26 Successful Newsletters Making Money In 2023
Did you know that in the past five years, there has been more than a 50% increase in the number of people who read newsletters?
Newsletters are one of the few things you can use to market yourself as a trusted expert. A well-written newsletter can educate your subscribers and build connections with them.
Email newsletters are a great way to connect with customers and potential customers. It’s a newsletter’s job to inform, persuade, and sell to your audience.
Here are some real life success stories of starting a newsletter:
1. MarketBeat ($25.6M/year)
Matt Paulson, the founder of MarketBeat, came up with the idea for his business while working as a freelance writer in college. He discovered that stock investors were eager for real-time information and news about their investments, leading him to create a newsletter that provided convenient and timely updates. Over time, MarketBeat evolved into a financial media company, generating $8 million in revenue in 2019 and boasting 1.3 million email subscribers.
How much they make: $25.6M/year
Where they're located: Sioux Falls, South Dakota, USA
Current team size: 6
2. I Know The Pilot ($840K/year)
Garth Adams, the founder of I Know The Pilot, came up with the idea for his business after noticing that people were occasionally sharing cheap flights on shopping deal websites. He decided to start his own flight deals site, separate from his existing site IWantThatFlight.com.au, and launched IKnowThePilot.com.au as a WordPress site attached to a Mailchimp email list. The business grew rapidly, with over 780,000 email subscribers, 110,000 app users, and 550,000 Facebook fans at its height.
How much they make: $840K/year
Where they're located: Melbourne
How much did it cost to start: $1.5K
Current team size: 0
So... can you actually make money with a newsletter?
Of course. There are millions to be made in this industry.
But how?
- Research real, profitable businesses and see exactly how much money they make.
- Study exactly what works, and what doesn’t.
- Take action, because now you have the roadmap.
Join Starter Story and build your next big thing:
4. Domain Name Wire ($9.96M/year)
Andrew Allemann (from Seattle, WA, USA) started Domain Name Wire almost 19 years ago.
Reports of email's death are greatly exaggerated. Andrew Allemann has gone from zero to up to $10,000 a month in just 3 years with a low overhead side hustle: An email newsletter and an online directory that helps connect podcasters with guests. Finding it difficult to find guests for his own pod…
- Andrew Allemann, a Seattle-based entrepreneur, established his company Domain Name Wire in 2015 - a news website focusing on WordPress, web hosting, and the domain name sector.
- Andrew has been working in the domain business since 1997. He has been quoted in numerous prestigious publications, including the New York Times, Financial Times, Wall Street Journal, TechCrunch, Washington Post, Bloomberg, Sydney Morning Herald, NPR, Fortune, and Guardian.
- Through Domain Name Wire, he attempts to offer guidance on technology-related media issues ever since the company was founded in 2005.
- Domain Name Wire provides advice to businesses on domain name selection.
Read the full story on internetx.com ➜
4. Money Talk ($1.2K/year)
Qin Xie, a journalist and editor based in London, launched her reader-funded newsletter, Money Talk, during her furlough period due to the pandemic. After coming across a post about the future of journalism on Substack, she saw an opportunity to write about personal finance, a topic she was already familiar with and interested in. With low overhead costs and a desire to equip herself and others with knowledge on handling finances during a recession, she quickly launched the newsletter and has received positive feedback and early success.
How much they make: $1.2K/year
Where they're located: London, England, United Kingdom
How much did it cost to start: $0
Current team size: 1
So... can you actually make money with a newsletter?
Of course. There are millions to be made in this industry.
But how?
- Research real, profitable businesses and see exactly how much money they make.
- Study exactly what works, and what doesn’t.
- Take action, because now you have the roadmap.
Join Starter Story and build your next big thing:
5. KickFlips ($48K/year)
Casey Woodard, the founder of KickFlips, came up with the idea for his business after years of successfully flipping items and receiving numerous requests from friends to teach them how to flip sneakers. He noticed a gap in the market for an affordable and effective resource for learning to flip sneakers, which led him to create KickFlips. Since its launch in February 2021, KickFlips has gained over 1,500 users organically through word of mouth and referrals, and is generating $4,000 in monthly revenue with minimal expenses.
How much they make: $48K/year
Where they're located: Buffalo, NY, USA
Current team size: 1
6. We Do It Remotely ($6K/year)
Joseph Solomon, the founder of We Do It Remotely, came up with the idea for his business after experiencing the freedom and fulfillment of a location-independent lifestyle as a freelancer. Through his own successes and challenges in the freelance world, he recognized a lack of powerful, actionable advice for freelancers and decided to create a resource to empower other freelancers. Starting as a content agency and evolving into a premium course and newsletter, We Do It Remotely aims to provide freelancers with valuable insights and strategies to grow their remote freelance businesses.
How much they make: $6K/year
Where they're located: Toronto, ON, Canada
Current team size: 0
So... can you actually make money with a newsletter?
Of course. There are millions to be made in this industry.
But how?
- Research real, profitable businesses and see exactly how much money they make.
- Study exactly what works, and what doesn’t.
- Take action, because now you have the roadmap.
Join Starter Story and build your next big thing:
7. Seedtable ($60K/year)
Gonz, the founder of Seedtable, came up with the idea for his business while living in Argentina and missing the European startup scene. He launched a weekly newsletter on European tech and later expanded to include startup rankings and a Breakout List. With a focus on authentic coverage and the freedom to say whatever he wants, Gonz has attracted a loyal audience of investors, founders, and employees at top European organizations.
How much they make: $60K/year
Where they're located: Paris, France
Current team size: 1
8. Ticker Nerd ($48K/year)
Luc and his business partner Sam started Ticker Nerd after realizing the need for a more effective way to keep up with stock information. They decided to apply the model of another tool, Exploding Topics, to stocks by finding trending stocks through social mentions and conducting sentiment analysis. With a landing page, they were able to generate over $1,000 in sales within a week, validating the idea. They pivoted their approach, built relationships with Product Hunt members, and had a successful Product Hunt launch that resulted in around $5,800 in monthly recurring revenue. They continue to grow organically, implement an affiliate program, and have plans to offer new products and education components.
How much they make: $48K/year
Where they're located: Sydney NSW, Australia
How much did it cost to start: $100
Current team size: 0
9. Pete Codes ($14.4K/year)
Pete focused on promoting his website on platforms like Product Hunt and Hacker News to attract a large number of visitors. He also prioritized charging customers for newsletter ads and sponsored articles early on to test demand. Overall, his strategy of gaining exposure and monetizing the website quickly helped him attract and retain customers.
How much they make: $14.4K/year
Where they're located: Edinburgh, UK
How much did it cost to start: $40
Current team size: 1
10. Chief in the North Newsletter ($48K/year)
Seth Keysor, a longtime football fan and writer, started the Chief in the North Newsletter as a way to provide in-depth analysis of the Kansas City Chiefs and the NFL. With over 5,500 subscribers in less than two years, the newsletter has become a legitimate side income of over $4,000 a month for Keysor. By offering unique insights and bypassing clickbait, Keysor has attracted a loyal following of diehard fans.
How much they make: $48K/year
Where they're located: n/a
How much did it cost to start: $0
Current team size: 0
11. Contrarian Thinking ($72K/year)
Codie Sanchez, the founder of Contrarian Thinking, came up with the idea for her business after experiencing numerous career changes and realizing that money was the key to solving problems. After working in finance and investing, she decided to blend her love for writing, investing, and teaching others to create a company that helps people achieve financial freedom. Through her premium membership community, Contrarian Cashflow, she teaches members how to add more cash-flowing income streams to their portfolios and build the life they have always dreamed of. With over 100,000 newsletter subscribers, a community of 1.5 million people, and a run rate of $3 million this year, Contrarian Thinking is empowering individuals to challenge the status quo and shape their own destinies.
How much they make: $72K/year
Where they're located: Austin, TX, USA
How much did it cost to start: $5K
Current team size: 4
12. Failory ($12K/year)
Rich Clominson, the co-founder of Failory, came up with the idea for the business after experiencing multiple failures with his own startups. Recognizing the value in learning from these failures, he decided to create a platform where failed startup owners could share their stories and lessons, in order to help future entrepreneurs avoid making the same mistakes. Since its launch, Failory has gained traction and grown its community, with plans to monetize through sponsorships and affiliate marketing.
How much they make: $12K/year
Where they're located: Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, Argentina
Current team size: 0
13. Cup of Coffee ($221K/year)
Craig Calcaterra, a former lawyer and sports writer, came up with the idea for his baseball and culture newsletter, Cup of Coffee, as a way to continue sharing his writing and analysis after being laid off by NBC Sports. He wanted to provide readers with a daily briefing on the latest baseball news and other topics of interest, all delivered in the morning to start their day. Since launching, Calcaterra has built a loyal subscriber base through social media promotion, offering free newsletters, and running occasional sales. Word of mouth has also played a significant role in the growth of the newsletter.
How much they make: $221K/year
Where they're located: New Albany, OH
How much did it cost to start: $200
Current team size: 1
14. Yolo Intel ($240K/year)
Yolanda Edwards, founder of Yolo Journal, came up with the idea after realizing there was a gap in the market for a travel magazine that focused on providing trustworthy and insider information. With her background in the magazine industry and passion for travel, she launched Yolo Journal and quickly gained success, with her weekly newsletter now bringing in $20k a month.
How much they make: $240K/year
Where they're located: Brooklyn
How much did it cost to start: $15K
Current team size: 1
15. Prime Publishing LLC ($7.2M/year)
Stuart Hochwert, founder of Prime Publishing LLC, came up with the idea for his business while noticing that traditional print publishers in the Arts and Crafts space were experiencing circulation declines. Seeing the shift of "eyeballs" moving online, he developed a plan to create a free website focused on Arts and Crafts, leading to the launch of FaveCrafts.com. This decision, along with strategic marketing efforts and the addition of premium content, has contributed to Prime Publishing's success, generating over $10 million in advertising revenues and diversifying their revenue streams.
How much they make: $7.2M/year
Where they're located: Northbrook, IL, USA
How much did it cost to start: $650K
Current team size: 46
16. Book Club Chat ($48K/year)
Heather Caliendo, a journalist with a passion for reading, turned her love for books into a profitable business with Book Club Chat. Despite the saturation of the book blogging market, Heather stood out by creating a beautifully designed website and focusing on providing book club questions tailored to novels. With over 5,000 visitors a day and earning $4,000/month in ad revenue, Book Club Chat has become a go-to resource for book clubs around the world.
How much they make: $48K/year
Where they're located: San Diego, CA, USA
How much did it cost to start: $50
Current team size: 0
17. SelectSoftware Reviews ($40.5K/year)
Phil Strazzulla, founder of SelectSoftware, came up with the idea for his business after building a personal brand in the HR space through a weekly whiteboard video series. He realized that HR professionals were struggling to choose the right software for their needs, and saw the opportunity to create an online review site, similar to NerdWallet or WireCutter, for HR software. With organic search traffic growing at 30% per month and revenues hitting $1k per month, SelectSoftware has gained traction in the market.
How much they make: $40.5K/year
Where they're located: Cambridge
Current team size: 0
18. Workspaces ($24K/year)
Ryan Gilbert came up with the idea for Workspaces when he noticed Twitter users sharing pictures of their new setups during the pandemic. Wanting to preserve these inspiring workspaces, he started a newsletter that now has over 9,000 subscribers and generates $2,000 per month from sponsorships. He recently joined YC startup Loops as Head of Content and continues to publish Workspaces while exploring new marketing initiatives.
How much they make: $24K/year
Where they're located:
How much did it cost to start: $500
Current team size: 0
19. CoinSnacks ($360K/year)
Dillon, the co-founder of CoinSnacks, came up with the idea for the business after being fired from his job at a financial research company. With some severance and time on his hands, he realized there was a need for a beginner-friendly crypto newsletter. Since launching in 2017, CoinSnacks has become the longest continuously running crypto newsletter on the market, with over 70,000 weekly readers and a monthly revenue of ~$30,000 in 2022.
How much they make: $360K/year
Where they're located: Denver, CO, USA
How much did it cost to start: $500
Current team size: 3
20. The Mallorcan ($29.4K/year)
Art has also been a great resource for overcoming creative resistance. In terms of podcasts, I love listening to How I Built This with Guy Raz. It's inspiring to hear the stories of successful entrepreneurs and how they built their businesses from the ground up. Lastly, I find a lot of value in online communities like Indie Hackers and Starter Story. These platforms provide a wealth of information and support for aspiring founders.
How much they make: $29.4K/year
Where they're located: Palma
How much did it cost to start: $200
Current team size: 1
21. Una Vida Online ($216K/year)
Pau, the founder of Una Vida Online, came up with the idea for his business when he was looking for ways to make extra income online. He discovered the world of affiliate marketing and started creating affiliate websites. After achieving success and making more money from his websites than his full-time job, he decided to quit his job and focus on his online projects. He then created an online course to teach affiliate marketing and expanded his business to offer WordPress templates and plugins, as well as a tokenized private community for bloggers and affiliate marketers. With a strong focus on SEO, Una Vida Online has seen significant growth and currently generates about 18K per month in revenue.
How much they make: $216K/year
Where they're located: Encamp
How much did it cost to start: $100
Current team size: 1
22. World of AI by aitools.fyi ($72K/year)
where I send out the newsletter from. For aitools.fyi, I use React, Next.js, and Tailwind CSS for the tech stack. I also use Stripe for payments and Google Analytics for tracking website analytics. Additionally, I rely on social media platforms like Twitter and LinkedIn for marketing and promotion.
How much they make: $72K/year
Where they're located: Waterloo, ON, Canada
How much did it cost to start: $100
Current team size: 0
Hey! 👋 I'm Pat Walls, the founder of Starter Story.
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