TIE #050: How This Newsletter Got 146,636 Views and Made $6,303 in February 2024

If I suck at writing and can do this... you can too.

Apparently you hate money. If you didn’t, you’d be using Rakuten every time you shop on websites like Walmart and Target to save money.

They have paid me over $13,400 for things I was already going to buy for my one-person business:

They are also the reason this post is free to read. Sign up here and get $30 for free after your first use.

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Earlier this year I made a post that documented how many views this newsletter got in 2023 and how much money it made:

TIE #046: How This Newsletter Got 1,555,621 Views and Made $57,281 in 2023

After the success of that post I decided I would provide an update quarterly.

However, after some thought, I instead would like to document the performance monthly just like my Amazon business and LEGO investing portfolio.

Forgive me for missing January, but today we are taking a look at February.

First we have total subscribers:

Total subscribers gained (ignoring pruning): 596

After hitting almost 20,000 total subscribers in early February, I pruned the newsletter of readers who had signed up but never opened an email or read a post.

I then did the same later in the month but took it to the next level and removed anyone that hadn’t read a post in the last 6 months.

I want active readers inside this newsletter.

While others never do this to attract sponsors and look better, I refuse to operate that way.

Next we have paid subscribers:

Paid subscribers gained: -26

After the chaos of Q4 last year, things have calmed down on the LEGO investing front.

Tire kickers and people who decided it wasn’t for them have been leaving slowly over the last 60 days.

This is expected and understandable.

I only want people paying monthly/annually that LOVE being here and reading all of my posts.

(Starting this month are new monthly posts documenting my cash back earnings and my launch of a supplement company)

Next we have traffic:

Total Views: 146,636

Each spike you see in the graph is when a post or email of some kind was made/sent.

I still can’t believe I’m capable of getting this many eyeballs on what I type every month.

I’m just a poor kid who became an engineer on his own dime only to throw all that away because I hate authority and not having time freedom.

I am not a good writer, I just share what I’m working on.

Every single one of you reading this is capable of doing the same thing.

Here are the traffic sources:

As you can see, the engine of this newsletter are the subscribers.

Without all of you, I’d have gotten between 15,000 - 20,000 views last month.

Social media can get banned, ban you, or go up in flames, but I’ll always have my list of you subscribers.

The value of that cannot be understated.

I’m convinced that X/Twitter makes up a lot of the “direct” section. There is no way I get more views from Facebook than X/Twtter.

Here is how much money the newsletter made:

$30,000?!

No.

That includes amounts paid to me for my consulting service.

Stripe does not allow me to remove those payments to get an accurate screenshot, so I had to do the math by hand.

The actual amount made from paid subscriptions in February: $6,303.12

I don’t really monitor or analyze this number.

I just document my businesses and whatever happens, happens.

Never at any point have I treated this venture as a “business”.

Could I go wild and make it my main goal to make $10,000/month from paid subscribers?

Sure, but then the content would naturally become less valuable.

My only regret is not starting sooner.

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When you are ready, there are 2 ways I can help you:

1. The Conference Room - This is my private mentorship community that also includes the following for free:

   1. Textbook Flipping Mastery - My in-depth guide on how to start a high-margin but simple Amazon e-commerce business.

   2. LEGO Investing Mastery - My in-depth guide on how to start a long-term “buy, hold, and sell” LEGO investing business.

2. 1:1 Consultation - If you want me to walk you through every step of creating an Amazon and/or LEGO investing business or your own newsletter, this is for you.

   Send me an email at realjarrylew@gmail.com if you are interested.

   (Warning: it is expensive)