51,333 Subscribers—How My LinkedIn Newsletter Became a Game Changer

In 2018, I was invited to a “newsletter beta” test by LinkedIn.

The pitch from them was pretty simple:

“We want to give users the opportunity to host newsletters people can subscribe to, and you write a lot of articles, want to try it out?”

Naturally, my answer was yes. When you actively participate in beta programs, you benefit from “first mover advantage,” or the competitive edge gained by being the first to introduce a product or service to the market.

But, I have to admit, what followed was beyond what I would have expected.

In the 6 years since my LinkedIn newsletter subscriber growth has far outpaced my LinkedIn follower growth.

Today, I have about 30,330+ LinkedIn followers.

My newsletter? 51,333 subscribers.

What’s even better? My newsletter subscribers have proven to be more profitable leads.

Let’s breakdown exactly why this happens and what you should implement for yourself:

1. It can be easier to find + follow a topic than a person you don’t know.

My newsletter is called “Build a Brand,” and it’s value proposition is “Bi-weekly tips to clarify, grow, and monetize your personal brand.” Pretty straightforward; if you’re searching for resources for how to grow your brand, there’s a chance my newsletter pops up before my profile. And it isn’t just me who gets this benefit. Check out John Hall and his newsletter:

Again, following John as the founder of Calendar.com may be less of an obvious appeal than following his newsletter “Mastering Time Management and Productivity.” You’ll see this reflects in his following and subscribers. John’s personal page has just north of 66k followers, while his newsletter has a WHOPPING 336,924. Reach maximizer.

2. You will become more immune to fluctuations in the LinkedIn algorithm.

Here’s an alarming stat from AuthoredUp:

🚨 The average LinkedIn reach dropped by about 22% in 2024, and it's VERY likely to decrease further. 🚨

Yikes.

Here’s the anecdote: a newsletter.

Guess what performs in an entirely different algorithm than LinkedIn posts?

LinkedIn newsletters!

That’s because it doesn’t just show up on a LinkedIn newsfeed by chance (like a post). It also gets delivered to people’s private email inbox. Which is why I net an average of 13,300 reads within 7 days of my article. By contrast, my average post reaches about 5,000 people. And who knows where that may go with future “newsfeed algorithm tinkling.”

3. Your following and opportunities will grow as a result of subscribers.

One day, I was thrilled to see a connection request from a CMO of a major restaurant group that I patronize frequently. I was wondering what the triggering event was that had her reach out to me. Fortunately, she answered the question for me:

This isn’t the first time this has happened to me, either. I can track more sales, conversations, and resulting connections from my LinkedIn newsletter than any other tool that I utilize.

The Recap?

If you haven’t developed a LinkedIn newsletter yet, I can’t implore you enough to do so. It can be one of the biggest catalysts to skyrocketing your LinkedIn following and your overall thought leadership and value.

On Black Friday, I’m releasing “The LinkedIn Newsletter Growth Formula: Step-by-Step Video Course to Go from Zero to Thought Leader” It’s a full checklist with coordinating videos walking you through:

• How to craft an irresistible newsletter title and topic
• How to secure your first hundreds of subscribers within a day
• How to develop an entire annual content calendar
• How to use your LinkedIn newsletter to convert readers into customers

Join the waitlist here to receive...

🛒Early access (Thanksgiving Day!) 🦃

🎁Early Bird Pricing of $97 (a $50 savings!)🔥