Welcome to issue #028 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.
One of the biggest problems for me was not getting enough ideas to write my newsletter.
And this is not only my story, in my first batch of the insideletter cohort, I noticed my coachees are also facing the same issue.
And it’s very much normal. But I’ve got a solution to this problem. If you learn this well, you’ll never worry about content ideas ever again.
No, I am not like the Twitter bro who says, I only write when inspo strikes me, that’s deadly advice. Don’t fall into the trap, you’re creating a 1 person media business.
Your goal should be to build a system that works for you, not follow anything and everything to make it hard.
Anyways, let’s get back.
Today, we’re talking about ‘content pillars’
But what are content pillars?
Content pillars are the 3–5 core themes or topics your newsletter will consistently revolve around. These are the areas where:
You have something valuable to say.
Your audience has a need or interest.
But how does it help?
See, we don’t subscribe to a magazine or YouTube channel for the channel, instead, we subscribe for the human behind it.
Similarly, when people subscribe to your newsletter, they are looking for your expertise.
Content pillars create a clear promise to your reader: Here’s what you can expect from me.
Because I keep seeing newsletter creators who keep writing different content, because they didn’t set any content pillar and that’s the fastest way to become irrelevant.
Why do you follow Anirban from Insideletter? Because Anirban teaches how to build a newsletter business, and he keeps talking about it every time.
He doesn’t talk about productivity, fitness or anything.
Now…
How to find your content pillars
1. Check your knowledge and interest
Ask yourself:
What topics do I love talking or writing about?
What problems have I solved that others struggle with?
What do people always ask me for advice on?
Example: I’ve grown 2 newsletters and monetised them, so my content pillars are Audience building, monetisation and content creation/system.
Define your reader’s core problems
Get specific about who your newsletter is for, and what they’re trying to solve.
Ask yourself:
What keeps them up at night?
What are they Googling or reading newsletters for?
What kind of transformation are they looking for?
Example: A freelance writer’s ideal audience might care about: Getting Clients, Writing Better. (Please spend more time here, it makes sure you play a better game)
Look for the Overlap
Use this Venn diagram approach:
What do you love to write about
What your audience needs
What you can write about with authority or experience
Where these three intersect = your core pillars
Choose 3–5 Pillars
Less is more. Pick themes broad enough to give you room, but focused enough to signal what your newsletter is about.
Some examples:
For a business newsletter: Marketing, sales psychology, personal brand
For a creative writing newsletter: Short stories, writing tips, publishing advice
For a health-focused newsletter: Nutrition, mindset, recovery
Tip: Don’t use my suggestions, create your own.
Now…
How to use your pillars, let’s learn that
Here’s how to bring them into your weekly workflow:
Content calendar by pillars
Assign each pillar a ‘slot’ in your month:
Week 1: Audience growth
Week 2: Monetisation
Week 3: Writing System
Week 4: Content creation
This makes it easier to brainstorm and batch ideas.
Brainstorm content in batches
For each pillar, list 10–15 potential article ideas at once. This becomes your ‘idea bank.’
I use Notion and Bright for this, you can try too. At this point, I’ve over 100 ideas to write one.
Let’s assume you’re a freelance coach. Here’s what you can choose
“How I budgeted my first year as a freelancer”
“What to do when you’re scared to raise prices”
“How to build an emergency fund”
Did you notice something? These are topics which can come under the ‘finance’ pillar.
Also, one crucial thing.
Stick to your pillars, but vary your formats:
Personal stories
Listicles
Case studies
“What I learned” reflections
How-to guides
Guest features
Your content pillars help you stick to the niche and make you the category leader. It’s a north star for you, my friend.
Follow this for 3 months, maybe it will look like a limitation, but it’ll prove you wrong and help you build a newsletter business.
And if you want to reduce your time and effort, you know it already…but if you don’t know…
Join my community now (only £39/m)
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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 build your content pillars” Das.