How To Build Your Email List with $20 Per Day

In this video, I break down why so many people hesitate to start a newsletter— and why that fear once held me back too. You’ll learn the biggest advantages of launching one, from owning your audience to building a scalable, high-profit media business with multiple revenue streams. I also share my full journey, including early failures, the lessons that changed everything, and how my newsletter eventually grew to 50,000+ subscribers and a multimillion-dollar business. By the end, you’ll understand not only why a newsletter can transform your income, but also how it accelerates your skills, opportunities, and long-term growth—no matter your starting point.FREE Guide: How to get your first 1000 newsletter subscribers in 30 days >>Timestamps:00:00 Overcoming the Fear of Starting a Newsletter00:55 The Value of Owning Your Audience04:03 Low Startup Costs + Big Income Potential07:31 Scalability and Major Business Potential09:18 Multiple Revenue Streams You Can Build12:02 Building Skills Through Publishing15:07 The Right Motivation for Starting a Newsletter18:45 Personal Journey, Failures & Lessons Learned22:05 Taking Action: Launching Your Newsletter

In this Q&A, we discuss the future of media and why newsletters, YouTube, and podcasts will dominate. Matt shares his MAGIC Framework for converting social followers into email subscribers. We discuss Beehiiv’s newest features, including dynamic content, native analytics, and its ad network. The Q&A also covers paywalls, reader behavior shifts, and the biggest newsletter design mistakes. Finally, Matt explains how to know when you’ve hit content–market fit and when to use paid acquisition.FREE Guide: How to get your first 1000 newsletter subscribers in 30 days >>Timestamps & Questions:00:00 Introduction00:48 What do you think the future of media will look like?04:39 How do you drive traffic from a discovery platform to your newsletter?11:01 How do you recommend utilizing paywalls and gated content?13:29 What’s the best new Beehiiv feature for smaller creators?16:05 How do you know a discovery platform is working?16:53 How should you utilize dynamic content?19:08 Should Beehiiv integrate better with Shopify?20:00 Does this put pressure on Kit and Substack to evolve?22:03 What’s the most underrated moat a newsletter can have?23:12 How will reader behavior change overtime?25:01 How will B2B newsletter evolve?26:38 Advice for someone sitting on an idea for 6 months?28:32 How do you know when you have audience market fit?30:04 When should you run paid ads?31:53 What are the biggest design mistakes you see?

In this episode, we break down how to build a profitable, future-proof content business. You’ll learn why email subscribers are far more valuable than social followers, how to balance content frequency and quality, and how AI is reshaping media and audience engagement. We also cover how to identify real problems that lead to valuable products and how to test newsletter ideas to find your perfect niche.FREE Guide: How to get your first 1000 newsletter subscribers in 30 days >>Timestamps:00:00 Introduction00:30 How do you know if a Newsletter idea is worth pursuing? 2:15 What's more valuable: 10,000 email subscribers or 100k Instagram followers? 3:15 What are you thoughts on buying active email lists?4:57 How do you think about frequency vs quality?6:00 How to avoid last minute changes from sponsors? 8:25 What shift in the media industry are founders not ready for?11:43 How do you think about community building?14:01 How can you sell digital products to moms? 16:38 If you could only monetize your audience in one way, what would you choose?18:33 What's a contrarian opinion you have on the newsletter industry?19:10 How to launch a newsletter based newsletter while living abroad?20:26 How to approach content when competitors copy you?21:44 How do you think about standing out in a crowded market?

In this episode, I break down 30 different newsletter growth channels—from social and search to partnerships and paid ads—and rank them based on scale, effort, and subscriber quality. I’ll share surprising data showing just how wildly subscriber value can vary between sources, plus the framework I use to evaluate conversion and lifetime value. We’ll cover channels like YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram, SEO, Meta ads, cross-promotions, and more. If you’re trying to figure out which few channels to focus on for real, sustainable growth, this video will point you in the right direction.FREE Guide: How to get your first 1000 newsletter subscribers in 30 days >>Timestamps:00:00 Overview of the Newsletter Growth Tier List01:33 How I’m Ranking 30+ Newsletter Growth Channels02:11 Organic Social: YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram, Substack Notes, X, TikTok10:42 Paid Social: Meta, LinkedIn, X, and TikTok Ads14:41 Search & SEO: Organic vs. Google Ads18:05 Partnerships & Collaborations: Guest Posts, Podcasts, and Cross-Promotions24:07 Organic Growth Tactics: Referrals, Giveaways & Communities28:52 The Worst Channels Hurting Your Newsletter37:54 The Tier List Recap38:53 My Recommendation 40:09 Real Data Breakdown: Conversions & Revenue per Source45:01 What I've Learned From The Data

In this Q&A video, I answer questions about how to start, grow, and monetize a newsletter. I explain how to get 1,000 subscribers in 30 days using my “1K Challenge,” which includes daily posting, commenting, and outreach on platforms like LinkedIn or Instagram. I cover how niche is too niche, why cross-promotions between newsletters work best when both sides match clicks, and how to measure success beyond open rates by focusing on revenue and engagement. I also share thoughts on the future of newsletters— shorter formats, weekly cadence, and using them to drive product or service sales instead of relying only on ads.FREE Guide: How to get your first 1000 newsletter subscribers in 30 days >>Episode Questions & Timestamps00:00 Introduction & Q&A Overview00:18 Is it possible to get 1,000 subscribers in 30 days?09:58 How niche is too niche?11:15 How do you approach partnerships and cross-promotions?14:28 Can you still trust open rates and click-through rates?17:32 How many links are too many in a newsletter?18:20 How can you find and sell the right product to your audience?21:56 What’s the next big shift in the newsletter industry?24:19 Is there opportunity for newsletter aggregators?

In this episode, I unveil the vision behind the new New Media Summit—our upcoming 2026 conference focused on the future of media—and how we’re leveling it up with bigger speakers, more actionable sessions, and better networking. I also share why I’m shifting to a YouTube-first content strategy in 2025, how weekly Q&A episodes fit into that plan, and why newsletters remain the backbone of our business and monetization.New Media SummitFREE Guide: How to get your first 1000 newsletter subscribers in 30 days >>Timestamps:00:00 Podcast Direction & Content Strategy 02:21 Introducing New Media Summit 04:38 What You Can Expect This Year06:46 Networking, Community, and Venue Experience08:35 Our Commitment to Quality 

In this Q&A, I answer your biggest questions about building and scaling a newsletter in 2025. We cover everything from whether LinkedIn newsletters are still worth it, to what platform you should use (Beehiiv, Kit, Substack, or Klaviyo), and the most effective ways to grow your audience organically. I also share what I’d do if I had to start from scratch, how AI is reshaping content creation, when to pivot your strategy, and how to price your first sponsorships.FREE Guide: How to get your first 1000 newsletter subscribers in 30 days >>Episode Questions & Timestamps00:00 Introduction to Q&A00:26 The truth about LinkedIn newsletters in 202502:54 What newsletter business would you start if you had to begin from scratch tomorrow?07:43 Should you use Beehiiv, Kit, Substack, or Klaviyo?11:20 What are the best organic growth strategies for newsletters?14:06 How do you think about newsletter vs. YouTube content?16:16 How will AI impact the newsletter space?18:50 How do you decide when to pivot your content strategy?21:41 How should you communicate a publication name change to your audience?24:39 How do you approach newsletter sponsorship pricing?28:38 What’s the best way to approach list cleaning and re-engagement?

In this week's Q&A, I break down the real tactics that work for growing and monetizing newsletters in 2025. I cover my personal content workflow, why newsletter recommendations are dead, and what actually matters for sponsors beyond list size. I also discuss local newsletters, when to start running paid ads, and the revenue potential at different subscriber levels.FREE Guide: How to get your first 1000 newsletter subscribers in 30 days >>Episode Questions & Timestamps00:00 Introduction to weekly Q&A podcast00:46 How do you draft your newsletter each week?03:25 How do you curate your best links section?05:15 What growth tactics worked two years ago that are completely dead now?07:38 What growth tactics are working right now?09:19 What's your hot take on local newsletters?12:28 How do you overcome the fear of starting a media company?14:10 What metrics matter most for sponsors and list quality?17:33 When should you start running paid ads?19:57 How should you approach selling a premium newsletter offer?26:24 When should you hire someone to help with content?28:12 What revenue is possible at different subscriber levels?30:28 Should you be using Beehiiv Boosts or Sparkloop?32:01 Conclusion and wrap-up

Comment on the YouTube video if you have ideas on what content you want to see next: https://youtu.be/fm5O0lGLMuESubscribe to Ryan's YouTube channel: YouTube.com/@vibemarketingwithryanJoin Ryan's newsletter here >>Join Matt's newsletter here >>Matt and Ryan discuss why they’re pausing the podcast after nearly two years, reflecting on what worked, what didn’t, and where they’re headed next. Timestamps00:00 The Announcement: Shutting Down the Podcast02:23 Podcast Performance: Analyzing Numbers and Trends10:20 Exploring Alternatives: New Directions for Content12:35 Individual Goals: Focus on Newsletters and YouTube20:43 Long-Term Strategy: Investing in Sustainable Channels30:05 Reflections: Lessons Learned from the Podcast Journey

Matt and Ryan discuss AI's role in advertising and content creation, and the 5 simplest ways to make your first $1000 online.Want more content like this?Join Newsletter Operator for more strategies on how to grow and monetize your newsletter here: NewsletterOperator.comWork with Ryan's agency Tailwind Work with Matt's agency GrowLetterFollow Matt McGarry @JMatthewMcGarry and Ryan Carr @ryan_boat on Twitter.Episode Topics & Timestamps00:00 Exploring AI in Advertising02:55 Innovative Uses of AI for Content Creation05:54 The Future of AI in Marketing08:46 Leveraging AI for Solopreneurs12:02 Automating Newsletter Creation with AI15:06 Creative Approaches to Content Generation18:00 Monetizing Your Online Presence30:48 Strategies for Earning Your First $1,000 Online