<p>A lean, high-performing weekly newsletter for entrepreneurs focused on productivity and scaling. Built 100% organically on Substack Notes + Medium, it converts and engages — with near-zero overhead.</p> <p><b>Key highlights:<b></b></b></p> <ul> <li>Price:&nbsp;$5,200 (firm)</li> </ul> <ul> <li>Subscribers:&nbsp;1,600+</li> </ul> <ul> <li>Open rate:&nbsp;49%</li> </ul> <ul> <li>Revenue to date:&nbsp;$3,275 (Sunsama affiliate, ~810 signups)</li> </ul> <ul> <li>Frequency:&nbsp;1 issue / week</li> </ul> <ul> <li>Time to run:&nbsp;~1–2 hours / issue</li> </ul> <ul> <li>Platform:&nbsp;Substack</li> </ul> <ul> <li>Team:&nbsp;Solo operation (I handle everything)</li> </ul> <p><b>Marketing and growth</b></p> <p>Growth has been 100% organic. Most subscribers come directly from Substack, which is becoming the Twitter or Instagram for professionals. I regularly post on Substack Notes — a feature similar to tweets, which brings in steady traffic from their millions of monthly readers. I also promote the newsletter occasionally through my Medium account. No paid ads or external campaigns have been used so far.</p> <p><b>Revenue and profit</b></p> <p>The newsletter has earned over $3,200 through affiliate commissions with almost zero expenses, making it highly profitable. All growth has been organic, so CAC is $0, and retention has been strong with low churn.</p> <p><b>Startup assets<b></b></b></p> <ul> <li>Full email list (1,600+)</li> </ul> <ul> <li>Substack account, archive, branding + logo, domain</li> </ul> <ul> <li>My SOPs for sourcing, drafting, and publishing issues</li> </ul> <ul> <li>Two fully written, optimized issues after sale (handover support)</li> </ul> <ul> <li>Lifetime support via WhatsApp for transition questions</li> </ul> <p><b>Risks</b></p> <p>The main risk is reliance on one affiliate program. I earned most revenue through Sunsama, but when they changed their terms, it impacted my income. The upside: the audience clearly converts. With better affiliate diversification, earnings can grow well beyond current levels.</p> <p><b>Summary</b></p> <p>This newsletter has a loyal, organically grown audience, proven affiliate earnings, and zero-cost operations — all without ads, sponsorships, or paid growth. It’s easy to run, highly profitable, and still untapped in terms of monetization potential. With diversified affiliates or sponsorships, it can scale quickly into a high-ROI digital asset.</p> <p>✅ $3,275 in Annual Revenue</p> <p>✅ 1,600 subscribers</p> <p>✅ Business model: Affiliate</p> <p>✅ Built with Substack</p>