What is it?
There's a saying in business...
"all things equal, people buy from friends. So first, make things equal... then go make lots of friends!"
Well – as a newsletter operator — you've already made a lot of friends (your subscribers).
And given the choice between buying a product from you vs an equal product from some random brand on the internet, they'll choose you every time.
So get inspired by products (digital and physical) that would be a good fit for your audience and brand... and then create them for your audience!
The Good and the Bad
- Scales better than services or coaching.
- You have full control over pricing.
- Better margins than affiliate.
- Physical products require shipping.
- Dealing with returns.
- Time to develop the product.
Examples to Steal
James Clear is the author of the best-selling productivity book Atomic Habits. It’s wildly popular, and the main ways people discover his newsletter.
James chose to monetize his list by selling associated products like habit journals and a luxury pen engraved with quotes from the book.
Each pen costs $65, while the journal is $25.
The most clever part is that he recognizes that journals are consumable, and offers a 15% if you opt for a recurring subscription.
Tori's newsletter is all about dogs. She keeps her 4,500 subscribers up to date with tips on how best to care for their pets.
As part of her monetization strategy, she offers a variety of products designed to canine welfare. Like this fun activity pack:
She's offering something with a clear benefit that her audience is proven to want - and making a living in the process.
Here's a great example of monetizing with physical products.
Sam Ryan is a super-talented artist, monetizing by promoting his paintings to his 25,000-strong email newsletter.
He shares behind-the-scenes tips of how he creates his masterpieces - and once folks are on the hook, starts to hype up his "print drops".
By the time he releases, he has a bunch of people ready and waiting to hit "buy".
