realistic timeline, and establish boundaries between work and personal life. Strive for a sustainable workflow that allows you to maintain your creative output while also finding time for personal activities and relaxation.
What are the growth tactics behind the world’s largest and fastest growing newsletters?
Think Codie Sanchez, Sahil Bloom and The Hustle.
We asked Matt McGarry, the mastermind behind them all
Matt McGarry is the founder of Newsletter Operator and GrowLetter. He’s worked with the world’s leading creators and brands, from Sahil Bloom to The Hustle, to help them grow their email lists.
In this episode of Creators on Air, Matt McGarry joins us to discuss how to accelerate your newsletter growth, connect to your audience, and build a newsletter landing page that converts.
