Welcome to Trends, a weekly newsletter with the zestiest business trends and actionable insights for entrepreneurs.

Summary

• Great Margins: Newsletters are a simple yet profitable business (e.g., Ben Thompson’s Stratechery is estimated to gross between $6-7m.)
• Ads or Subs: Core newsletter business models include ad-supported (The Skimm, Morning Brew) and subscription-based (Stratechery, 2PM)
• Newsletter Media Firms Hitting 9-Figure Valuation: Notable media companies built through newsletter have hit multi-million dollar valuations. (The Athletic was acquired by the NYT for $550m.)
• Multiple Business Lines: Media firms that begin as a newsletter can extend into other offerings (e.g., premium research, e-commerce, community forums, networking tools, podcasts)
• Secret Sauce: Newsletters have a number of strengths vs. traditional media including a direct relationship with end users, higher engagement, and lean operating costs
• What’s Next: Opportunities include B2B content niches and tools that provide curation (bundling) or paywall services

Bob Pittman—the creator of MTV, former CEO of Six Flags, Time Warner, AOL, and Century 21 Real Estate, and now current CEO of iHeartMedia—has had a hell of a career.

Welcome to Trends, a weekly newsletter with the zestiest business trends and actionable insights for entrepreneurs.

Summary

• Great Margins: Newsletters are a simple yet profitable business (e.g., Ben Thompson’s Stratechery is estimated to gross between $6-7m.)
• Ads or Subs: Core newsletter business models include ad-supported (The Skimm, Morning Brew) and subscription-based (Stratechery, 2PM)
• Newsletter Media Firms Hitting 9-Figure Valuation: Notable media companies built through newsletter have hit multi-million dollar valuations. (The Athletic was acquired by the NYT for $550m.)
• Multiple Business Lines: Media firms that begin as a newsletter can extend into other offerings (e.g., premium research, e-commerce, community forums, networking tools, podcasts)
• Secret Sauce: Newsletters have a number of strengths vs. traditional media including a direct relationship with end users, higher engagement, and lean operating costs
• What’s Next: Opportunities include B2B content niches and tools that provide curation (bundling) or paywall services

Bob Pittman—the creator of MTV, former CEO of Six Flags, Time Warner, AOL, and Century 21 Real Estate, and now current CEO of iHeartMedia—has had a hell of a career.

Welcome to Trends, a weekly newsletter with the zestiest business trends and actionable insights for entrepreneurs.

Julian Shapiro is the founder of numerous startups, including Demand Curve, a growth marketing training program that began life as a Y Combinator investment. He’s also a former marketing columnist for TechCrunch. You can follow him on his website or podcast.