Business
5 min read
The quiet economics of a 2,000-reader newsletter
You do not need a million readers. You need a few thousand who would notice if you stopped.
Written by
Tola Adebayo
Last month this letter paid my rent. Not from ads, and not from a viral post. It came from 2,140 readers, 180 of whom pay five dollars a month because they want it to keep existing.
Small is a strategy
A small list behaves differently. People reply. They forward letters to one friend at a time. They buy the workshop because they already trust the voice in their inbox.
I track three numbers: replies, paid conversions and the unsubscribe rate after each letter. Open rates tell me almost nothing I can act on.
What I would do again
Charge earlier. Write one long letter instead of three short ones. Say no to sponsors whose products I would not use myself.
Until next time,