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- 📌Turn AI Hype into a Thriving Business
📌Turn AI Hype into a Thriving Business
Anatoly Zaslaver
December 16, 2024
Hey, glad to see you today! 👋
Here, I dissect newsletters that nailed growth and monetization with smart content and
Today, let's see how Ben's Bites newsletter turned AI hype into a business.
Backstory
Meet Ben Tossell, a serial entrepreneur.
He sold his company to Zapier in 2021.
In October 2022, he launched Ben’s Bites, an AI-focused newsletter.
A month later, ChatGPT exploded.
Can you guess how fast Ben’s Bites grew in the following months? 😉
What's in it for you?
- Surviving and thriving in a competitive AI niche.
- Maintaining a 52%+ open rate with 113K+ subs.
- Download proven templates to supercharge Your newsletter.
Buffet restaurants are popular, right?
You pay one price and get a variety of choices.
Ben’s Bites is like that—a daily buffet of AI insights served Monday to Friday.
Here's how it's structured:
- Fresh AI news with humor.
- 200+ tutorials to upskill.
- Detailed AI tool reviews.
- Job offers that connect talent with opportunity.
- In-depth analysis on hot topics.
Ben says Ben’s Bites isn’t just a newsletter; it’s the daily pulse of AI.
Do you consider your audience’s needs when planning content?
Takeaway:
- Know your audience.
- Cover topics that interest everyone.
Deliverability
A 52% open rate for 1,000 subs isn’t the same as 52% for 113K+.
Industry best practices for sign-up flows include:
Opt-in Page > Thank-You Page > Survey > Welcome Email.
Ben’s Bites skips two steps yet still achieves strong results OR 52%, CTR 9%.
Ben’s secret? Content that resonates with 113K+ subs.
Their welcome email is short (153 words) and to the point.
Do you follow the industry standards of the Sign-up flow?
Takeaway:
- Include in your thank-you page and welcome email deliverability guidance.
Growth
In just six weeks, Ben’s Bites grew to 10K subs and hit 113K in 13 months.
Here’s how:
1. Organic: As of today, Ben has 141K following on X and 7K on LI.
Ben’s smart, simple strategy on X involved following AI content and
dropping a line like, “Will mention this in my newsletter tomorrow” with a link.
It worked consistently, attracting curious followers.
2. Perfect Timing: Launched just before ChatGPT went viral, feeding the AI frenzy.
3. Paid Ads: Once organic growth gained momentum, Ben added Twitter Ads.
4. Referral Program: He launched it days after starting, boosting word-of-mouth.
5. Discord Community: By Feb 2023, Ben built a thriving 4K-member Discord group.
Monetization
Here’s how Ben’s Bites generates revenue:
1. Sponsorship
2. Affiliate Marketing (e.g. Beehiiv 20% discount)
3. Staying on top, long-term is tough.
Ben made a smart move.
He turned his followers into an audience for his educational platform.
He offers courses and tutorials.
Recently he expanded with live and recorded events featuring industry pros.
His pricing is straightforward:
Personal ($250 one-time) and
Teams ($1,625 one-time), with a pay-once, use-forever model.
Wondering how to start monetizing?
Takeaway:
- On X or LinkedIn, create content that can be bundled into a course over time.
- Start with a simple two-tier membership: free and paid.
For paid offer 1:1 sessions, templates, and masterminds for paid members.
Did you learn something new today? |
P.S. Oh, and..
Questions about newsletter growth, monetization, or other how-to topics?