48 Newsletter Success Stories [2024]
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.
In this list, you'll find real-world newsletter success stories and very profitable examples of starting a newsletter 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. MarketBeat ($36M/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 money it makes: $36M/year
How many people on the team: 17
Financial media company MarketBeat, founded by Matt Paulson, provides objective financial information and real-time market data to empower individual stock investors to make better trading decisions, generating approximately $8 million in revenue in 2019 and ending the year with over 1.3 million unique email subscribers due to a freemium model with 75% of revenue from advertising and 25% from subscriptions.
3. 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 money it makes: $7.2M/year
How much did it cost to start: $650K
How many people on the team: 46
Stuart Hochwert grew his company Prime Publishing LLC to generate over 30 million monthly page views and $7 million in annual revenue by creating free, advertising-supported cooking and crafting websites and premium, ad-free digital products.
4. Beehiiv ($7M/year)
Tyler Denk founded Beehiiv based on his deep involvement with the success of Morning Brew, where he built major growth and tech features crucial to its rise. When Morning Brew's readers frequently inquired about the tools and systems behind its excellent referral program and well-constructed newsletters, Tyler realized there was a significant gap in the market for an intuitive, all-in-one newsletter platform. During his tenure at Google, Tyler and his co-founders moonlighted on building Beehiiv, constantly seeking feedback from potential users to fine-tune their MVP.
They validated their idea through exhaustive conversations with prospective users, confirming the need for a user-friendly platform specifically designed for newsletter creators. The initial focus was on building core essentials like a text editor and basic website functionality, knowing they could grow the feature set rapidly once users were on board. Tyler's journey reflects the importance of user-centric design and adaptability, wherein they remained responsive to customer feedback and industry needs, ensuring their product evolved in line with real-world demands. This hands-on and adaptive approach enabled Beehiiv to stand out even in a crowded market.
How much money it makes: $7M/year
How many people on the team: 50
This case study reveals how Tyler Denk's Beehiiv transformed the newsletter industry by addressing key pain points and growing impressively to an average revenue of $583K/month, backed by $16.7 million in funding and leveraging a combination of customer-centric design, strategic investments, and highly effective referral programs.
5. TLDR Newsletter ($5M/year)
Dan was a stock trader in NYC after his education, but his interest in software and engineering led him to create Scraper API, a tool for developers to extract data from web pages.
After running the business for a few years and scaling it to six figures in revenue, he decided to start a newsletter due to his growing fascination with technology and current news.
How much money it makes: $5M/year
How much did it cost to start: $500
How many people on the team: 0
TLDR Newsletter generates an impressive $5M per year in revenue through strategic ad placements, with founder Dan Ni starting the business for just $500 and growing to 1,000 subscribers within his first month using a combination of Reddit and Quora ads.
6. The Pomp Letter ($4.2M/year)
Pompliano started The Pomp Letter because he loved writing and wanted to share his analysis his quickly growing Twitter audience.
I started writing because it helped me to formulate my thoughts each day. You can’t write clearly if your thinking is messy. — Anthony Pompliano (Source)
From the onset, Pomp loved writing because it helped him to formulate his thoughts each day. He is a serial entrepreneur and an investor who loves sharing his analysis on the latest in business, finance, the economy, and Bitcoin.
His audience includes everyone from legendary Wall Street investors to CEOs of publicly traded companies to the average retail investor trying to get started.
How much money it makes: $4.2M/year
Learn about Anthony Pompliano's journey from Facebook Product Manager to founder of The Pomp Letter, a Substack newsletter with over 1.2 million subscribers, making an average of $4.2M/year since 2018.
7. Not Boring ($3M/year)
Packy's idea to start the Not Boring newsletter originated from his previous experiences and circumstances. After leaving his role as a VP of Experience, he had been nurturing his writing skills and interest by working on an email newsletter called "Per my last email," a project he started during David Perell’s "Write of Passage" course.
During the same time, in January 2020, he also launched the Not Boring Social Club, which aimed to organize social dinners and trivia nights. However, the club's activities were significantly impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic.
As a result, he decided to rebrand his newsletter to Not Boring, using his passion and talent for writing to officially launch his newsletter.
How much money it makes: $3M/year
Discover how the Not Boring newsletter skyrocketed to over 200,000 subscribers, growing through a strategic launch on Product Hunt and a unique referral program that earned the founder an impressive average of $250K/month in revenue.
8. Contrarian Thinking ($3M/year)
Contrarian Thinking is a premium membership community that teaches people how to add cash-flowing income streams to their portfolios and achieve financial freedom.
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 money it makes: $3M/year
How much did it cost to start: $5K
How many people on the team: 4
Contrarian Thinking is a premium membership community that teaches its 1.5 million members how to implement cash flow strategies to achieve financial freedom, with a current run rate of $3 million and a goal of $50 million ARR in five years.
9. Stacked Marketer ($2.5M/year)
Emanuel Cinca came up with the idea for Stacked Marketer while working as an affiliate marketer. In 2018, seeking to create his own product and control the entire customer journey, he experimented with various ideas. During this period, he discovered Morning Brew, a finance-focused newsletter.
This inspired him to wonder if a similar newsletter existed for affiliate marketing, and finding that there wasn't one, he decided to create Stacked Marketer to fill that gap.
How much money it makes: $2.5M/year
Learn how Emanuel Cinca built Stacked Marketer from the ground up, growing it to over 2,000 active subscribers and generating an impressive $208K per month in revenue, all while sharing valuable lessons on content, testing, and audience building.
10. Pragmatic Engineer ($1.5M/year)
After leaving his engineering manager position at Uber, Gergely Orosz planned to spend a few months writing books and then start a startup related to platform engineering or developer tools later in the year.
He started writing online and self-published three books, which unexpectedly generated significant income.
Recognizing the potential for a profitable solo venture, Orosz decided against starting a traditional startup. Instead, he launched The Pragmatic Engineer newsletter, aiming to write a publication that he wished he had access to when he worked at Uber.
How much money it makes: $1.5M/year
Learn how Gergely Orosz turned a solo venture into a profitable tech-focused newsletter business, generating an impressive $125k per month and $1.5M per year in revenue, with Twitter as a key customer acquisition channel and a pricing model of $15/month or $150/year.
11. The Milk Road ($1.5M/year)
Shaan Puri and Ben Levy were friends. While working on Shaan’s brand, they delved deep into the crypto ecosystem. Since they were talented writers, they decided to turn their hobby and interests into a full-time gig.
Shaan's Tweet explaining how they started Milk Road
How much money it makes: $1.5M/year
How much did it cost to start: $2K
How many people on the team: 1
Discover how Shaan Puri grew The Milk Road crypto newsletter from a Google Doc to 250,000 subscribers in just 10 months, ultimately selling it to Bitfo for an eight-figure sum.
12. I Know The Pilot ($840K/year)
"I Know The Pilot" is a free travel deal platform that sends airfare and accommodation deals to subscribers daily, with a focus on international travel.
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 money it makes: $840K/year
How much did it cost to start: $1.5K
How many people on the team: 0
I Know The Pilot founder Garth Adams shares how he grew his airfare and accommodation deals newsletter from a simple WordPress site to over 780,000 email subscribers, 110,000 app users, and 550,000 Facebook fans on a 100% free business model, and how he's pivoted domestically during the Covid-19 pandemic.
13. Houcks Newsletter ($792K/year)
Michael's earlier career was defined by experiences from the investor side and founder side. So, he knew very well what works for the investors and for the founders, especially in the modern age of startup investing.
He understood that being a startup founder can be a lonely journey, and it's often very difficult to know what to do. So, he launched the newsletter as a channel to share with all the founders trying to navigate the challenging landscape.
How much money it makes: $792K/year
Houck's Newsletter founder Michael Houck shares how startup founders can build, grow, and raise capital for their businesses, with a subscriber base that earns an average of $792K/year.
14. Stacked ($720K/year)
Druce, one of the co-founders of Stacked, initially started the business as a platform to cut out the middleman in the real estate industry. However, they realized that the market wasn't ready for their product and shifted their focus to creating comprehensive and objective condo reviews, which set them apart from the competition. Their strategy of doubling down on content, including long-tail keywords, has resulted in immediate growth for the business.
How much money it makes: $720K/year
How much did it cost to start: $50K
How many people on the team: 10
A real estate media company in Singapore skyrocketed its monthly revenue to $60k by providing in-depth condo reviews and leveraging high-quality multimedia content, gaining 700k page views, 43k Instagram followers, and 17k YouTube subscribers.
15. Trends.VC ($492K/year)
In the fall of 2019, Dru was working on a business idea called StrongStack, which later evolved into SaaSReport in January of 2020 and focused on providing competitive intelligence to SaaS marketers. However, SaaSReport was not growing as fast as Dre had hoped, and he began searching for innovative ideas to boost its performance. During this process, he found a passion for identifying and writing about trends. Shortly afterward, he launched the first version of the Trends.vc report.
How much money it makes: $492K/year
Discover how Dru Riley grew Trends.VC from 7,000 to 25,000 subscribers through a Product Hunt launch strategy, with an average revenue of $41K/month and an annual Trends Pro membership price of $299/year, making $492K/year since the business started in 2020.
16. Lenny's Newsletter ($492K/year)
After leaving his job at Airbnb, Lenny started thinking about what he learned there and what he could do next. He wrote his thoughts on Evernote and ended up publishing it on Medium.
His writing got a lot of attention, even from the big boss at Airbnb! He was surprised that his story could make money and that people liked what he had to say.
This made him want to write more, and that’s how he started his newsletter.
How much money it makes: $492K/year
Lenny's Newsletter grew from 0 to 1000 subscribers by leveraging Twitter and guest posting strategies, with pricing tiers starting at $15/month, generating an average of $41K/month and $492K/year in revenue since its inception in 2019.
17. ryrob.com ($480K/year)
Ryan Robinson started his blog ryrob.com in college as a way to share the lessons he learned from starting a business around his product, the iStash. After a viral post on HackerNews and Twitter, Ryan saw the potential to build a community around his blog and turned it into a full-time business. Now, his blog has around 500,000 monthly readers and generates between $25,000 to $55,000 in revenue each month through affiliate partnerships, sponsorships, and the sale of his own digital products.
How much money it makes: $480K/year
How much did it cost to start: $500
How many people on the team: 1
Ryan Robinson explains how he built a blog with over 500k monthly visitors and generates $25,000-$55,000 in revenue each month through affiliate partnerships, sponsorships, and his own digital products like courses and books.
18. 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 money it makes: $360K/year
How much did it cost to start: $500
How many people on the team: 3
Crypto newsletter CoinSnacks co-founded by Dillon has been able to make $30,000 monthly by acquiring competitors and using lead generation techniques while offering a beginner-friendly layout.
19. Refactoring ($300K/year)
Luca struggled to find valuable content to help him grow as an engineer, manager, and individual. Although he enjoyed reading, he couldn't find anything that truly resonated with his work.
Consequently, he chose to create the type of content he had always desired to read, with a focus on developing processes, meeting deadlines, managing a team, and personal growth.
This newsletter is my attempt to write the content I have always wanted to read. How to build processes, meet deadlines, manage an engineering team, and grow personally in the process. — Luca Rossi (Source)
How much money it makes: $300K/year
Learn how Luca Rossi built Refactoring, a newsletter that grew from biweekly to weekly posts, with a focus on software engineering, team management, and personal growth, acquiring new subscribers at an average cost of €2.5 each and generating $25K per month in revenue.
20. The Generalist ($300K/year)
Mario got the idea to start The Generalist organically through two main explorations.
First, his lifelong passion for writing nurtured through school and fiction writing classes, became a consistent hobby. Second, his career in technology and venture firms led to combining his interests.
Encouraged by his friends to write about his work, he began The Generalist as a weekend project. It gradually absorbed his energy and excitement, leading him to pursue writing as a viable career through newsletters.
How much money it makes: $300K/year
The Generalist newsletter, founded by Mario Gabriele, showcases impressive growth and monetization strategies, bringing in an average of $25K per month and $300K per year since its inception in 2019.
21. Warrior Lodge Media ($252K/year)
Wes O'Donnell came up with the idea for Warrior Lodge Media out of frustration with the lack of simple military information online. He wanted to create a website that compiled every piece of unclassified U.S. military information in existence, and with the help of his network of military and veteran writers, he built Warrior Lodge slowly and organically. Today, the site earns between $18,000-$22,000 per month through ads, t-shirt sales, and affiliate links, and is almost completely hands-off, generating passive income for O'Donnell.
How much money it makes: $252K/year
How much did it cost to start: $5K
How many people on the team: 2
This case study is about the founder of Warrior Lodge Media, Wes O'Donnell, who started an all-in-one informational website for military and veterans and turned it into a $21k/month media company and eCommerce store, almost completely hands-off and generating true passive income.
22. Yolo Intel ($240K/year)
Yolo Journal is a travel lifestyle media brand that publishes a physical printed magazine three times a year and has a successful travel-focused newsletter, Yolo Intel, which is the most popular travel newsletter on Substack.
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 money it makes: $240K/year
How much did it cost to start: $15K
How many people on the team: 1
Yolo Journal's founder, Yolanda Edwards, launched a travel lifestyle media brand with a magazine and newsletter that now generates $20k a month in revenue. Edwards' business success can be attributed to understanding the hole in the magazine market and creating trust-worthy insider information.
23. Cup of Coffee ($221K/year)
Cup of Coffee is a daily baseball and culture newsletter that provides fans with a comprehensive summary of significant news in Major League Baseball, along with analysis, commentary, and coverage of other current events, reaching over 10,500 subscribers and generating average monthly revenue of $18,400.
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 money it makes: $221K/year
How much did it cost to start: $200
How many people on the team: 1
Craig Calcaterra's daily baseball and culture Substack newsletter Cup of Coffee has amassed just under 10,500 subscribers, with over 3,300 paying monthly ($6) or annual ($65) subscriptions, achieving average monthly revenue of around $18,400 and growing.
24. 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 money it makes: $216K/year
How much did it cost to start: $100
How many people on the team: 1
Una Vida Online started as a side gig in 2018 to share knowledge on affiliate marketing and blogging, and has since grown into a business employing a full-time assistant and many freelancers with a monthly income of around 18K, offering online courses, WordPress templates and plugins, and a tokenized private community for people interested in generating income via blogging or affiliate marketing.
25. Crowded Kitchen ($204K/year)
Lexi Harrison, the co-founder and CEO of Crowded Kitchen, came up with the idea for her plant-based recipe website and content business while studying abroad and facing dietary challenges. With the help of her mom, she grew their audience to 20k followers within the first year. With their expertise in photography and recipe development, they diversified their business by offering content creation services to food and beverage brands, which now accounts for 50% of their revenue.
How much money it makes: $204K/year
How much did it cost to start: $5K
How many people on the team: 3
How co-founders of Crowded Kitchen, a plant-based recipe website and creative content business, grew their social media following to nearly 200k and became a leader in the plant-based recipe space, while also offering photography and recipe development services to major food and beverage brands.
26. Travel Mamas ($180K/year)
traditional methods of promotion like passing out postcards, handing out business cards, and sending press releases to traditional media outlets. However, I quickly realized that these tactics were not effective for growing an online business. Through trial and error, I learned the importance of SEO and how to optimize my content to rank higher in search engine results. I also discovered the power of social media in attracting and engaging with readers. Over time, I became more proficient in using these digital marketing strategies to grow my audience and generate revenue. Another valuable lesson I learned is the importance of persistence and perseverance. Building a successful blog takes time and consistent effort. It's easy to get discouraged in the early stages when you're not seeing immediate results, but I stuck with it and continued to create valuable content that resonated with my audience. This dedication has paid off as Travel Mamas has grown into one of the most popular travel blogs in the world. Overall, starting and growing my own business has been a tremendous learning experience. I’ve gained valuable skills in digital marketing, content creation, and business management. I've also developed a deep understanding of my audience and what they are looking for. These lessons and insights will continue to be advantageous as I navigate the future of my business and adapt to changing industry trends.
How much money it makes: $180K/year
How much did it cost to start: $1.5K
How many people on the team: 1
TravelMamas.com founder Colleen Lanin shares how she turned a family travel blog into a business that generates $15K in monthly revenue through ad network sales, affiliate sales, sponsored posts, book sales, public speaking appearances, and media campaigns.
27. SuperPower Daily ($144K/year)
When ChatGPT launched in late 2022, Saeed created his own ChatGPT Chrome extension that allowed users to synchronize and search their history locally. He decided to offer the Chrome extension for free, but he also knew he needed to have a revenue stream.
That's when he decided to implement a newsletter within the Chrome extension. He created the newsletter around AI and began showcasing it to his audience within the extension.
Snapshot of SuperPower Daily newsletter inside the Chrome extension
How much money it makes: $144K/year
Discover how Saeed Ezzati grew SuperPower Daily from a Chrome extension to a thriving AI-focused newsletter, attracting thousands of users and generating an average of $12K per month, all while offering the product entirely for free.
28. tl;dr Marketing ($120K/year)
George's idea for the tl;dr Marketing newsletter originated from his routine of updating colleagues at Envato and Supple about the latest developments in search marketing.
He used to share digital marketing updates through in-person meetings and Slack/Skype messages.
Additionally, his role as a monthly speaker at the Melbourne SEO Meetup, where he discussed recent trends in search, further contributed to the concept.
Recognizing the value of this information and his consistent efforts in sharing it, George was inspired to create the tl;dr Marketing newsletter to distribute these insights more broadly.
I used to brief colleagues at Envato and Supple on what’s new in search through meetings IRL and Slack/Skype messages. I also give monthly talks at the Melbourne SEO Meetup on what’s new in search. Eventually, I decided to start a newsletter with that content and that’s how tl;dr Marketing was born. — Saijo George (Source)
How much money it makes: $120K/year
Learn how Saijo George grew his digital marketing-focused newsletter, tl;dr Marketing, to 1M subscribers with an organic SEO strategy, generating an average revenue of $10k/month through ads and sponsorships.
29. Maker Mind ($120K/year)
During her studies in neuroscience, Anne discovered several science-based methods to improve performance without compromising mental health. She also found that creating her own interpretations of the material was one of the most effective ways to absorb new information.
As a result, she decided to write on her blog every weekday about topics that combined neuroscience and entrepreneurship.
Believing in the benefits of working and learning in public, she thought that a newsletter would be a great way to hold herself accountable. Thus, she added a subscription box at the bottom of each article on her blog and committed to writing consistently.
How much money it makes: $120K/year
Case Study: Learn how Anne-Laure Le Cunff grew Maker Mind from 0 to 2,000 subscribers in just one month by leveraging a daily content strategy on Hacker News and Twitter.
30. Comprende ($103K/year)
Danny Miró-Chinea noticed an untapped market for promoting Latino-owned businesses and combating their underrepresentation in the media. Fueled by data showing U.S. Latinos have a $3.2 trillion economic output, he launched Comprende, a media and consulting agency, growing it to $8.6K MRR and aiming for $10K by year's end.
How much money it makes: $103K/year
How much did it cost to start: $19
How many people on the team: 1
By leveraging a $19 investment and clever use of newsletters and social media, Comprende is on track to hit six-figure revenue and boasts an impressive $8.6K MRR, showing aspiring founders how low-cost, high-impact strategies can rapidly scale a niche-focused media and consulting agency.
31. Startups.fyi ($96K/year)
Jaisal's had keen interest in new online ventures and methods of online income generation. While on Twitter, he stumbled upon the "build in public" phenomenon, where entrepreneurs openly shared their revenue and other crucial business metrics.
This transparency and community engagement inspired him to leverage his prior experience with newsletters. Combining this with a fascination for these startups' stories, Jaisal launched a unique newsletter, initially seeding it with a selection of promising startups, all showcased on a simply designed website he created on Webflow.
How much money it makes: $96K/year
How much did it cost to start: $145
Discover how Jaisal Rathee leveraged the "build in public" movement to create a free newsletter featuring real-life online startups, scaling it to over 1,000 subscribers through Twitter and Product Hunt, and generating an impressive $8,000 per month through sponsorships, promoted listings, and affiliate deals.
32. Cheap Houses Japan ($96K/year)
After studying in Japan for a year, Michael has always wanted to buy a vacation house there.
A few years ago, after hundreds of hours of research and multiple trips to Japan to look at houses, he finally bought a vacation house — for the grand sum of $31,650.
That's something people are always curious about and have questions about. so he decided to start an Instagram account and a newsletter to help other foreigners do the same.
How much money it makes: $96K/year
Discover how Michael turned his dream of owning a vacation house in Japan into a profitable online newsletter, Cheap Houses Japan, making an impressive $96K/year since 2021 through a clever Instagram strategy and premium subscription model.
33. 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 money it makes: $72K/year
How much did it cost to start: $100
How many people on the team: 0
"Read about Rishit Patel's journey in building aitools.fyi and the World of AI newsletter, which now generates a combined monthly income of around $6000 and attracts an average of 150K pageviews per month."
34. 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 money it makes: $60K/year
How many people on the team: 1
Seedtable is an authentic weekly newsletter on European tech, business, and politics, with 10,000+ subscribers and 50,000+ monthly visitors to its startup rankings, providing an insight into the European tech industry for investors, founders, and employees of leading Euorpean tech companies and funds.
35. Chief in the North Newsletter ($48K/year)
The Chief in the North Newsletter is a Substack publication that provides in-depth analysis and insights into the Kansas City Chiefs and the NFL.
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 money it makes: $48K/year
How much did it cost to start: $0
How many people on the team: 0
A sports writer launched a newsletter that now has over 5,500 subscribers in under 2 years and generates a legitimate side income of over $4,000 a month, with a subscription fee of $12 a year or $2 a month, by providing in-depth analysis for diehard Kansas City Chiefs and NFL fans.
36. 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 money it makes: $48K/year
How much did it cost to start: $50
How many people on the team: 0
Book Club Chat founder Heather Caliendo started a website dedicated to book club questions, reviews, and book lists with no upfront costs by dedicating a lot of time to reading and writing high-quality content that attracts over 5,000 daily visitors and has made $4,000 per month in ad revenue alone by focusing on organic search, SEO, and Mediavine.
37. 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 money it makes: $48K/year
How many people on the team: 1
Founder Casey Woodard started KickFlips, a sneaker and streetwear flipping resource, which currently brings in around $4,000 per month in revenue with roughly $150 in expenses, boasting a little over 1,500 users almost exclusively through word of mouth and referrals.
38. 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 money it makes: $48K/year
How much did it cost to start: $100
How many people on the team: 0
Ticker Nerd is a monthly subscription service for investors that surfaces and analyzes trending stocks before the hype train arrives, and now has $4.5k in monthly recurring revenue from its newsletter without spending a single dollar on advertising, having validated the business via subreddits and organic Product Hunt launch strategy.
39. 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 money it makes: $40.5K/year
How much did it cost to start: $50
How many people on the team: 0
VC-turned-entrepreneur Phil Strazzulla, who previously built a successful b2b SaaS business, shares how he bootstrapped an online review site for HR software into a viable business with over $1k monthly revenues in just 3 months through organic search traffic growth and selling high intent leads.
40. 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.
41. 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%.
42. Innovations and More Ltd ($24K/year)
George, the founder of Innovations and More, was inspired by a video showcasing the commercial success of a simple everyday product idea. Utilizing his design acumen and resurrecting an idea he had conceptualized years prior, George created the UStop Pee Stopper, a universal fit urine deflector that solves the problem of spillage beneath toilet seats. Since its launch in 2018, the product has exceeded expectations and the company continues to develop innovative products to solve common problems.
How much money it makes: $24K/year
How much did it cost to start: $500
How many people on the team: 0
Innovations and More's founder George launched the company in 2018 with "Essentials you never knew you needed" such as the UStop Pee Stopper and the Cell Phone Holder, with sales increasing by up to 50% each month since March 2020 with a range of different products at various stages of development.
43. 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.
44. 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 money it makes: $14.4K/year
How much did it cost to start: $40
How many people on the team: 1
No CS Degree founder monetizes website interviewing self-taught web developers earning an average monthly revenue of $1,100, with email marketing and sponsored articles from coding boot camps, and plans to grow the site through job board and online course resources.
45. 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 money it makes: $12K/year
How many people on the team: 0
Failory is a community where failed startup owners come to tell their failure stories and the mistakes they committed, offering advice for future entrepreneurs.
46. 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.
47. Cars of Carlisle ($5.03K/year)
Darren Reighard, founder and CEO of the Cars of Carlisle Network Podcast, came up with the idea for his profitable podcast after a friend recognized the need for an automotive podcast in their hometown of Carlisle, Pennsylvania. With his love for cars and background in mass communications, Reighard quickly established a virtual product to fill this niche and market gap, resulting in over 12,000 downloads and an increasing annual revenue.
How much money it makes: $5.03K/year
How much did it cost to start: $3.11K
How many people on the team: 1
Cars of Carlisle Network Podcast, founded by Darren Reighard, has grown into an increasingly successful entrepreneurial pursuit with over 130 episodes and is continuing to expand, with an annual revenue that is increasing, over 12k downloads from 45 countries, and a 18-month goal to expand sponsorship to become a full-time CEO managing the business with a 5 employee team.
48. Money Talk ($1.92K/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 money it makes: $1.92K/year
How much did it cost to start: $0
How many people on the team: 1
Qin Xie launched Money Talk, a reader-funded newsletter on personal finance, in May 2020, and made £100 in the first month, chiefly promoting it on LinkedIn.
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.
