Run your newsletter like a restaurant
Build your online business with an offline mindset
Are a newsletter and a restaurant really that different?
The channels and tools we use to run a business change, but the rules governing human psychology don’t.
As newsletter creators, we primarily operate in an online world. This sometimes creates the illusion that we need to reinvent the wheel to run our business.
The truth is that the online world has drawn significant inspiration from executions in the offline world.
Leo Askan, the creator of the SaaS Bootstrappers newsletter, shared a great example of how “user/reader testimonials” are applied in a local restaurant.
A restaurant and a newsletter might have completely different business models.
But, when you think about it, their different executions serve the same purposes.
Here are 5 different examples:
Newsletter
Restaurant
1. Understand Your Target Audience
The persona you write for
The persona you serve
2. Make a Positive First Impression
Landing page
Sign and design
3. Welcome Your Visitors in the Best Way Possible
Welcome e-mail & sequence
Welcome sequence with a greeting, showing a table, and presenting a menu.
4. Offer the Best Value
High-quality content
High-quality food
5. Show Proof of Satisfaction
Testimonials on the website
Photos on the wall (as shared above)
As newsletter creators, we are folks who craft content for real people.
No matter how many hours you spend alone in front of a screen, always remember that there are individuals behind other screens reading your work.
Organize offline events to meet your subscribers
Expanding on the above, there is nothing quite like meeting people in person; it remains a powerful way to foster a sense of community spirit.
Even as a newsletter, you can establish a robust and closely-knit online community by tapping into the potential of offline initiatives.
Terrell Johnson is the creator of The Half Marathoner, a newsletter about running with 42,000 subscribers.
Last year, he organized the first subscriber meet-up and ran the Richmond Half Marathon together with a dozen subscribers!
People got on planes or drove hours to come and run this half marathon with him! They had dinner together the night before the race, met at the finish line after, and had a group text going throughout the weekend.
Based on the insights from our interview, here are my takes on how he successfully built his community and organized an offline event:
1. He approaches online community building with an offline mindset.
The role model for his newsletter community is a running group he once belonged to.
As a group of friends, they were meeting every Saturday morning to train for a half marathon, catching up while training and concluding the sessions with breakfast or coffee.
“That’s the atmosphere and attitude I try to bring to The Half Marathoner, I think – I just like connecting with all the people who’ve signed up and who share their stories in the comments.
It truly is amazing what so many of them have been through and go through, and that they’re willing to share it with me makes me feel incredibly honored. There are days when I feel like this is my life’s work.“
Terrell Johnson
2. He has a “we approach” rather than a “I” approach.
He adopts an inclusive approach from the beginning and sees each subscriber as an active contributor to the community.
“I should actually say the community we’ve built, as I think the subscribers are equally co-creators of it with me.”
Terrell Johnson
3. He successfully combines online and offline efforts.
He didn’t organize an offline event directly.
He has already been building a community spirit with Open Threads on Fridays and Strava Club for paid subscribers where the subscribers not only interact with him but also with each other.
It is a smart move to organize an offline gathering afterward.
“Hearing your stories and getting to know each of you a little bit better was the highlight of the trip for me — we all laughed together when someone said, “it’s great to know there’s a real person on the other end when I write in — that you’re not a bot!”
Terrell Johnson
4. Despite being a bit nervous about whether people like him, he went for it.
It might be scary to meet your readers after being involved in an asynchronous online relationship with them for a long time.
But, this didn’t stop Terrell from getting out of his comfort zone.
“Honestly, I was a little nervous going into it; the subscribers and I who met up had really only connected through the newsletter comments, so what if they didn’t like me, you know?
But every single person who came was absolutely delightful, and I had a ball meeting them and getting to know them better.“
Terrell Johnson
💡 Food for thought: The events you organize for your subscribers could also be the source of revenue after a while with sponsors.
The Half Marathoner by Terrell Johnson
"There are days when I feel like this is my life’s work.“
Offline events you can meet newsletter creators
In addition to meeting subscribers, it is crucial to connect with other creators from the space.
Luckily, we have been witnessing the emergence of exciting offline events designed to provide a platform where newsletter creators can meet in person.
📣 Content Entrepreneur Expo, organized by The Tilt, is one of the most exciting events in the space you should consider attending if you have the chance.
500+ content entrepreneurs will meet between May 5- 7, 2024, in Cleveland, Ohio, for networking and learning to grow a content-first business without relying on social media.
There are great speakers such as Justin Moore, Kate Ertmann and Justin Welsh.
I’m thrilled to be a media partner of CEX event with Newsletter Circle.
You can use the CIRCLE100 code to get a $100 off special for you.
Another exciting event is Dine and Deliver, which is the private dinner series for newsletter operators co-hosted by Inbox Collective and Who Sponsors Stuff since last year.
These roundtable meet-ups for newsletter creators are great opportunities for creators who can make it in the USA.
They keep the capacity at 20 people, so hurry up!
Comments on Dine & Deliver series
I genuinely hope to see more events like these not only in the USA but also in other parts of the world.
That’s all for today.
See you on Sunday with another exciting interview.
Ciler
ICYMI - The Latest Newsletter Circle Interviews
1440 by Tim Huelskamp & Andrew Steigerwald - Part 2
“This is a retention and unit-economics business, and if you don’t delight (and retain) the user, you’re toast."
Number of Subscribers: 3.3+ Million
1440 by Tim Huelskamp & Andrew Steigerwald - Part 1
“We started by sending a minimum viable product (MVP) to 78 friends and family. We ourselves had the pain point, but we wanted to confirm others also craved the service."
Number of Subscribers: 3.3+ Million
7 Biggest Challenges Newsletter Operators Face
34 newsletter creators shared what they struggle with the most
👉 Do you want to reach 2,000 newsletter creators & enthusiasts?
That’s all for today. Thanks for reading.
See you next week.
Ciler
📌 P.S. I’ve switched from Substack over to Beehiiv (here). But don’t worry; you don’t need to do anything; I will manually add you to my Beehiiv list if you subscribe here. This is just for you to know :)
And don’t worry; you will receive the new issues only from “cilerdemiralp.beehiiv.com”, no duplications.