📌 how JW built a $9.1m solo biz

the exact steps Justin took

Author

Anatoly Zaslaver
January 31, 2025

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Today, we’re diving into The Saturday Solopreneur, the newsletter by Justin Welsh - the guy who built a $9.1M+ business solo with LinkedIn, with zero ad spend.

Backstory

Justin isn’t just another content creator.

He’s cracked the solopreneur formula - turning LinkedIn and X into money machines and all this was done alone.

His newsletter? It’s the engine behind it all.

What's in it for you?

✅ The "write once, post 10X" content system

✅ Turning social media posts into revenue streams

✅ His top monetization tactics

✅ Get his highest-performing newsletter templates

Opens, Clicks & Email Delivery

Justin Welsh is not just another guy, he has authority, and his words are worth $9.1M. 

Yet Gmail, Yahoo, and Hotmail couldn’t care less.

If he doesn’t play by their rules, his emails won’t land in inboxes.

So, how does he make sure his emails get read?

  1. His sign-up flow is simple but highly effective - built on

  • a high-converting landing page

  • a clear thank-you page, and

  • an actionable welcome email that drives engagement

  1. He Owns His Audience

    • JW doesn’t just build a following on LinkedIn and X- he moves them to his email list.

    • Every day, his content turns into subscribers.

    • Instead of staying where his name is unshakable (LI & X), he redirects traffic to his website.

  1. Here is what he wins from this strategy:

  • People value his insights > they don’t want to miss his wisdom > they open his emails

  • His email reputation stays strong because engaged subscribers = strong sender reputation = better deliverability

  1. To make sure people open his emails JW uses pre-email CTA.

    • A day or two before sending his newsletter, JW drops a teaser post a powerful story, a hard lesson, or an industry trick.

    • Then he invites readers to get the full version in his email (check how it works)

  1. The Secret to His High Email Deliverability…

    • Avoiding spam triggers (no hard sales, no excessive links)

    • Building a high-quality list from engaged LinkedIn/X users

  1. Creating a flywheel:

    • Engaged followers → More newsletter sign-ups

    • Active subscribers → Higher open rates

    • Better open rates → Better email placement

Results?

  • 175K+ subscribers get his newsletter every Saturday

  • 50% + open rate, 3.5% + CTR (click-through-rate)

Content

Justin Welsh’s 9-Step Content System: How He Creates 30+ Posts a Week

People assume top creators have a natural gift.

The truth? They have systems.

Justin Welsh built a repeatable content engine that turns one newsletter into 30+ posts per week.

Here’s how it works.

1. Ideation (1 Hour/Week)

Sources ideas from YouTube, Twitter, newsletters, and past content.
Example: A viral tweet on Twitter growth sparks a newsletter idea.

2. Research & Data Collection

Finds expert insights (e.g., Jeremy Moser’s Twitter strategy) and stores them in Notion.

3. Writing the Newsletter (Hub Content)

Uses a four-step template:

  1. Problem → 2. Why most fail → 3. His solution → 4. Actionable steps.
    Tools: Notion for organization, Typeshare for templates.

4. Breaking Content into Short-Form (Spokes)

One newsletter turns into:

  • Story posts (PAIPS framework).

  • Observations (data-backed insights).

  • Contrarian takes (challenging norms).

  • Listicles (e.g., “6 Tools for Twitter Growth”).

  • Twitter threads (e.g., “How I Gained 5K Followers in 90 Days”).

5. Staggered Posting (6-12 Weeks)

Example schedule:

  • Week 1: Story post (Monday), observation (Wednesday).

  • Week 2: Twitter thread (Friday).

6. Driving Traffic & Monetization (as of 2023)

Every post includes a CTA: “Want more? Read the full newsletter.”
6-month results:

  • 1.8M pageviews from LinkedIn and Twitter.

  • Website visitors increased from 10K to 18K per week.

  • $700K in course sales from organic traffic.

7. Website & Email Strategy

The newsletter lives on his website with no forced opt-in, increasing trust and long-term conversions.

8. Content Workflow

  1. Daily ideation from books, podcasts, real-world experiences.

  2. Long-form writing (newsletters, blogs).

  3. Repurposing (turning long-form into short-form).

  4. Recycling (updating top-performing content).

A structured system ensures every newsletter, post, and blog supports his brand.
His newsletter fuels social content, not the other way around.
Free content builds trust, leading to organic conversions.

Growth

  1. Growth Without Ads (Organic Only)

JW scaled his newsletter using four core channels:


✅ Social Media (LinkedIn + Twitter) – Daily posts that funnel followers into his newsletter.
✅ SEO (Website Traffic) – Optimized articles to capture long-term search traffic.
✅ Word-of-mouth – High engagement leads to shares and virality.
✅ Sponsorships – Featured in other newsletters to tap into new audiences.

  1. The "Followability" Formula

Welsh’s social growth strategy is built on three key principles:

a. Be Relatable – Share personal struggles and wins.

Example: Jennifer Welsh’s personal finance brand grew to 137K+ followers in a year by openly discussing her debt struggles.

b. Teach Tactics – Actionable insights > generic advice.

c. Simplify Everything – Make learning effortless.

Once he dominated LinkedIn (LI), he expanded to Twitter (X)—using his "LI guy" reputation and viral content backlog to convert X followers into subscribers.

3. Growth Breakdown: Step-by-Step

🔹 0 → 1K Subscribers

  • Consistent daily posting on LI & X.

  • Personal insights + tactical frameworks.

  • Direct newsletter CTA in every post.

🔹 1K → 10K Subscribers

  • Leveraged social proof (testimonials).

  • Improved landing page conversion rates.

  • Increased tactical content output.

🔹 10K → 50K Subscribers

  • Cross-promoted with similar newsletters.

  • Published in-depth case studies & breakdowns.

  • Launched paid products, boosting credibility.

🔹 50K → 100K+ Subscribers

Monetization

Justin Welsh built a $2.5M/year (as of 2023), 90%+ profit business without ads, employees, or complexity.

His monetization strategy is built around scalable digital products and an organic audience funnel.

Previously reported figures showed Welsh’s content empire generating $9.1M on LinkedIn, with 30,000 students across his courses.

JW’s 2024 MBA Course Launch set new benchmarks:

  • $1.613M in revenue

  • 95% profit margin

  • 2,850 students enrolled

  • $257K in first 4 hours, $175K in last 4 hours

  • ARPU of $566

Revenue Breakdown

  • Courses (65%) – His LinkedIn/content courses generate $1.6M annually.

  • Sponsorships (10%) – 100K+ newsletter subscribers = $5-6K per issue.

  • Subscriptions (12%) – His $9/month newsletter brings in $300K+.

  • Affiliate Deals & Coaching (10%) – Adds $250K+ per year.

  • Other (3%) – Miscellaneous partnerships and collaborations.

The Monetization Funnel

  1. Discovery – Social media (LinkedIn/Twitter) drives traffic.

  2. Trust & Authority – His newsletter builds engagement and credibility.

  3. Monetization – Subscribers convert into course buyers, paid members, or sponsorship revenue.

Why It Works

  • High-margin digital products (courses & subs) scale effortlessly.

  • No ad spend—his audience is built 100% organically.

  • Automated content repurposing fuels steady audience growth.

Key Takeaways

  • Courses remain his top revenue driver (65%).

  • His MBA launch proves the demand for premium content at scale.

  • Monetization scales naturally with no extra costs, keeping profits above 90%.

  • The system runs with minimal effort—allowing full control and profitability.

Disclaimer: These figures are sourced from public information, and minor deviations may exist.

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