📌 3 Numbers That Decide Profit

Growth dies without these

Author

Anatoly Zaslaver
September 05, 2025

In partnership with

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Treat your newsletter like a business?

Then know the math.
Without it, growth is just a gamble.

Every profitable newsletter runs on the same 3 numbers:

If you can’t calculate them, scaling is impossible.

What's in it for you?

  1. Which of the 3 numbers is most broken in your model

  2. Why real newsletters like Jess Campbell’s succeed where others stall

  3. Three easy-to-implement fixes for each problem, you can test them today

🤔 Quick Self-Check

How confident are you in these 3 numbers?

  • Subscriber Lifetime Value

  • Revenue per subscriber

  • Payback period

👉 Pick your reality:

  • 0% - I’ve never calculated them

  • 50% - I have some guesses, not sure if right

  • 90% - I know my numbers cold

1. Revenue per subscriber

Formula = Total Revenue÷Active Subscribers

Example:

$5,000/month ÷ 10,000 subs = $0.50/sub

At $0.50, you’ll need 100K readers to hit six figures.

👉 Last Money In + Deal Sheet prove the opposite approach works.

  • Last Money In (free, broad) → warms up investors.

  • Deal Sheet (paid, deal-specific) → converts those readers into $4K memberships.

  • Instead of trying to squeeze pennies out of every reader, they segment: free for reach, paid for depth.

3 Fixes if revenue/sub is too low:

  1. Build a “free → paid” bridge. Free content draws a crowd; a specialized spinoff product converts the serious few (like Deal Sheet).

  2. Flip the funnel. Instead of charging everyone $5, charge 1% $500. Often easier.

  3. Audit your link gold. Which section drives most clicks? That’s where a high-ticket affiliate or partner belongs.

2. Payback period

Formula = (Acquisition Cost÷30)−Day Revenue per Sub

Example A:

  • Spend $2 to acquire sub

  • Earn $0.25 in first 30 days

  • Payback = 8 months → growth bottleneck

Example B (CPA):

  • Spend $2

  • Earn $2.50 in the first 30 days

  • Payback = <30 days → infinite growth potential

  • Spend $2

  • Earn $2.50 in first 30 days

  • Payback = <30 days → infinite growth potential

👉 MarketBeat is the gold standard here.

  • $40M/year business built on layers: tuned email offers, CPA deals, syndication, B2B sponsorships.

  • Their mantra: Drive traffic → capture emails → segment → test offers.

  • If an offer doesn’t work? Replace it immediately.

  • Because they monetize so quickly, they can reinvest at scale and grow nonstop.

3 Fixes if payback is too long:

  1. Front-load revenue. Bundle or annual pricing at signup → cash in hand sooner.

  2. Ride someone else’s wave. Seasonal affiliate launches = quick payouts.

  3. Thank-you page “tripwire.” Even a $9 upsell can offset acquisition costs within 24 hours.

3. Subscriber Lifetime Value (LTV)

👉 6AM City shows how to lift LTV while keeping readers and advertisers happy.

  • Audience insights → laser-targeted ad placements.

  • Ad powerhouse: $10–$15 ARPU in mature markets.

  • Diverse streams: job boards, branded content, nonprofit collabs.

  • They run on a 1:3 ratio: for every $1 spent to acquire a reader, they generate $3 in long-term value.

  • The secret sauce: they don’t just sell ads — they build community loyalty that stretches retention.

3 Fixes if LTV is flat:

  1. Stack micro-upsells. Multiple $27–$47 products = compounding LTV.

  2. Create community gravity. Events, perks, and spotlights keep readers around longer.

  3. Target the whales. Identify your 1% most active and offer premium tiers, services, or sponsorship access.

Want my help fixing this fast?

If your poll answer was anything but “none” we should talk.

Why it’s worth it for you:

  1. Zero-Risk. If you don’t find it valuable, I’ll refund you.

  2. Clarity in 60 minutes. We’ll map your 3 numbers together.

  3. Spot the leaks. Find exactly where profit slips away.

  4. Walk out with a plan. A simple monetization roadmap you can act on today.

If it’s not helpful, you get your money back.

Simple. Honest. No pressure.

🛠️ Not ready for 1:1?

Take the course instead: Newsletter in 10 Days: Start. Launch. Engage.

In just 10 days, you’ll:

  • Launch with deliverability built in

  • Use plug-and-play templates for content + sponsors

  • Run a monetization-ready system

If it’s not useful, I’ll refund you. No questions asked.

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