Welcome to issue #033 of Insideletter!
Each week, I share 2–3 editions in which I outline the exact steps to build a newsletter business to £1K a month.
See, there are many types you can use to build your newsletter
But I always ask you to build a persona-driven newsletter.
And there are mainly 4 types.
The analyst
The curator
The expert (Insideletter falls in this category)
The reporter
Trust me, people don’t remember the newsletter. No one remembers the name of the newsletter, but everyone remembers who you are to your readers.
Now let’s talk about the types one by one.
The analyst
If you’re good at breaking things down in the simplest possible manner, then you can go with this.
Typical content:
Breakdowns of market trends
Frameworks and mental models
Insight-rich content
Thoughtful opinion backed by research
Strengths:
High trust and perceived authority
Attracts smart, discerning readers
Positions you for consulting, info products, and premium content
Examples:
Stratechery by Ben Thompson
Not boring by Packy McCormick
Monetisation paths:
Paid newsletter tiers
Premium research reports
Memberships & private communities
The Curator
If you’re good with mining data and knowledge and present it in the best possible way, then this should be your go-to newsletter type.
Typical content:
Weekly roundups
Top tools, tweets, articles
Hand-picked resources
Niche discovery (you find what others miss)
Strengths:
Quick to produce consistently
Builds trust over time
High utility = high engagement
Examples:
Dense Discovery
TLDR Newsletter
The Browser
Monetisation paths:
Sponsorships (since CTRs are usually high)
Affiliate links
Curated digital products (e.g. swipe files, templates)
The expert
If you’ve any subject expertise, then you should go for it, because even if there are more knowledgeable people in their field, no one else is sharing their knowledge
Typical content:
How-tos
Playbooks and templates
Behind the scenes of your own work
Systems, tools, and workflows
Strengths:
Highly monetisable via products & courses
Strong credibility in a niche
Builds loyal followers who trust your methods
Examples:
Insideletter
Justin Welsh
Ship 30 for 30
Monetisation paths:
Courses
Coaching or productized services
Paid communities
Newsletter upsells
The reporter
Do you remember those 2–3 boys in school who always used to complain to the teachers and somehow knew all the gossip around the school?
If you were one of them, then this is the ideal type for you.
Typical content:
Interviews and profiles
Case studies
Trends from direct conversations or fieldwork
Exclusive scoops or datasets
Strengths:
Unique content others can’t easily replicate
Excellent for niche industry leadership
Builds a reputation for access and trust
Examples:
Growth in reverse by Chenell
Big Technology by Alex Kantrowitz
Monetisation paths:
Sponsorships
Premium interviews or databases
Industry reports
Now, you have the knowledge and idea of what suits you the most.
Pick one of them and let me know in the comments. Also, if you have more doubts, feel free to ask me in the comments.
Happy to help.
See ya!
Join my community now (only £39/m)
Current subscribers of Insideletter: 105🥰
30-day view: 630 🙈
30-day open rate: 19.19% 🤧
Thanks for reading. See you soon.
Quick links:
Check the Insideletter podcast.
You can always say hi to me on LinkedIn and X. I would love to see you there.
Join my community.
If you enjoyed this read, the best compliment I could receive would be if you shared it with one person or restacked it.
Oh, and you can, of course, join my chat and ask your questions directly.
Talk soon,
Anirban “helping you choose your newsletter type” Das.