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CREATOR INTERVIEW

Greg Johnson is a great example of how you don’t need a huge subscriber list to monetize your newsletter effectively.

Since September, he has been writing for a modest audience of 1,600 subscribers in Email Magic, yet he has already generated $25,000 in revenue with over 100 active paid members.

His secret is refreshingly simple, yet it's something we often overlook:

• He treats his newsletter like a business.

• He prioritizes quality over quantity.

• He writes for a small and engaged audience who truly value his content.

Now, it’s time to hear directly from Greg about how he built true fans and the behind-the-scenes of his newsletter.

Let’s dive in!

🏷 NEWSLETTER IDENTITY CARD

🛠 TOOL STACK

• ESP → Beehiiv

• Writing → Google Docs

• Task management → Obsidian

• Curation & Note-taking → Obsidian

• Design of visuals → Canva & Capcut

• Digital products → Podia

• Growth → Sparkloop & Beehiiv

• Sponsorship → Beehiiv

• Payment → Stripe

👋 MEET THE CREATOR

Welcome Greg. Let’s start with getting to know you.

Hi! I’m Greg Johnson, and I’ve been a full-time business owner since 2013.

My first business was selling high-end laboratory equipment B2B, and we reached a 7-figure run rate within our first year.  At the same time, I began exploring eCommerce and digital marketing as a hobby, and got pretty good at both.

Due to burnout and a business downturn in 2020, I left the B2B operation and turned to eCommerce and digital marketing full-time. 

I have run multiple brands on Amazon and Shopify, and focus on email marketing as the main driver of growth and value.

Nowadays, I work with small groups of clients to scale their businesses into multiple seven-figure revenue streams, and I am a coach in the Capitalism.com community.

I share tips and write about lessons learned in my newsletter, Email Magic.

🥁 START

Why did you decide to start Email Magic?

I began writing a weekly newsletter about 3 years ago, as a way to share what I was learning and doing with a small group of people who were interested. 

At the end of 2023, I decided to treat my newsletter like a real business, and have been building the growth and monetization engine ever since.

🚀 GROWTH

Which strategies did you use to grow over 1,500 subscribers?

I use a combination of organic social media and coregistration networks to drive growth.  I use both SparkLoop and Beehiiv Boosts for paid acquisition.

Coregistration networks have been the fastest and easiest way to drive consistent growth of quality subscribers.

💸 MONETIZATION

You shared that you generated over $25,000 with your newsletter so far.

How did you manage to monetize your newsletter so successfully with a list of 1,600 subscribers?

I have been able to generate a significant amount of revenue with a small number of subscribers due to two factors: