Hey everyone,

Welcome to the next issue of the SaaS Hill - a weekly newsletter, where SaaSy people get better at SaaS, tech trends and tools in 5 munites or less.

Let's discuss Newsletters 📰.

⭐️️ Intro

In this edition, we dive into the trend of newsletters and their growing popularity.

It's hard to ignore the surge of cool niche newsletters emerging across various industries.

In my opinion, this trend can be attributed to three key factors.

Firstly, the rise of the creator economy, where individuals are leveraging their unique skills and talents to build thriving businesses and communities.

Secondly, people's increasing desire for insightful content crafted by domain experts, rather than generic SEO or marketing-driven pieces.

Lastly, newsletters have become a frontier for forward-thinking individuals, serving as a platform for non-obvious, hands-on ideas.

Likely, these are the reasons why Lenny Rachitsky was able to grow his newsletter to 400K subscribers in less than 4 years

Here is what we will discuss today:

• 11 predictions about Newsletters

• 14 products in this category

• 10 useful tools in this category

• 3 trend charts

• 7 newsletter marketplaces

• 6 experts to follow

• 5 useful links

• 3 related trend reports

🤔 Predictions

1. Newsletters are experiencing a renaissance, with continued growth fueled by the rise of the creators economy, the increasing number of people joining the internet and embracing email as a communication channel.

2. The newsletter trend will be further strengthened by other SaaS trends, including the rise of the creator economy, solopreneurship, building in public, and communities.

3. Niche newsletters will play a significant role in this trend. For example, even within broad topics like Product-Led Growth, there are compelling newsletters that focus on specific aspects of PLG such as pricing, monetization, growth strategies and PLG marketing. This specialization allows content creators to cater to specific interests and provide valuable insights to their niche audience.

4. We can expect to see a rise of newsletter platforms designed specifically for creators. Platforms like Substack, Beehiiv, and ConvertKit have already gained popularity by providing tools and features tailored to the needs of content creators, making it easier for them to launch and manage their newsletters.

5. Content creators will diversify their income sources by exploring additional paths, such as offering courses, providing consulting services, publishing ebooks, and more. For instance, Justin Welsh, who successfully runs a newsletter with over 100,000 subscribers, also offers courses (LinkedIn OS, Content OS), free guides, consulting services.

6. Building an audience is a big challenge in managing newsletters. To address this, platforms like Beehiiv and Substack have introduced recommendation engines and audience-building features to assist content creators in growing their subscriber base:

   1. Substack Recommendations

   2. Beehiiv Recommendations

   3. ConvertKit Creator Network

7. As newsletters continue to grow in popularity, we can expect to see more tools like Stoop and Meco emerging in the market. These dedicated apps allow users to read and manage all their newsletters in one place, making it easier to stay up-to-date and organized.

8. Interactive elements will be integrated into newsletters to enhance reader engagement. Content creators will incorporate features such as surveys, quizzes, polls, and interactive media to create an immersive and interactive experiences.

9. Monetization strategies for newsletters will continue to evolve. While advertising and sponsorships will remain popular, content creators will explore additional revenue streams such as paid subscriptions, exclusive content offerings, merchandise sales, and strategic partnerships with brands.

10. The rise of newsletters will be an opportunity for SaaS companies. SaaS companies can access the engaged audiences of content creators and connect with qualified prospects by sponsoring newsletters or purchasing ads. For example, Aircall Generated 2,000+ Leads with Paved.

11. SaaS companies will recognize the potential of newsletters and will launch niche newsletters as part of their SaaS media company or community strategy. These newsletters will focus on specific topics related to their industry or target audience, providing in-depth insights, expert advice, and relevant updates:

    1. Toplyne launched Top of The Lyne

    2. Calixa launched High Intent

    3. Mutiny launched a newsletter for B2B marketers

    4. Close launched Sales Brief

🏢 Products

📧 Newsletter Platforms

1. Ghost > Turn your audience into a business

2. podia > Your website. Your products. Your community

3. beehiiv > The newsletter platform built for growth

4. Substack > The subscription network for independent writers and creators

5. Buttondown > Newsletter software for people like you

6. ConvertKit > The go-to marketing hub for creators that helps you grow and monetize your audience with ease

7. MailerLite > Create email marketing your audience will love

8. Memberful > Membership software for independent creators

📱 Newsletter Readers

1. Stoop > Like a podcast app, but for newsletters

2. Readwise > Save everything to one place, highlight like a pro, and replace several apps

3. Meco > An inbox designed for reading newsletters

4. Rune > Read your favourite newsletters from one dedicated space

5. Big News > Blend your newsletters and feeds together into one experience

6. Newsletterss > The newsletter reader

🧩 Tools

1. Readsom > Discover content you’ll want to read

2. Inbox Word > The great of this generation is happening in newsletters

3. Letter List > Discover amazing email newsletters

4. Newsletter Directory > Find the best newsletters to read, cross-promote, and sponsor

5. SponsorLeads > Find new sponsors for your newsletter

6. Newsletter Spy > Gain valuable insights into the performance of over 100,000 newsletters

7. Feedletter > Simple, zero-friction feedback tool for newsletters & websites

8. Hoppy Copy > Write high-converting emails, 10x faster

9. Milled > Find sales, deals, coupons, and discount codes from 105k+ brands and retailers

10. Refind > We analyze articles and send you only the best, tailored to your interests

📈 Trend Chart

Number of e-mail users worldwide from 2017 to 2025 (Source: Statista)

In November 2021, Substack announced over 1 million paid subscriptions to publications.

👔 Services

🤝 Marketplaces

• Paved > Discover newsletters that fit your ICP and launch newsletter sponsorships

• hecto > Reach your target market, through trusted newsletters

• Sponsorgap > Where newsletter and website creators find their next sponsor

• LetterHunt > Discover thousands of niche newsletters and their creators

• Swapstack > Drive growth with newsletter sponsorships at scale

• Sponsor This Newsletter > The database with newsletters ready to promote your product

• Reletter > Find, contact and get featured in newsletters

📖 Experts to Follow

1. Justin Welsh > writes The Saturday Soloprenuer (100K subscribers)

2. Devin Reed > writes The Reeder (10K subscribers)

3. easlo > writes The Notion Club (22K subscribers)

4. Kyle Poyar > writes Kyle Poyar's Growth Unhinged (24K subscribers)

5. Lenny Rachitsky > writes Lenny's Newsletter (417K subscribers)

6. Alex Lieberman > cofounder at Morning Brew (6 mln subscribers)

🔗 Useful Links

1. Newsletter Wizard > Organize, manage and write your Newsletters 2x faster

2. Newletter OS > Master the art of creating & running a newsletter

3. The Newsletter Booster > A simple system to get newsletter subscribers in 5 minutes a day

4. Substack vs Medium > Comparing Medium and Substack as online publishing platforms

5. The Rebirth of Newsletters: Growing Your Mailing List With Exclusive Content

🐦️ Twitter Thread

Justin Welsh on creators economy

🤝 Related SaaS Trends

1. 🏔 Creator Economy > raise of small businesses built by self-employed creators

2. 🏔️ Solopreneurship > start and run your business independently

3. 🏔 Building in Public > sharing journey leads to growth opportunities

Thanks for reading. See you next time 👋

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