📌447K Subscribers in 7 Months - Here's How

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Here, I break down newsletters that master growth and monetization.

All insights are delivered in under 4 minutes.

Today, let’s break down ​Career Brew​ by Arpita Rawal.

This is a fast-growing job listing newsletter.

Backstory

​Arpita ​launched Career Brew in February 2024.

Seven months later, she’s at 447K subscribers, all organic!

Incredible, right?

Arpita’s background in IT and recruitment gives her a unique edge in curating real job opportunities that job seekers crave.

What's in it for you?

Discover how to pick the right niche.

How and where to monetize your newsletter.

Get templates to streamline your newsletter process.

Content

Let’s start from the subject line.

The subject line is simplicity at its best:

“Career Brew [Date] Job Digest – [X] Hottest/New Jobs, [X] Visa Sponsored Jobs.”

Career Brew (🎓☕) - Sept 16th Jobs Digest - 67 Hottest Jobs, 12 Visa Sponsored Jobs

It’s clear and direct - exactly what job seekers need to open the email.

How Arpita generates content?

She ensures Career Brew features high-quality jobs by:

1. Avoiding flake listings, skipping platforms with ghost or fake jobs.

2. Using trusted job boards, relying on platforms like ​Skillsire ​for fresh job feeds.

3. Applying filters, focusing on location, experience, and roles.

4. Targeting fresh jobs, prioritizing recent postings.

The newsletter is structured into four job categories:

1. Hottest New Jobs in Market

2. Latest Internship & Early-Career Opportunities

3. Latest Data Science and Analytics Jobs

4. Latest Software Development Jobs

This segmentation keeps it relevant across multiple industries and seniority levels.

The newsletter averages around 1,000 words.

That's enough to stay actionable without overwhelming readers.

Arpita’s free version runs 3X a week.

Paid subscribers get exclusive content on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

In addition, they get access to a full archive and specialized H1B job listings.

Takeaway:

The subject line is key to engagement.

Use this nearly perfect formula..

1. Keep it under 50 characters.

2. Include a number to show results.

3. Clearly state what the content offers.

4. Identify who benefits (type of readers).

5. Highlight why it helps (the improvement for the reader).

Deliverability

Career Brew runs on Substack, which simplifies deliverability.

Its landing page is simple and has strong social proof.

But there's room for improvement.

The current 30% open rate is decent for the fast-growing 447K newsletter.

How it can be improved? With these simple tweaks..

1. Thank-You Page

A branded thank-you page upon signup sets expectations and builds trust.

2. Welcome Email

Personalize it to outline when and what content subscribers can expect.

3. Survey

Ask 3-5 simple questions to categorize your subs and tailor automated emails.

These changes enhance engagement, especially with new subscribers.

Growth

447K subscribers in less than a year?

It’s impressive.

How did Arpita achieve this?

Entirely organically..

1. LinkedIn is used as a primary growth channel.

2. She regularly posts job listings, which drive traffic to her newsletter.

3. Substack has a great collaboration feature.

It allows tapping into relevant communities to boost significant growth.

4. Substack’s referral feature further accelerates growth too.

Arpita’s success wasn’t just about exposure.

It’s about consistent exposure in places where her target audience hangs out.

LinkedIn, Substack, and her own job-search website.

But the crucial role in such unbelievable growth played the niche IMO.

How to Pick the Right Niche?

Consider these factors for your selection.

Existing Expertise

Choose a niche you're already knowledgeable in.

Arpita’s recruitment and IT experience gave her an edge in curating relevant content.

Audience Demand

Understand your Total Addressable Market (TAM).

Job seekers are a huge market, particularly in times of economic slowdown.

Trends like AI, remote work, and layoffs make job-hunting a constant activity.

Monetization Potential

Can your audience pay for your product or service?

Job seekers may have tight budgets.

Arpita’s monetization focuses on low-cost subscriptions and ads.

For potential monetization, consider niches where people are more willing to spend.

For instance, business owners or professionals in high-income fields.

Products/Services

Pick a niche that allows for multiple revenue streams.

In recruitment, there are adjacent services like interview coaching, resume reviews.

These provide opportunities for monetization beyond traditional advertising.

Takeaways:

Choose a niche that

1. Has demand

2. Aligns with your expertise

3. Offers room for diverse monetization options

Monetization

Career Brew is ripe with untapped potential.

While Arpita has started monetizing through paid subscriptions ($10/mo) and ads, there’s room to expand.

Job seeker's affordability is limited.

But she can still grow revenue by offering products essential for job hunting.

For example, she could offer paid workshops on resume writing.

Or LinkedIn profile optimization.

These services align perfectly with her audience’s needs.

Partnering with job seeker tool companies can be beneficial

(e.g. resume/interview prep).

This could lead to sponsorships or affiliate marketing deals.

Additionally, these two sources are very helpful for finding advertising deals.

1. ​Wellput​

2. ​Passionfruit ​

Check out ​SparkLoop ​(Upscribe), this is easy to set up and use source.

Takeaway:

Monetization isn’t just about ads or subscriptions.

Offering services like career coaching or partnering with relevant companies can unlock new revenue streams.

P.S. Oh, and..

I hope you found value here.

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P.P.S.

Questions about newsletter growth, monetization, or other how-to topics?

Reply to this email or connect with me on ​LinkedIn.