Monetizing Your Email List: 4 Ideas (That Aren't a Paid Newsletter Subscription)
Starting a paid newsletter is awesome if you love to write, and have the time to keep up with it. But despite all the love newsletter platforms like Substack and Revue get, a paid newsletter isn’t the best business model for everyone. (Putting out an email newsletter is a lot of work, y’all.) If it doesn't feel like the right choice for you, there are other ways you can leverage your email list to make money — in a non-sketchy way — and grow your business.
1. Launch an Email-Based Mini Course
A lot of times, we think of coaching sessions as being 1:1 meetings or, as is more common right now, Zoom calls. If you find you express yourself well through the written word, though, you can totally run a mini course through your email. Heck, you could even do a full course through email, if it works for you and your clients. Every email can be its own course module, or you can use the emails to direct subscribers to a lesson landing page.
2. Start a Private Podcast or Video Series
If you have the time (and desire) to create weekly content, but don’t love writing, try turning your “newsletter” into an audio or video format. You can offer your email subscribers paid access to premium content, delivered directly to their inboxes. You can send links to the audio or video content directly in the email, or host it on a password-protected section of your site and send paying subscribers a weekly summary.
3. Sell Your Time
Sure, using marketing emails to sell physical goods or digital products is a known practice. You can leverage this even if you typically don’t engage in online commerce, though. With email, you can offer your consulting time to existing and new subscribers. They already read and appreciate your insights through email, and may be interested in talking to you directly as well! With the help of a service like Calendly, you can provide a linked offer that allows your subscribers to reserve a paid hour of your time.
4. Work With Sponsors
If you don’t want to ask your subscribers for money directly, you could also seek out email sponsors. With a sponsorship arrangement, you may need to commit to sending a specific number of emails with links and/or mentions to the sponsor, but it may be a smaller commitment than that of sending a full weekly newsletter. You’ll need to have a fairly large and engaged email list, though — so keep track of your subscriber list and metrics!
(Side note: depending on where you live, you may need to follow certain rules about disclosing sponsorships. Consulting a lawyer can be a good idea if you’d like to go this route!)
Ultimately, the great thing about email is that it’s flexible. (And, of course, that you own it.) You don’t have to follow one set formula like creating a newsletter or finding sponsors. By focusing on a strong email marketing practice — regardless of the email content strategy you take — you can build trust and loyalty among your subscriber base over time. That’s the real value of email.
To learn more about making the most of your email list, check out the other resources on ouremail marketing blog orschedule a 1:1 call with Shawley Marketing.
