Monetizing Email Newsletters – A Guide for Bloggers and Publishers

Let’s get frank for a second here. If you’re running a newsletter or email list, you want it to be profitable. That’s why you’re here to learn more about monetizing email newsletters.

The good news is that there are a lot of ways to monetize your email list and newsletters. The bad news is that there are too many ways to monetize your emails.

The abundant choice is actually also a downside. This is because it can be quite difficult to decide on a monetization scheme. How do you decide where to invest your energy and efforts?

Fortunately, this article will give you some great advice and recommendations on keeping it simple. We only cover the methods that are well-proven to work for any email list owner. Let’s dive in.

Affiliate Marketing

Chances are, you’ve seen people praising affiliate marketing everywhere you look. Some authors even make it seem like affiliate marketing is the only right way to monetize.

The reality is a bit more nuanced of course. An optimal monetization strategy will always include elements of affiliate marketing. This much is true.

However, it isn’t true that affiliate marketing is the only right way to monetize. Or that those other methods are a “waste of time”. An optimal strategy will combine the best monetization methods in one synergistic plan.

With that said, affiliate marketing is one of the fastest ways to start making profits. The other quickest way is implementing intelligent and “done-for-you” advertising systems. But more on that later.

Charge a Subscription

Do you have a highly engaged list? Are your readers eagerly reading your emails and clicking the links you recommend? If this is the case, congratulations on doing a good job. You have a great foundation for every monetization method on this list.

Furthermore, you have fulfilled the main criteria for the method I’m about to share with you. Consider selling your readers on an upgrade. If your readers are loving your newsletter, they might just be willing to pay to get more of your stuff.

This will depend on the niche and type of newsletter, though. This makes more sense in certain industries than others. A newsletter with professional information for highly-paid industry professionals is a good example.

If you’re sharing industry news and tips that affect the reader’s earnings, they value your newsletter in a different way. They might just be willing to pay for the privilege of getting more of your good stuff. Some examples include newsletters that target lawyers, medical specialists or stock traders.

Whatever your industry or niche, however, it’s worth considering this option. Also, don’t hesitate to test the waters. Perhaps send a portion of your readership a teaser. Ask them if they are at all interested in a paid subscription upgrade.

Advertise Services

If you offer any services, you’ve probably already advertised them in your newsletter. However, chances are you’re not doing it as well as you could.

If you have a good list and well-priced services, you can monetize the list quite well. If both your list and services are good, but readers rarely buy them – you’ve got work to do.

Many people have an issue with selling themselves. They find it way easier to sell someone else’s product than advertising their own service. So they minimize and “stay small”. They don’t want to be pushy with the reader and “bother them” too much with pitching their own service.

There is a simple solution to that. Don’t think of it as a pitch, think of it as “providing value”. Think of it as an upgrade. You know they get value from your newsletters. If they didn’t they would have unsubscribed.

But you have so much more value you can give inside of a service. Your goal is to help the reader understand how they can get even more value from your services.

And if you have no services of your own?

Consider if there is an easy way to create a service that’s highly profitable. This will depend on your niche and your skills. And consider this, not everyone has to bite. It should be just one of several monetization strategies you’re using.

Perhaps you can only offer a service that only applies to a small portion of your readers. That’s ok, do it anyway. Your service doesn’t have to be attractive to the entire list.

If the return on investment is there, and you get more by providing the service than you put in – it’s all well worth it. The rest of your list will still get monetized from the other monetization methods.

Sell Advertising Space

Advertising might just be the easiest way to increase the monetization of your newsletter. It can also be the most difficult way to monetize. Why the difference? It depends on how you go about it.

If you try to handle it all on your own, this will take a lot of time and effort. You will have to contact potential advertisers, spend time negotiating and so much more.

Further, most advertisers won’t even bother with your list if it isn’t big enough. You will have a hard time convincing them to put an ad. You might even be asked to create the actual ads for them or spend time testing ad placements.

Let’s get real for a second. Advertising will rarely be enough to achieve “as much monetization as possible”. But an optimal monetization strategy will always include some advertising. In fact, it would make no sense to let that newsletter space go to waste. It is like letting “free money” go to waste.

The biggest advantage of selling ads is that you can start seeing immediate monetization. You don’t have to build a service, you don’t have to create products. If your newsletters are getting views, you can instantly convert that to revenue.

Monetizing email newsletters can be easy – Let Admailr help you

Monetization can be really easy if you let us help you. Why waste time in trying to find what works. When you sign up (it’s free) we review your newsletter and find the best way to monetize it.

We’ll identify the best spots to place ads on, and identify the best advertisers. Don’t worry, though, you still get to choose which ads can and can’t appear in your newsletter.

Our technology automatically handles the rest. After a quick setup with your ESP, it all runs smoothly. Your newsletter displays the ads, your profits increase.

Go ahead, Sign Up now, and start monetizing your newsletter. If you have any additional questions, hit up the FAQ or contact us at any time.