This newsletter is all about helping you turn your skills into income with digital products. To make the journey easier, I’ve bundled my best templates, and guides so you don’t have to figure everything out on your own.
Most people start a newsletter for one of two reasons:
As a passion project to share their thoughts, ideas, and interests with the world.
As a channel to monetize their skills, expertise, or experience.
If you’re in the first group, making money might not be your priority right now, which is totally fine.
But if you’re in the second group, there are several ways to monetize your newsletter with a small audience.
Even with fewer than 1,000 subscribers, you can turn your newsletter into a profitable project.
Substack is a platform, just like any other social media platform online.
Wherever people spend time online, they also have problems that must be solved.
And your newsletter is a channel for you to show your expertise and help people solve problems while getting paid.
Here are 5 ways to start making money right away with your newsletter.
1. Turn on the paywall
This is by far the easiest to start with.
If you write a Substack newsletter, you only need to turn on the paywall and connect your Stripe account.
Your audience will pay a monthly subscription fee to access your paywalled content.
Now, despite it being so easy to turn paid subscription, the real challenge lies in converting free subscribers to paid.
People already have dozens of monthly subscriptions to deal with: Netflix, Spotify, gym memberships, you name it.
So, to make someone hit “upgrade,” your offer has to feel worth it.
There are 2 ways to pull off a subscription newsletter:
Publish consistently. A daily or weekly newsletter that delivers high-value content. If you publish 5 posts every week, you can put 3 posts behind a paywall. This will compel your subscribers to unlock your paywalled content with a paid subscription.
Add value beyond your newsletter. You can offer incentives like access to exclusive podcasts, eBooks, private communities, or workshops.
Paid subscriptions are a great way to earn with your newsletter.
They create a steady stream of recurring income, too.
But they only work in the long run if you consistently deliver value that feels exclusive or essential.
2. Create a product that solves a problem
This approach often outperforms subscription models in terms of profit margin.
Why?
Because it allows you to sell directly to your readers, without needing them to sign up for a monthly subscription.
Once your product is created, you can promote it in your emails and earn every time someone buys.
This method works especially well if your newsletter solves a specific problem or teaches a skill.
For example, newsletters about productivity, writing, health, or business often do great with digital products.
On the other hand, paid subscriptions perform better if your content is more commentary-based, like politics, culture, or opinions.
3. Offer your knowledge or expertise
Your newsletter is the perfect platform to showcase your expertise.
Over time, as readers see your knowledge and insights, they start to view you as a trusted expert.
That’s when coaching or service-based offers become an easy sell.
What can you offer?
1:1 coaching
Group sessions or workshops
Freelance writing
Ghostwriting
Email marketing
Copywriting
Design services
Your newsletter essentially functions as a portfolio that pre-qualifies clients who already appreciate your approach.
4. Get Paid Sponsorships or Shoutouts
Some of the biggest newsletters make most of their revenue through sponsorships.
This works best with a large audience, typically 5,000+ engaged readers.
But even smaller newsletters can attract micro-sponsors, especially in niche markets.
Advertisers value engaged readers more than raw numbers.
If you have a tight-knit, engaged list in a specific niche, reach out to small businesses or creators whose products align with your content.
They will pay for sponsored shoutouts, product features, or mentions in your email footer.
Platforms like Passionfroot make it easy to get started with sponsorships.
5. Promote products you use
Affiliate marketing is a great, low-risk way to earn money.
You recommend a product or service you genuinely believe in, and when someone buys through your link, you earn a commission.
You don’t need to create anything yourself. All you do is write content that shows how and why the product is useful.
Affiliate marketing works well in niches like tech, writing tools, wellness, online courses, and creator tools (e.g., ConvertKit, Gumroad, Notion).
However, only promote products you truly use or believe in.
Your audience trusts you, and that trust is your most valuable asset.
To wrap up
You don’t need thousands of subscribers to start making money with your newsletter.
In fact, a small, loyal audience is often easier to monetize than a large, disengaged one.
Focus on building trust, delivering value, and solving real problems.
Choose one or two monetization methods that feel right for your audience and experiment.
You’ll be surprised at how quickly your newsletter can start paying off.
Need help growing your audience and income?
I’ve created a collection of mini guides and resources to help you create better content, grow your audience, and monetize with offers.
Thank you, this information is useful and succinctly presented.