šŸ“Š Lies, Damn Lies & Newsletter Stats

Newsletter Metrics, Another Newsletter Sale & An ESP Tiers Up

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šŸ‘‹ Welcome

Mark Twain popularized the saying ā€œThere are three kinds of lies: Lies, Damned Lies, and Statisticsā€.

I am sure that Mr. Twain had his reasons for his complicated relationship with statistics, but as newsletter operators awash in data we canā€™t afford to ignore them. The not-so-simple question is which to believe, and why.

This issue confronts that challenge with current (and some classic) guidance on the topic. Our Industry Roundup takes a look at industry open rates, the challenges of affiliate deals, the latest newsletter M&A action and feature/pricing changes for those using beehiiv. The Letter Ops section dives deep into the best newsletter tracking metrics, how bots are affecting your click rates, what to expect when converting free subscribers to paid, and which subscribers value your newsletter most and why.

Speaking of local newsletters, here are 2 local events in NYC and the UK which are of interest to every newsletter operator, with remote options available too:

  • Affiliate Gathering: Affiliate commissions are an important source of newsletter revenue, so donā€™t miss this virtual and in-person gathering of affiliate marketers, content creators and niche website entrepreneurs on May 10. Virtual and in-person passes are available so register now!

  • The Newsletter Conference: This conference is next week (May 3rd) in NYC, and ticket prices will increase by $100 TODAY! See below for how to save as a subscriber - Iā€™ll be there and would love to meet you! 

A big thank you to our new sponsor, Anyword! Newsletter Business supports using AI in a complementary manner - Anyword is an AI writing platform which aids enterprise marketers in generating copy that resonates with brand audiences and predicting the performance of that content.

Please reply and let me know your thoughts on this weekā€™s content - or reach out via our brand new X/Twitter handle @NewsletterBus.

Enjoy and see you next issue!

Fred (Connect With Me At: LinkedIn | X/Twitter )

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šŸ“° Industry Roundup

Open Rates By Industry - How Does Yours Stack Up?: 50+% open rates are often cited as the benchmark of great engagement in todayā€™s newsletter market, and by that measure this study suggests life is good for VCs, podcasters and a few others. How does the industry you serve stack up? Read

2 Reasons Not To Do Affiliate Deals: Affiliate commissions can complement other newsletter revenue streams like sponsorships and product sales, however they arenā€™t a slam dunk. One reason is that newsletter operators canā€™t control the conversion optimization of the affiliateā€™s landing page, but thatā€™s not allā€¦ Read

Newsletter M&A - Growth+ Acquires Momentum: Generative AI tool and training firm Growth+ has acquired the Momentum newsletter. It started with the simple tweet below on March 18 and ended 11 days later with this... Read

beehiiv - Introduces Tiered Pricing Model + New Website Editor: The beehiiv team has been busy this week:

  • New Plans + Tiered Pricing: The new Max plan now has the most robust features; the free Launch plan has received more features, Grow has been retired and Scale is now cheaper. All paid plans now have a tiered component based on number of subscribers (as most ESPs do), so your cost will depend on your plan choice + subscriber volume. As an example, annual list price for my Scale plan/subscriber combo has increased $100; your mileage may vary. Read

  • New Website Editor: Many new style and layout options for your newsletter site, and all site-related settings have now been consolidated in one place. Read

Featured Partner

šŸ“ˆ The Newsletter Conference: 5/3 in NYC!

LESS THAN 30 TICKETS LEFT - PRICES INCREASE TODAY!

EXCLUSIVE NEWSLETTER BUSINESS SUBSCRIBER BONUSES

Save $100 When You Register With Code: BUSINESS

Receive A Free Copy Of The Newsletter Is The Business ($147 Value) When You Register Via Links In This Issue

If you read this newsletter, then you donā€™t want to miss this conference!

For the first-time ever, The Newsletter Conference will gather newsletter operators and thought leaders from across the newsletter industry together in one place to discuss all of the essential topics you care about in making your newsletter thrive.

The conference will take place in New York City at The Times Center on May 3rd, 2024 and is a canā€™t miss event!

EXCLUSIVE BONUS: Everyone that registers for The Newsletter Conference via the links in this newsletter will will receive a free copy of The Newsletter Is The Business ($147 value)!

Please reply to this newsletter with a copy of your receipt and you will receive your free copy!

āš’ļø Letter Ops

10 Best Newsletter Tracking Metrics: Every newsletter operator tracks open rate and click-through rate (CTR), but there are 7 other metrics you should consider adding to your usual suspects list. Read

Can You Trust Your Click Rates?: Open rates are harder to trust due to platform changes, and now evidence suggests bots are distorting your click ratesā€¦possibly up to 63%! Understand why and what you can do about it. Read

Free to Paid Subscriber Conversion Rates & Concepts: Free subscribers build the list and revenue over time, paid subscribers pay the bills today. If youā€™re wondering what to expect converting your free subscribers to paid, thereā€™s good reason: conversion rate guidance ranges from 2-10+% (I lean toward 4%). Timing expectations for such conversions also matter. Two experienced operators representing different platforms (Substack + ConvertKit) share their thoughts on the topic. Read: Substack - Read: ConvertKit

Subscriber Statistics For A Better Newsletter: Itā€™s always wise to listen to the voice of the customer, and this detailed newsletter subscriber study highlights how many newsletters the average subscriber receives (1-10!) and why they subscribe and unsubscribe. It also provides insightful segmentation data, including why the subscriber with a dedicated newsletter email is one worth paying attention to. Read

šŸ“° Classifieds

Email-Based Courses - Your newsletter audience lives within email. Why not teach them easily in the channel they already love, rather than hassle with creating a video, LMS or live course? Newsletter Business subscribers get 30% off with code MEBC30 Check it out

The Newsletter Is The Business (TINTB) - All you need to know about launching, monetizing and selling editorial newsletters. Get smart fast

Letter AI Toolkit - Use prebuilt prompts and GPT-4 to summarize and output news URLs into newsletter stories. Check it out

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Disclaimer: Not financial or business advice. This newsletter is strictly for information and education purposes and may contain affiliate links or sponsored content from a variety of partners to keep this newsletter free of charge.

Newsletter Business is published by Digiventures Media Group LLC.