Free resource
The 90-Day Newsletter Launch Checklist
Week-by-week tasks across Foundation, Growth, and Monetisation. Written for founders who want a real system, not inspiration.
1,000
Subscribers by Day 90
$500–$2k
Monthly revenue by Day 90
3 hrs
Per issue, maximum
4
Revenue streams introduced
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90-Day Checklist.pdf
What's inside
- ✓ 3 phases × 13 weeks of tasks
- ✓ Niche Scorecard framework
- ✓ Platform setup checklist
- ✓ Weekly editorial calendar template
- ✓ Sponsor outreach sequence
- ✓ Revenue model by subscriber tier
- ✓ 90-day growth audit template
- ✓ Partner outreach cold email templates
13 weeks · 3 phases · 47 action items
Inside the checklist
The three phases, laid out
Phase 1
Days 1–30
Foundation
Week 1
- Complete the Niche Scorecard
- Run competitor audit on top 5 newsletters in your space
- Lock your positioning statement
- Register your newsletter domain
Week 2
- Choose and set up your platform (Beehiiv/Substack/Ghost)
- Configure custom domain + sender authentication (SPF/DKIM)
- Design newsletter header and colour palette
- Write your About page and welcome sequence (3 emails)
Week 3
- Define your signature newsletter format
- Build your 90-day editorial calendar
- Set up your research and curation workflow
- Write and publish your first issue to a test list (friends/colleagues)
Week 4
- Soft launch to your personal network
- Post in 2 relevant online communities (add value, link only where appropriate)
- Set up your newsletter referral programme (Beehiiv/SparkLoop)
- Review open rates and click rates — adjust subject line approach
Phase 2
Days 31–60
Growth
Week 5–6
- Launch X/Twitter content calendar (3 posts/day formula)
- Identify 10 newsletter operators for potential swap/referral partnerships
- Send first cold outreach sequence to 5 partners
- Publish first SEO-optimised article on your newsletter website
Week 7
- Activate your first newsletter swap
- Submit to 3 newsletter directories (e.g. Beehiiv Discover, Substack Network)
- Record your first 30-day growth analytics
- Write second and third issues — consistency is the job now
Week 8
- First paid promotion experiment ($50–$100 budget)
- Track subscriber cost-per-acquisition by channel
- Refine your welcome sequence based on Day-7 open rates
- Reach out to 5 more swap partners
Phase 3
Days 61–90
Monetisation
Week 9–10
- Build your media kit (audience stats, open rate, CPM)
- Identify 10 potential sponsors for your niche
- Send first sponsor outreach sequence
- Set your first sponsorship rate based on subscriber count + CPM model
Week 11
- Launch paid tier (if niche supports it) or first affiliate integration
- Write and send your upgrade email sequence to free subscribers
- Track paid conversion rate and revenue by stream
- Negotiate first paid sponsorship placement
Week 12–13
- Complete your 90-day revenue and growth audit
- Document your cost-per-subscriber by channel
- Set 6-month subscriber and revenue targets
- Build your Scale Plan: which 1–2 channels to double down on
Ready to build your newsletter properly?
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