7 Online Newsletter Writing Business Success Stories [2024]
An online newsletter is sent to subscribers’ emails regularly to keep them informed about the latest news and updates about their product or brand. You can send the newsletter weekly or monthly depending on the content and your objective.
To start an online newsletter service, choose the email newsletter tool and define the newsletter’s goal. Then, choose the best template for your newsletter and personalize it to meet the reader's expectations.
With a professional strategy, an online newsletter can be a successful business.
In this list, you'll find real-world online newsletter writing business success stories and very profitable examples of starting a online newsletter writing business that makes money.
1. Morning Brew ($49.2M/year)
Back in 2014, Alex noticed that his college peers lacked knowledge about current business news while he was helping them prepare for interviews. In response, he decided to create a valuable resource for them and launched a daily newsletter called The Market Corner.
Initially, it was in PDF format, but it later evolved into what we now know as Morning Brew.
How much money it makes: $49.2M/year
Case study about the rapid growth and successful acquisition of Morning Brew, a daily newsletter founded in 2017, which was acquired by Business Insider for $75M in 2020 after reaching over 70K subscribers and generating an average of $4.1M/month in revenue.
2. Content-Whale Private Limited ($750K/year)
Vaibhav Kishnani, an engineer turned writer, came up with the idea for Content-Whale after noticing the unprofessional conduct in the Indian content market. With just Rs. 2,500 ($35) in capital, he started the content agency which now generates a revenue turnover of Rs. 4 crores ($514,000) and serves clients like Quikr and The Boston Consulting Group.
How much money it makes: $750K/year
How much did it cost to start: $35
How many people on the team: 30
Content-Whale, a content curation agency, has achieved a Rs. 4 crore ($514k/year) turnover 4-5 years after being started with just Rs. 2500 ($35), and has a pool of more than 500 writers, aiming to become a market leader in the global content market.
3. 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 money it makes: $29.4K/year
How much did it cost to start: $200
How many people on the team: 1
The Mallorcan is a local media brand in Mallorca, Spain generating $2.5k per month revenue, offering a weekly newsletter supported by web and social content, attracting over 2.5k subscribers across its website, newsletter, and Instagram.
4. Merrative ($24K/year)
Harshala Chavan, the founder of Merrative, came up with the idea for her business after noticing a lack of dedicated spaces for people to discuss literature. After attending a book club meetup, where she had a great discussion with others who had read the same book, she wondered if she could bring this experience online at scale. She validated her concept through participating in BPlans and growing her Instagram page, which eventually led to the launch of Merrative as a community-led marketplace for publishing talent.
How much money it makes: $24K/year
How much did it cost to start: $100
How many people on the team: 0
Merrative, a community-driven marketplace for publishing talent, generates an average of $1,500 per month in marketplace transactions from their 5,000+ strong community of readers, writers, journalists, and scholars.
5. 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 money it makes: $24K/year
How much did it cost to start: $500
How many people on the team: 0
The founder of Workspaces, a newsletter giving readers a behind-the-scenes tour of entrepreneurs' new desk setups, was making $2,000 per month from sponsorships and was recently acquired by YC startup Loops, with 9,000+ subscribers and open rates around 60%.
6. Fem 'n STEM ($18K/year)
Whitney Bowen, a college student, came up with the idea for Fem 'n STEM during the COVID-19 pandemic when she realized the need for educational extracurricular activities for students at home. She created science-themed boxes that contain all the necessary materials to carry out four experiments, aiming to encourage kids to pursue their passions in the sciences. Despite being a college student, Whitney has already achieved $1.5k in monthly revenue and hopes to continue growing her business.
How much money it makes: $18K/year
How much did it cost to start: $2K
How many people on the team: 1
College student, Whitney Bowen, launched Fem 'n STEM during the COVID-19 lockdown selling STEM boxes for kids between the ages of 8-12 and has earned $1.5k in monthly revenue within the first month of launch using social media to advertise and using WIX to create an online store.
7. 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 money it makes: $6K/year
How many people on the team: 0
We Do It Remotely founder Joseph Solomon began as a content agency, which then transformed into a 4-week training program earning $500-2500 per month and is now a paid newsletter focusing on offering actionable tips and insights to freelancers worldwide, most of whom are writers and marketers.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
