Most people overcomplicate online business.
They think they need:
A huge social following
A complicated funnel
A big course or product catalog
Paid ads and a massive budget
But there’s a much simpler path:
Build a focused email newsletter that solves a specific problem for a specific group of people… and monetize the attention.
This is how solo creators, small teams, and even complete beginners are building $5k–$20k/month income streams that are:
Low overhead
Platform independent
Highly profitable
Very “sellable” as assets later
Let’s walk through a realistic, step-by-step plan to go from nothing → a $20k/month newsletter business.
STEP 1 — Choose a Niche With Money and Pain
You don’t need a clever brand first.
You need a valuable promise.
Ask:
Who do I want to help?
Side hustlers
Small business owners
Busy professionals
Creators
Investors
Local business owners
What outcome do they really want?
More clients
More revenue
Better marketing
Better systems
Better money habits
How can I tie this to money?
If your newsletter helps them:Make money
Save money
Grow money
…you can charge more for sponsorships, ads, and products.
Examples:
“The Weekend Hustler” — weekly side hustle breakdowns for 9–5 workers
“Local Lead Boost” — marketing ideas for local service businesses
“Tax & Tactics” — smart tax and money moves for small business owners
“Creator Profit Playbook” — monetization ideas for YouTubers & TikTokers
You don’t need a full website on day one.
Use:
A newsletter platform (Substack, beehiiv, ConvertKit, MailerLite, etc.)
A simple landing page with:
Clear headline (who it’s for + benefit)
1–2 sentences of promise
Email opt-in box
Optional bullet list of what they’ll get
Example opt-in copy:
“Actionable ideas to make, save, and grow your money — in 5 minutes or less, a few times per week.”
Set up:
Welcome email (what to expect, who you are, 1 quick win)
From name that feels human (e.g., “Ben at Freedom Formula”)
Send schedule (2–3 times per week is a great starting point)
STEP 3 — Create a Simple Content System
You don’t need to be a genius writer.
You need a consistent format.
Some proven newsletter formats:
“3 Ideas”
3 short tips, resources, or plays per issue.“Deep Dive”
One big breakdown per week (case study, system, playbook).“Curated + Original”
A main article + links, tools, and commentary.“Play of the Week”
One highly actionable step with examples.
For your brand, you could frame it like:
“This week’s Freedom Formula Play:”
Save Money • Make Money • Grow Money angle on one topic.
Content sources:
Your own experience
YouTube videos (summarized in your own words)
Books, podcasts, and case studies
Tools and templates you actually use
STEP 4 — Get Your First 100 Subscribers
Before $20k/month, focus on:
First 100 people who genuinely care about the topic.
Places to get them:
Your personal social media (X, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn)
A simple CTA in your YouTube descriptions
Friends / colleagues in the same niche
Facebook or Reddit communities (by sharing value first)
Adding a “PS: Join my newsletter” to your email signature
One-liner pitch:
“I send 2–3 short emails per week with specific ways to save money, make money, and grow money online. Want me to send them to you?”
STEP 5 — Grow From 100 → 1,000 Subscribers
Once you’ve proven people enjoy your emails, you scale.
Growth levers:
1. Lead magnets
Give away something valuable in exchange for the opt-in:
Cheat sheet
PDF guide
Spreadsheet
Email template bundle
“Starter playbook”
Example:
“Get my ‘$1k/Month Online Starter Pack’ — 10 actual side hustle ideas plus tools and scripts.”
2. Cross-promotions
Swap mentions with:
Other newsletters
Small creators in related niches
Podcasters / YouTubers
You promote them, they promote you.
Turn your newsletter ideas into:
Short tweets / threads
Carousels
Reels / Shorts
Video clips
Every post contains a CTA back to your newsletter.
STEP 6 — Monetize at Each Stage
Here’s a realistic revenue ladder.
Stage 1 — 0 to 500 subscribers
Focus: Learn + engage.
Monetization: minimal.
Soft affiliate links to tools you genuinely use
Occasional “partner mention”
You might make a few hundred per month here — but the real asset is data:
What do people click? What do they reply to?
Stage 2 — 500 to 2,000 subscribers
Now sponsors and affiliates get interesting.
Monetization ideas:
Feature a relevant tool with an affiliate link
Place a small sponsor block (“This issue is supported by…”)
Offer a low-ticket product ($7–$49)
Templates
Notion dashboards
Spreadsheet tools
Mini-courses
Workbooks
At this stage, $500–$2,000/month is very doable.
Stage 3 — 2,000 to 10,000+ subscribers
Now you have leverage.
Monetization levels:
Sponsors
Charge for placements:$150–$750 per issue (or more, depending on niche and engagement)
Affiliate offers
High-ticket affiliate programs (software, education, tools).Your own offers
Courses
Group programs
Membership / community
1:1 or group coaching
Done-with-you services
This is where $5k–$20k/month becomes realistic:
A few sponsors per month +
steady affiliate income +
one or two of your own offers.
STEP 7 — Track What Actually Drives Revenue
You don’t need complicated analytics — just watch:
Open rates (is your subject line good?)
Click rates (are your CTAs compelling?)
Replies (are people engaged?)
Revenue per send (how much did that email make?)
Ask yourself:
“If I could only send ONE email per week, which TYPE of email makes the most money and gets the best feedback?”
Send more of that.
STEP 8 — Freedom Formula Angle
Email newsletters fit your brand perfectly because they touch all three pillars:
Save Money
You own the audience. No ad spend required to “reach your people.”Make Money
Sponsors, affiliates, and offers turn attention into recurring monthly income.Grow Money
A profitable, engaged newsletter list is an ASSET.
Over time, it can become something you could sell, scale, or bolt onto other businesses.
Freedom Formula Mindset:
“Don’t just chase followers. Build an email list that pays you every time you hit ‘send’.”
