From Zero to 1,000: My Exact Steps to Building a Newsletter Without an Audience

Ever wonder how to grow a newsletter from zero to 1,000 subscribers without an existing audience? Here’s a deep dive into how I did it—with no prior experience and no shortcuts.

What I Created Before Starting (+3 months)

1. A clear problem I wanted to solve: How to get more clients without relying on social.

2. A newsletter on Beehiiv.

3. A landing page.

4. 6-8 prewritten emails that automatically go out upon subscription.

5. A 24-page downloadable guide.

My Commitment

1. To write 3 emails per week, come hell or high water.

2. Avoid judging or changing my strategy until I hit my goal.

My Thesis

If you build a newsletter list of 10k+ subscribers who know the specific problem you solve, you’ll never go hungry again.

Audience Building: From Warm to Cold Leads (+5 months and counting)

I categorized my approach based on the relationship temperature: warm, lukewarm, tepid, and cold.

Warm Leads (+150 Subscribers)

1. 1-3: Me, my wife, and my kid.

2. 2-50: Directly messaging friends and colleagues for support.

3. 50-85: Documenting my build on social media.

4. 85-150: Emailing 200+ people who had bought from me or shown interest in my coaching.

Note: These leads were of the highest quality because they came with compounded trust. Interestingly, I also received feedback from two “negative nancies” who were upset I was emailing them—go figure.

Lukewarm Leads (+180 Subscribers, Total 330)

1. Reached out to anyone I knew who had a podcast, asking if they wanted a guest.

2. Reached out to people with an email list, asking if I could sponsor it.

3. Reached out to anyone with a YouTube channel, asking if I could sponsor it.

Note: These leads were golden due to the high level of transferred trust. A recommendation from a trusted source is incredibly valuable. Out of the 30+ influencers I knew personally, only 3-4 came through. However, from one email and one podcast appearance, I gained over 300 leads.

Tepid Leads (+40 Subscribers, Total 370)

1. Asked for referrals: “Who do you know that has a newsletter, podcast, or YouTube channel?”

Cold Leads

Ads (+3 Subscribers, Total 373)

1. Twitter: My ad account was banned before I even got my first ad up. Frustrating, but it happens. I’ll revisit it if and when it gets reinstated.

2. Meta (Facebook & Instagram): Ran two rounds of ad copy and creative (both still images and video). I spent $600 and got 3 leads. Not a knock on Meta ads, just more testing needed.

Sponsorships (+600 Subscribers, Total 973)

1. Newsletter database searches: Used Passionfoot, LetterGrowth, Beehiiv, Substack, Twitter, LinkedIn to find relevant newsletters.

2. Cold DM: Sent this message to newsletter owners:

3. Think of most sponsorships like classified ads: about 150 characters and a link. Sponsorship costs range from $25 to $5k per post, depending on the publication. Price doesn’t always guarantee leads. I’ve spent $500 on a post and gotten close to nothing, but I’ve also paid $75 and gotten 100+ leads. It’s trial and error, but once you find a publication that works, it’s a gold mine.

3rd Party Referral (+250 Subscribers, Total 1,223)

1. Platforms: Sparkloop, Beehiiv Boost, etc. You’ve likely seen these if you’ve subscribed to enough emails—they’re the “You might also like these newsletters” recommendations. In theory, it’s a great way to predictably add new subscribers at $2-3 per lead. In practice, however, the quality of leads is lower, with lower open rates and engagement.

Unsubscribes (-223 Subscribers, Total 1,000)

Your email list is a living thing. I believe it’s better to have someone either absolutely love you or opt out quickly. Anything in the middle is just wasted space.

Conclusion

On paper, building an audience seems straightforward. But in reality, there were countless days when I didn’t know what to write, when I fixated on unsubscribes, or when a paid sponsorship brought in zero leads.

Uncertainty is tough.

But here’s the truth: you can’t predict which email, ad, or sponsorship will be the winner. It’s a losing bet. My best advice? Release your attachment to the outcome.

Focus only on what you can control—how many DMs you send, how many ads you place, and how many sponsorships you invest in.

So, don’t let the slow days or the occasional unsubscribe discourage you. Each step, no matter how small, brings you closer to a thriving, engaged audience—and the successful business that comes with it.

Keep pushing forward, stay consistent, and most importantly—enjoy the journey.

Cheers,

PS: Want to dive deeper into building an audience without relying on social media? Don’t miss out—grab the free training here.