23 Email Newsletter Business Success Stories [2024]
Struggling to make the most of your writing talents? Consider starting an email newsletter business. An email newsletter business involves curating, creating, and distributing niche-specific content to a targeted audience through email.
Imagine being the go-to source for engaged readers who eagerly await your content, offering valuable insights, advice, or entertainment. You'll need to consistently produce high-quality content and market your newsletter effectively to build a subscriber base.
From exploring affiliates to paid subscriptions, monetization can become a steady revenue stream. Your ability to engage readers will be key, so think about what unique perspective you can offer. It's an effective way to harness your writing skills and entrepreneurial spirit.
In this list, you'll find real-world email newsletter business success stories and very profitable examples of starting a email newsletter business that makes money.
1. 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.
2. Flodesk ($25M/year)
Martha Bitar, Rebecca Shostak, and Trong Dong envisioned Flodesk out of a mutual frustration with existing email marketing tools that were either too complex or didn't support beautiful designs. Martha noticed small business owners struggled with current platforms while working at HoneyBook, and Rebecca's template business faced continuous issues as customers found it difficult to implement aesthetic email designs on platforms like MailChimp. Realizing they were addressing an underappreciated gap, they conducted numerous customer interviews to validate this pain point.
During development, they closely engaged with their target audience of creatives and small business owners, refining their product based on direct feedback. This approach allowed them to ensure they were genuinely solving the right problems and building a user-friendly platform. A challenge they faced was balancing development with their full-time jobs and bootstrapped resources, but their early focus on customer interviews and prototype testing helped them persist. Their key lesson was the importance of deeply understanding their audience's needs before writing any code, ensuring a product-market fit from the start.
How much money it makes: $25M/year
How many people on the team: 49
Flodesk, co-founded by Martha Bitar, skyrocketed to over $25 million in annual recurring revenue by solving small businesses' email marketing woes through flat-rate pricing, user-friendly templates, and an effective referral program, reaching 5,000 paying customers within months.
3. 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.
4. Tetra ($2.4M/year)
Phil Rivers, an email marketer, started Tetra in 2019 as a one-man shop with $5k/month in revenue. He focused on email marketing for e-commerce businesses and grew Tetra to a team of 15 with $200k MRR and over $200,000,000 in sales generated for clients.
How much money it makes: $2.4M/year
How much did it cost to start: $500
How many people on the team: 11
In this case study, learn how an aspiring entrepreneur turned a one-man email marketing shop into a thriving agency, netting $200k in monthly recurring revenue, and generating over $200 million in client sales by leveraging smart ad strategies and a focused service offering.
5. GreenRope ($1.92M/year)
metrics for our business are our customer satisfaction and retention rates, which remain consistently high. We currently have over 1,000 customers in over 20 countries, ranging from startups to universities and municipalities. Moving forward, we plan to continue evolving and improving our platform to meet the changing needs of businesses and provide even greater value to our customers.
How much money it makes: $1.92M/year
How many people on the team: 15
GreenRope, a self-funded CRM and marketing automation platform with over 1,000 customers in 20 countries, was built organically and focused on creating a positive, customer-centric culture without outside investment, with an all-in-one interface solving challenges in managing sales, marketing, customer service, and operations.
6. 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.
7. Taximail ($1.44M/year)
Phaiboon Trikanjananun, a computer engineer and serial entrepreneur, came up with the idea for Taximail while sitting in his garden in 2012. Drawing on his experience in the digital business, he saw a need for a locally homegrown email marketing platform that could cater to all types of businesses. Today, Taximail serves over 5,000 reputable organizations in Thailand and continues to grow.
How much money it makes: $1.44M/year
How much did it cost to start: $10K
How many people on the team: 60
How a Thailand-based email marketing platform, Taximail, grew to serve over 5,000 organizations in Thailand and generate $3.6 million per year through tailored features, close customer collaboration, and utilizing AWS services.
8. Buttondown ($900K/year)
Justin built Buttondown to scratch his own itch — all of the other email tools he tried were either super-heavy (like Mailchimp or ConvertKit) or wanted to own his entire blogging presence like Medium or Substack. There wasn’t anything that just let him drop in a <form> tag into a blog and automatically send out emails, so he decided to build something just like that on a hunch that other people shared his use case.
How much money it makes: $900K/year
How much did it cost to start: $100
How many people on the team: 1
Buttondown, a newsletter software built by an engineer disillusioned with the complicated and feature-laden email tools available, became a profitable and growing business powering over tens of thousands of customers and adding over $1,000 monthly, all made possible by keeping it simple, surgical, and functional.
9. 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.
10. 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.
11. 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.
12. 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.
13. 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.
14. 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."
15. BowTied Opossum ($72K/year)
BowTiedOpossum is a paid Substack newsletter that provides actionable advice on running digital businesses, helping aspiring entrepreneurs navigate the industry with real-world experience and insights.
Opossum, the founder of BowTiedOpossum, initially started as an anonymous Twitter account providing actionable advice on eCommerce. After gaining a following, he decided to monetize his expertise by launching a paid newsletter on Substack. Within 9 months, he grew the newsletter to $3k in monthly revenue and plans to focus on organic search and link building for future growth.
How much money it makes: $72K/year
How much did it cost to start: $0
How many people on the team: 0
BowTiedOpossum founder shares how he grew his anonymous paid newsletter to $3k per month in 9 months using Twitter as his main acquisition strategy.
16. 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.
17. 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.
18. 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.
19. Afluencer ($24K/year)
Brett Owens, the Founder and Chief Matchmaker at Afluencer, came up with the idea for his business while working on his previous company, LeadDyno. Many prospective LeadDyno customers expressed a need for influencers, which led Owens to start Afluencer and create a two-sided marketplace that connects brands with influencers. Since its launch, Afluencer has seen significant growth, with a 10% monthly increase in influencer and brand users, and a revenue growth of 100% year over year.
How much money it makes: $24K/year
How much did it cost to start: $500K
How many people on the team: 0
Afluencer is a two-sided marketplace that connects brands with influencers and helps influencers, creators, and ambassadors find paid gigs, with 6,500+ active influencer users and 1,000+ brand users yielding 100% YoY revenue growth.
20. 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%.
21. 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.
22. 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.
23. 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.
