Building Your Audience Before Your Product: The Newsletter-First Approach

Real World Example: How Lenny Rachitsky Built a $500K/year Newsletter Before His Product

In 2019, Lenny Rachitsky left his role as an Airbnb product lead and started a simple newsletter about product management. He didn't begin with a grand product vision - just weekly emails sharing his experience. Through consistent writing and community engagement, he built an audience of over 200,000 subscribers before launching any products. Today, his newsletter generates over $500K annually, and he's launched successful courses and communities built on this foundation.

Why Newsletter-First Works

A newsletter allows you to validate real customer problems and build relationships before investing in product development. It's the ultimate way to practice demand-driven development.

Key Benefits of Starting with a Newsletter

1. Zero technical debt: Unlike building a product first, a newsletter lets you adjust your focus based on subscriber feedback without throwing away code.

2. Direct feedback loop: Every email gives you instant insights into what your audience cares about through open rates, replies, and clicks.

3. Revenue validation: Paid subscribers prove people will pay for your expertise before you build anything.

Building Your Newsletter MVP

Start with these foundational steps:

1. Choose Your Focus

Pick a specific problem space where you have expertise. This could be:

- Technical challenges you've solved

- Industry insights from your experience

- Practical skills you've developed

2. Set Up Your Infrastructure

Keep it simple:

- Use Substack or ConvertKit for email management

- Create a basic landing page explaining your newsletter's value

- Set up analytics to track engagement

3. Create Your Content Strategy

Follow these principles:

- Write consistently (weekly or bi-weekly)

- Share authentic experiences and insights

- Focus on solving specific problems

Validating Your Audience

Use these metrics to gauge interest:

Engagement Signals

- Email open rates above 40%

- Reply rates and quality of responses

- Social shares and forwards

Growth Indicators

- Organic subscriber growth rate

- Word-of-mouth referrals

- Requests for additional content

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

1. Starting too broad: Focus on a specific problem or audience

2. Inconsistent publishing: Set a schedule and stick to it

3. Ignoring subscriber feedback: Every reply is valuable data

Moving from Newsletter to Product

Your newsletter subscribers become your first product users. Here's how to transition:

1. Identify Patterns

Look for:

- Common questions from subscribers

- Requests for deeper content

- Problems mentioned repeatedly

2. Test Product Ideas

- Create mini-products like templates or guides

- Offer paid consulting calls

- Run small workshops

3. Build in Public

Share your product development journey with your subscribers. This creates investment in your success and provides continuous feedback.

Extra Tip: The Power of Consistency

Success with a newsletter-first approach isn't about brilliant insights - it's about showing up consistently. Start small: commit to 12 weeks of regular publishing. This gives you enough time to build momentum and gather meaningful feedback.

Myths and Misconceptions

Myth #1: "I need a huge audience before monetizing"

Reality: A small, engaged audience (100-500 subscribers) can validate your ideas. Share this insight

Myth #2: "Newsletters are oversaturated"

Reality: Specific problems always need better solutions. Share this truth

Assess Your Newsletter Readiness

Rate yourself on these criteria (1-5):

• I have specific expertise to share: ___
• I can commit to regular writing: ___
• I have identified a specific audience: ___
• I'm willing to engage with subscribers: ___
• I can provide unique insights: ___

Score 20+ points? You're ready to start your newsletter journey.

Next Steps

1. Define your newsletter's focus this week

2. Set up your basic infrastructure

3. Write your first four emails before launching

4. Share your journey with our community

Join Our Community

Ready to start your newsletter journey? Join our community of indie hackers at BetrTesters X Community where you can share your progress and get feedback from others on the same path.

List your newsletter MVP on BetrTesters to get early subscribers and valuable feedback from fellow indie hackers who understand the journey.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long should I run my newsletter before building a product?

Focus on reaching 100 engaged subscribers who regularly open and reply to your emails. This typically takes 3-6 months of consistent publishing. The key metric isn't time - it's engagement and feedback quality.

What if my first newsletter topics don't resonate?

This is valuable data! Track which emails get the most engagement and adjust your focus. Your initial assumptions about what people want might be wrong, and that's okay. Better to learn this with a newsletter than after building a product.

How do I price my newsletter?

Start free to build audience. Once you have consistent engagement (40%+ open rates) and regular replies, experiment with a paid tier for premium content. Test different price points starting at $5/month.

Should I choose Substack or build my own platform?

Start with Substack or ConvertKit. These platforms handle technical details so you can focus on content and audience building. You can always migrate to a custom platform later.

How do I convert newsletter subscribers into product customers?

Build relationships first. Share your product development journey, ask for feedback, and solve real problems. When you launch, offer exclusive early access and special pricing to subscribers who've been most engaged.