7 Best Ways to Monetize Your Newsletter (Plus Examples and Tips)

Sending newsletters is a superb way to do a great many things. Be it increasing your brand value or sales numbers, generating profit, or educating your audience. Plenty of opportunities exist, especially when you want to earn money from newsletters.

For example, a platform like Seedtable started the journey by launching a newsletter service that sends European tech news and shares startup ranking primarily to its Argentine subscribers. Seedtable is generating $60K per year.

The story of Marketbeat is similar, as they also started their venture as a newsletter-sending platform for stock market enthusiasts. Right now, they are making a yearly $25 million.

A solid plan is necessary if you aim to monetize your newsletter. This article will show you some of the best ideas to initiate the process.

7 Superb Ideas for Newsletter Monetization in 2024

1. Utilize ads and sponsorships for Newsletter Monetization

The simplest way of monetizing a newsletter is through newsletter ads and sponsorships.

Newsletter ads are similar to sponsored ads. You are going to put the paid link of brands or companies inside your email. Each time you send an email, subscribers will see those product ads just below or any designated part of your newsletter.

It’s similar to this example from the popular newsletter Raywenderlich –

The way they put the paid ads in between the regular content, most people gonna think it’s usual email content.

You can track KPIs like open rate, open-to-click rate, and number of purchases to measure the success of your newsletter ads. Most brands like to measure ROI or brand awareness from their paid advertisement in your newsletter.

There are two ways you can find brands or companies who also seek to feature their ads in newsletters.

One: Outreach. Cold outreach could be a hassle. But if you create a solid list of potential brands and advertisers, and then try to build relationships to convince them, you can achieve your goal.

Two: You can place your newsletter on platforms like sponsorship marketplace. In this case, you will have to wait and keep patience until the advertisers come to sponsor you. Some of the popular newsletter sponsorship marketplaces are Paved, Letterwell, and Hecto.

2. Promote Affiliate Offers

The affiliate industry is too big. Only in 2024, the total spending in affiliate marketing is expected to be more than $15 billion. Being an affiliate is simple. All you need is to promote products or services from another brand in your newsletter and get a commission whenever a purchase is made through your affiliate link.

Like articles or videos, you can monetize your newsletter with an affiliate. There are many businesses out there that have dedicated affiliate programs. The only caution is: to promote anything you want, but not something out of your niche. For example, if you are sending newsletters with health tips, don’t promote smartphones. This weird combination going to hurt your reputation.

Here are some more tidbits you should check out before going for an affiliate program in the newsletter –

• You can find almost every niche out there that has affiliate offers throughout the industry/ category
• Many brands offer a commendable payment for each sale made
• You can start promoting even with a small newsletter audience
• You will also find some brands who are willing to pay you throughout a customer’s entire lifecycle

Well, there are some drawbacks. To get profitable in affiliate marketing, you need to make your audience purchase. It’s a direct action-based model. So, your email engagement should be high, or a wider audience going to increase your conversion rate.

AppSumo is a big name as a digital marketplace that sells SaaS solutions to small business owners and enterprises. They do have some own products, but mostly they sell third-party apps and software. Check this newsletter below where they promoted a hosting platform Oviond and look how they pitch it –

In your regular newsletter, you can also promote your affiliates just like this. Of course, you need to bring some creativity and ideas to make your brand and affiliates sellable.

3. Utilize Buy Me a Coffee to Your Newsletter Monetization

Buy Me a Coffee” is a platform that allows creators to receive support and donations from their audience. You can use it in your newsletter to earn money. All you need to do is follow some process.

Suppose, you need to create a ‘buy me a coffee’ account, set up your profile, and integrate this profile link with your newsletter.

The best way to use it is as a CTA –

• In your newsletter, create a section or call-to-action where you encourage your readers to support you on Buy Me a Coffee.
• Insert the unique link you received in the appropriate section of your newsletter.

Here’s an example –

[source: vidya.se]

There are donation models for content creators all over the world, also charity or knowledge-sharing platforms try the donation model to raise funds. ‘Buy me a coffee’ looks similar to the donation model though it’s slightly different.

It’s about you asking your audience if they love what you do (like sharing tips, sending checklists, marketing updates, or fresh content), they can happily endorse you a cup of coffee. It’s that simple.

4. One-off Sponsored Emails as a Newsletter Monetization Strategy

A one-off email is a tailored email you create for your sponsor. It’s like you have five thousand subscribers, and a brand pays you to send tailored emails to these subscribers. You can earn direct money from this type of email.

However, there are certain drawbacks too. When you have more than five thousand organic email subscribers, they all subscribe to your newsletter because you provide trust, and quality, and solve their problems. If you send irrelevant paid content, your reputation is going to hurt badly. And, by any means, you are not going to jeopardize the reputation.

So, when you are going to apply this strategy, follow some best practices –

• Try to promote a brand that aligns with your regular email content
• Write your email as naturally as possible, like you are promoting someone, but you are also not pushing it too much
• Don’t send a lot of sponsored emails, keep the flow as minimal as possible

Check this sponsored email from Starter Story below –

Starter Story is a platform that shares stories from entrepreneurs all over the world. In their regular newsletter, sometimes they promote different brands by presenting their features in the form of stories. What strikes us is this: their emails, even if it is sponsored content, are indeed, engaging.

5. Create Digital Products

Selling digital products via newsletter could be a good source of earnings or newsletter monetization. Once you’ve created a digital product, you don’t need to think twice about the unit of production. You can multiply a million times, and sell them as much as you want.

One single drawback is: that you can’t expect renewed customers. Once someone bought an eBook, you can’t possibly sell the same copy next year. Yes, we’re talking about paid membership or subscription. Subscriptions are an endless source of revenue retention.

So, why we are talking about digital products? It’s because you can sell them real quick to your newsletter subscribers.

Some of the most popular digital products to get inspiration are –

• eBook, checklists
• Music, podcasts
• Photography
• Online courses
• Software, web apps
• Logos and fonts
• Design and templates, etc

Hubspot did the same, besides their usual content, they sell digital products like exclusive interviews from industry experts.

That’s what you can do to monetize your newsletter, putting extra effort into selling not only your regular product but keep innovating and implementing new ideas.

6. Selling Merchandise in Newsletter

This idea going to suit you if your brand has the scope to sell physical products with your branding.

You can see a lot of popular YouTube channels and social media celebrities selling merchandise like sportsmen or movie stars. Especially, on YouTube, they have even open store option to encourage brands to sell their physical products.

So, why not push the boundaries in the newsletter too? You can showcase your merchandise just below the regular content of your emails, and create the possibility of more sales, upsells, or cross-sells, etc.

A fun fact: if you are a brand selling school bags, you can sell sponsored children’s books in your newsletter.

On a serious note: if you are a fashion magazine, you can share the latest content in weekly newsletters and also feature your branded T-shirts and water bottles to expand your brand identity, and make some extra profits.

7. Offer Extra Services

If you are an expert in your target market or niche, you can offer your audience extra services like workshops, courses, expert meetups, etc.

Skills like consultation and coaching can be a high-profile way to newsletter monetization. Whether you sell software, or you are running a Gym, you can always provide some extra to your audience.

As a software marketer, you can arrange workshops or meetups to help your customers grow as pros. On the other hand, you can bring some health advisors or life coaches to educate your Gym subscribers.

An email newsletter is the perfect way to sell these extra services at ease.

However there are some caution: besides your regular service, it may take a heavy effort to create an extra service for your audience. You can go for this if you have enough fuel within your team to go for extra mile. Also, you must make assumptions and calculate how much you are going to provide in terms of ROI.

Frequently Asked Questions on Newsletter Monetization

What is newsletter monetization?

Newsletter monetization refers to the process of earning revenue or income from a newsletter. This can involve various strategies, such as advertising, sponsored content, affiliate marketing, selling digital products, or offering premium subscriptions.

How much do people pay for newsletters?

The cost of newsletters can vary widely depending on several factors, including the content offered, the niche or industry, the level of exclusivity, and the value provided to subscribers. The average monthly price for a newsletter is $11. Though, it goes up to $40/month.

Is it possible to monetize a free newsletter?

Yes, it is possible to monetize a free newsletter. You can explore options such as sponsored content, affiliate marketing, and advertising to generate revenue without charging subscribers. However, offering premium subscriptions for exclusive content is another option to consider.

Can I use affiliate marketing in my newsletter?

Yes, affiliate marketing is a common strategy in newsletter monetization. You can promote products or services and earn a commission for each sale made through your affiliate link. Ensure that the products align with your audience’s interests for better results.

How do you write a profitable newsletter?

To write a profitable newsletter, you must choose a niche, determine an audience, decide on a format, and find a suitable name. The best ways to grow your newsletter audience are delivering high-quality content, promoting, offering exclusive benefits to your subscribers, and keeping the engagement flowing.