Why I'm Changing My Must-Read Newsletter

Last February I sent my first sponsored newsletter to 8,927 people

Today Why We Buy generates $25,000 each month from sponsorships alone

It’s consistently rated as the must-read newsletter for marketers

So why am I changing it?

— Katelyn Bourgoin (@KateBour) June 22, 2023

Here’s the thing...

Newsletters are sexy right now@ShaanVP built and sold Milk Road in <1 year for (a rumored) 8-figures

My friend @brettchang just announced @readthepeak was acquired for $5M

From the outside it looks tasty as hell but inside it’s a different story...

— Katelyn Bourgoin (@KateBour) June 22, 2023

There’s a lot changing in the newsletter world

New pay-to-play channels mean getting new subscribers has never been easier

And as new, well-funded competitors keep popping up... competition for readers (and limited sponsorship dollars) is heating up

One thing is clear:

— Katelyn Bourgoin (@KateBour) June 22, 2023

Inboxes are getting verrrrrry crowded

But getting new subscribers is just the first part

Your newsletter needs to deliver outstanding value if you wanna continually *earn an open* from readers

Here’s my 4-step plan to do that:

— Katelyn Bourgoin (@KateBour) June 22, 2023

Step 1: Overdeliver to earn those precious first few opens

People decide very quickly whether a newsletter is worth regularly opening or not

First impressions count—you’ve gotta wow them to prove you deserve their attention

We’re already doing some smart stuff like...

— Katelyn Bourgoin (@KateBour) June 22, 2023

We surprise new signups with a special gift 🎁

I won’t reveal what it is so I don’t ruin the surprise for those who haven’t joined it, but it’s pretty great

(Anh actually printed it out and hung it on her wall)

We’re doing well but I wanna up the delight-factor even more... pic.twitter.com/7lcAiWWTfX

— Katelyn Bourgoin (@KateBour) June 22, 2023

I’m mapping out a more personalized welcome sequence

We want to help readers get a quick win that sets the tone for what to expect from us going forward

They should anticipate immense value each time they see my name in their inbox

As @annhandley says: https://t.co/5lWeXRxFNy

— Katelyn Bourgoin (@KateBour) June 22, 2023

Step 2: Don’t be “better”—be their favorite

Since starting Why We Buy three years ago a few copycats have popped up

We can’t compete with just “better” content (content is quickly becoming commodity)

We’ve gotta win their hearts

That means winning on brand...

— Katelyn Bourgoin (@KateBour) June 22, 2023

It may sound woo-woo... but your vibe attracts your tribe

There are other folks who talk about science-backed marketing & behavioral economics (or “buyer psychology” as I call it)

But at Why We Buy we’re obsessed with making it FUN

On that note, meet Benji

Our new team mascot pic.twitter.com/AFs5nXOMVF

— Katelyn Bourgoin (@KateBour) June 22, 2023

Benji is cute but fun graphics won’t build a beloved brand

The best brands are customer obsessed

You need to choose who you serve—and who you *don’t*—and seek to deeply understand that customer so you can deliver unique value they don’t even know to ask for

On that note...

— Katelyn Bourgoin (@KateBour) June 22, 2023

Step 3: Help our readers get their “jobs” done

I’m a big nerd for jobs-to-be-done (aka JTBD)

People don’t buy stuff because of *who* they are

They buy because they want to make progress but there are obstacles in their way... pic.twitter.com/A3Mrobwu1M

— Katelyn Bourgoin (@KateBour) June 22, 2023

People “hire” different solutions to help get their jobs done

When you deeply understand the “job” a customer wants to get done—including what they’re using today and all the functional, social & emotional dimensions—you can design better solutions

So you may be wondering... pic.twitter.com/xzFJmgzyNn

— Katelyn Bourgoin (@KateBour) June 22, 2023

Why would someone “hire” a newsletter?

Through audience research I’ve identified 4 unique “jobs” people “hire” the Why We Buy newsletter to do for them

I won’t reveal them all now (gotta stay 10 steps ahead of the copycats) but I’ll share one with you...

— Katelyn Bourgoin (@KateBour) June 22, 2023

Many marketers “hire” Why We Buy with one specific “job” in mind

The job:

“Help me to look like a smart marketer to my clients/team”

How can Why We Buy do more to help our readers to “look smart”?

The ideas are endless...

— Katelyn Bourgoin (@KateBour) June 22, 2023

One way we can help is by embedding brainy tweet ideas directly in Why We Buy (like this one)

In just one click, they have a clever tweet ready to go

Sharing tips like this helps our readers to look smart AND build their social media following—a bonus! pic.twitter.com/nS4yk6Dl5R

— Katelyn Bourgoin (@KateBour) June 22, 2023

What’s another way we can help readers look smart?

We can partner with brands we know they’ll love and offer exclusive deals or opportunities they can’t get anywhere else

Think early access to new tools still in private beta or VIP tickets to top marketing events

— Katelyn Bourgoin (@KateBour) June 22, 2023

Pssst: does your business target smart marketers and entrepreneurs?

Do you wanna reach 50,000 of them through someone they trust and wow them with a special offer?

We should talk

See the link in my bio for info: @katebour 👀

Ok, as I was saying... pic.twitter.com/2bhyn0VXzy

— Katelyn Bourgoin (@KateBour) June 22, 2023

Helping our readers to look smart is just one “job” they want to get done

We’ve identified 3 other jobs and we’re actively working on new solutions our readers will love

(Look for more exciting announcements to come)

— Katelyn Bourgoin (@KateBour) June 22, 2023

Step 4: Scale reader growth

Why We Buy has largely grown through word-of-mouth

That’s possible because we built something people genuinely love

Now it’s time to pour gas on the flames

I’m excited to invest in paid growth and really blow it up 🔥🔥🔥

— Katelyn Bourgoin (@KateBour) June 22, 2023

So you may be wondering

Is it too late to get into the newsletter business?

Definitely not

But as the barriers to entry go down, the bar of what it takes to succeed will be raised

Attention spans are limited

You can’t buy attention—you need to *earn* it

(And we intend to)

— Katelyn Bourgoin (@KateBour) June 22, 2023

P.S. would you like to learn more about jobs-to-be- done?

I’ve got a free resource to get you started

If I’d had this resource back when I was building my tech startup, it may not have failed

I’d love to share it with you

Like this post and comment 🧠 & I'll send it your way

— Katelyn Bourgoin (@KateBour) June 22, 2023