How I Started A $6K/Month AI Newsletter [With Organic Marketing]
Hello! Who are you and what business did you start?
Hello there! I'm Rishit Patel, the person behind the World of AI newsletter. This isn't just any newsletter - it's the official channel for aitools.fyi, a globally recognized directory for AI tools.
In my newsletter, I share interesting AI tools, the latest AI news, comparisons of different tools, trending AI topics, and easy-to-follow tutorials.
The best part? It's completely free and delivered to your inbox every week.
Currently, the combined monthly income for the newsletter and aitools.fyi is around 6000 USD.
What's your backstory and how did you come up with the idea?
I started dabbling in website creation when I was just 13, beginning with WordPress. My skills took flight when I joined the "Computer Programmer Analyst" program at Canadore College.
The first year was pretty basic and easy, but it piqued my interest. So, I decided to challenge myself and began building more advanced websites, diving headfirst into the world of React. I've been hooked ever since!
By the time I was 16, I was already running a broadband company, so the business world wasn't new to me. I've always had this entrepreneurial fire burning inside me. I'm not one to sit back - I like to lead and play a significant role in a company.
After wrapping up my program at Canadore in 2021, I started building websites on the side while working a full-time job. Unfortunately, none of these sites hit the mark until aitools.fyi came along. By May 2023, I decided to leave my job and put all my energy into aitools.fyi, World of AI, and other exciting ventures.
I made Web3 apps back when Web3 was all the rage. I've built AI Avatar apps, a Stable Diffusion database, and much more. Even though they didn't take off, I learned a ton from those experiences. When I started aitools.fyi, everything fell into place!
The biggest lesson from my earlier attempts? Just get the site out there! It doesn't have to be perfect. I've made a bunch of websites that I never launched, and that was a big mistake.
The idea for World of AI was sparked by a comment on Reddit. I had posted about aitools.fyi, and a user pointed out, "You can't rely on users to bookmark your site and keep coming back, you have to make them come back." And what better way to keep users engaged than a newsletter?
Take us through the process of building the first version of your product.
As I've said before, I've learned that you can't sit around waiting for the stars to align or for your product to be flawless. Sometimes, all you need is a basic landing page and a Stripe payment link to get the ball rolling!
That's the exact approach I took with aitools.fyi. I hit the 'launch' button on Product Hunt the very day the website went live - January 21st. It was my maiden voyage on Product Hunt, and boy, was it a ride! We clinched the "Product of the Day" title with over 600 upvotes, which sent a wave of traffic our way.
But, in all the excitement, I overlooked something crucial - I didn't set up an email collection until April! Thankfully, with a whopping 150K pageviews per month, I managed to rally almost 2500 subscribers before the first email even went out!
As for World of AI, I sent out the first newsletter on May 17th. I had set up my Beehiiv account just two days before that! Now, I live by a new motto: "Never lose the MVP attitude!"
When you're building your first business, go with the simplest, tried-and-tested idea. Follow at least two people who have already succeeded with the same business model.
Describe the process of launching the business.
Launching World of AI was a breeze since it was tied to aitools.fyi, which was already making waves. But getting aitools.fyi off the ground? Now that's a story! It was my first public launch, and I remember braving -20 degrees to plaster posters with QR codes at bus stations, asking for support on Product Hunt.
My friends and I printed around 50-60 posters (check it out here) using the school's printer. We passed them everywhere - bus stops, train stations, electric poles, and all over the University of Waterloo. I'm not sure how much of that was legal, so if the cops ask, you didn't hear it from me! 😅
The launch was a rollercoaster. I goofed up the timezone difference between PST and EST, so I ended up asking everyone to upvote on WhatsApp and Instagram six hours too early! Plus, the QR code on the poster linked to a cuttly link, which was banned by Canada's second biggest cellular provider. To top it off, the QR code expired after a while because I didn't pay for the service! 🤦♂️
On launch night, I barely slept, maybe 2-3 hours. When my friend Fenil Patel, who helped me build the site and still works with me, woke me up at 6 AM, we were already number 1 with over 130 upvotes in just 3 hours!
But the competition was hot on our heels, and we were in danger of losing our top spot. That's when I had the idea to cold DM people on Twitter and LinkedIn. And it worked! We ended the day on top.
The launch was chaotic, dramatic, and hectic, but boy, was it fun. I got a taste of victory, and it felt amazing. That feeling of winning is what I live for. I'm here to win or die trying. I want it all or nothing. Mediocrity? Not on my watch.
Since launch, what has worked to attract and retain customers?
The growth of the World of AI is closely tied to the success of aitools.fyi. I didn't market World of AI until last week when I posted about it on Twitter and created a newsletter on LinkedIn to attract users. But the truth is, 99% of World of AI subscribers come from aitools.fyi. So, let's talk about how aitools.fyi grew.
Currently, it's pulling in about 150K pageviews per month. The growth was entirely organic until last month when I decided to pay a YouTube influencer to make a video about it and sponsored a newsletter.
That's it!
As I mentioned earlier, the Product Hunt launch for aitools.fyi was a big hit and gave the website a massive boost for the first three months. A lot of people got to know about the site and featured it in their newsletters, podcasts, social media, and so on.
In those first three months, my marketing strategy was pretty simple: post about it on Twitter and submit it to as many directories as I could find.
After that initial period, the growth started to slow down a bit, but I managed to revive it with SEO and performance improvements, Programmatic SEO, and the two paid marketing efforts I mentioned earlier.
Launching the World of AI certainly played a role in attracting and retaining users. As of now, the traffic to aitools.fyi is consistently growing, and I have plans to roll out a bunch of new features to keep our users hooked.
I'm also exploring partnerships with AI influencers, but let me tell you, finding and collaborating with influencers is the toughest marketing challenge I've faced so far. It's even harder than begging for upvotes on LinkedIn!
If you want to lead in this AI race, a regular tools directory just won't do the trick. You need something more substantial, something that resonates with the average person, not just the AI enthusiasts. After all, we're nearing the end of the AI hype cycle, and it's time to deliver real, tangible value.
How are you doing today and what does the future look like?
I offer sponsorship plans that include both World of AI and aitools.fyi. Currently, these plans bring in monthly revenue of $6000. We're averaging about 150K page views per month.
However, the AI hype cycle is on a decline, and even big players like ChatGPT are seeing a drop in site traffic! We'll inevitably lose some of our audience in the near future, but we're cooking up something exciting in the background that will keep us at the forefront of the AI race.
A simple tools directory won't be enough in the long run, so we're planning to add many more features and sections. These will be geared towards teaching users how to build things using AI, and I believe that's where we'll shine. There's more in the pipeline that I can't reveal just yet, but stay tuned!
If you want to profit, build a boring B2B. If you want funding, build a sexy B2B. If you want fun and satisfaction, build B2C. It's like choosing an outfit - pick what suits the occasion!
Through starting the business, have you learned anything particularly helpful or advantageous?
Over the past few years, I've learned a great deal about building an online business. Here are some key takeaways from my journey:
Don't wait for the "right" time or the "right" project - just keep building. Practice makes perfect, and building businesses should become second nature to you.
Don't get stuck on localhost. The best time to launch is tonight, so start building in the morning and make sure you're live by night.
Don't fall in love with your idea. If your goal is to run a profitable business, you need to be practical and detach yourself from the emotion of liking your product too much. If an idea doesn't work, just move on to the next one.
When you're building your first business, go with the simplest, tried-and-tested idea. Follow at least two people who have already succeeded with the same business model. While a few people might strike gold with their first business, most of us should stick to simple stuff to learn the ropes and then move on to our dream project on the second try.
Don't do things half-heartedly. Choose the entrepreneurial path only if you're ready to commit to it fully. People who have a backup job in case their business fails are more likely to fail because their survival instinct won't be as strong as someone who doesn't have a safety net. If you're going to be an entrepreneur, be prepared to die as an entrepreneur.
What platform/tools do you use for your business?
World of AI operates on Beehiiv, and that's the only tool I'm using to manage my newsletter, aside from ChatGPT, which I use for content assistance. As for aitools.fyi, it's built with a tech stack that includes NextJS, TailwindCSS, and Supabase. I use Splitbee for analytics, and the site is deployed on Vercel. The blog on aitools.fyi is powered by a headless CMS called Hygraph.
What have been the most influential books, podcasts, or other resources?
When it comes to business podcasts, there's only one that has my attention - "My First Million" by Sam & Shan. I'm usually swamped with work and don't have a lot of time for podcasts. Plus, in my downtime, I lean more toward comedy than serious stuff.
But I've learned a ton from this podcast. I'm a certified "Manifest Cowboy" and not a fan of small boi stuff. The way Sam and Shan break down businesses and brainstorm ideas is simply mind-blowing. If you haven't tuned in yet, hit pause on my interview and go subscribe to them first.
As for books, I haven't read a single one in my life, and I don't think I ever will. I'm just too much of a Gen Z to deal with books and paper and all that. Instead, I draw inspiration from following incredible Indie Hackers on Twitter.
The Build in Public movement on Twitter isn't as vibrant as it used to be, but you can still unearth deep insights into any business you're interested in if you follow the right people(like me @imrishit98).
Advice for other entrepreneurs who want to get started or are just starting out?
Launch fast, fail faster, learn fastest. It's the entrepreneurial version of "Ready, Set, Go!"
No matter what website or app you create, always collect email addresses. It's like hoarding gold in the digital world.
If you want to profit, build a boring B2B. If you want funding, build a sexy B2B. If you want fun and satisfaction, build B2C. It's like choosing an outfit - pick what suits the occasion!
Share your journey online and build your community. When AI takes over, the only thing left will be a community. It's like stocking up on canned food for the apocalypse, but much more fun.
Always check your zipper before going on stage. Because, well, you just never know!
Where can we go to learn more?
If you have any questions or comments, drop a comment below!
- 4,818 founder case studies
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- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
