Why I Finally Started a Newsletter (And Why You Should Too)

Soo.. I've been gatekeeping something that I need to share with you now that I’ve had a month to test it out. It's completely transformed how I approach audience building, and I think it could totally be a gamechanger for you too.

Today I'm breaking down exactly why I finally started a newsletter separate from my job/business, how you can monetize newsletters, and why I chose beehiiv over Substack (plus sharing my exact setup so you can do it too).

Renting vs. owning your audience

Quick q: If LinkedIn (or insert your biggest social platform) disappeared tomorrow, would you lose access to your audience?

This isn't hypothetical. We've seen platforms come and go…

Or worse, accounts get suspended without warning and entire communities vanish overnight.

When you build exclusively on social media, you're essentially renting your audience from tech companies who can change the terms (or evict you) at any moment - even if you did absolutely nothing wrong.

Suspension rates have increased a ton across all major platforms since 2017, with an average of 10–20 prominent account suspensions per year.*

It’s a tough pill to swallow. Building your entire presence on platforms you don't control is basically like building your dream house on rented land.

Beyond the risk of platform changes, there's another crucial factor: direct connection.

When someone follows you on social media, you're one of hundreds or thousands of accounts competing for their attention — I just checked and on LinkedIn alone I follow 7344 people. So when someone gives you their email address, they're inviting you directly into their most personal digital space (and for whatever reason, everyone is sleeping on this).

The career advantage corporate professionals gain with newsletters

If you’re balancing a corporate career with content creation, newsletters give you sooo many unique advantages that social media simply can't compete with:

1. Professional credibility beyond your job title

In a recent survey, 82% of recruiters said a job candidate’s thought leadership is more important to employers than before the pandemic, and 56% of recruiters surveyed said thought leaders can command a salary premium compared to non-thought leaders (Source: ThoughtLDR).

Even when I was working at LinkedIn and as a personal branding consultant, I saw firsthand how professionals who maintained thought leadership through newsletters were more likely to get promoted and approached for speaking opportunities.

Why? Because a newsletter demonstrates commitment, expertise, and the ability to build an audience, all super valuable skills in today's ultra-competitive market.

2. Career insurance in uncertain times

Job security isn't what it used to be (but really when has it ever been in this economy 😓). Companies restructure, priorities shift, and even the most talented professionals can find themselves unexpectedly looking for their next opportunity.

So in this case, think of your newsletter as career insurance. Just like your personal brand, it's an asset that stays with you regardless of your employment status, company changes, or career pivots.

When I left my corporate role to build Arena, my newsletter I had build from subscribers for my first business (Baller Careers) became my first customers, partners and champions. And that audience I'd built while employed became a lifeline when I ventured out on my own.

tldr; your newsletter is the one professional asset that can't be taken away from you, and that makes all the difference when navigating today's market.

Why I keep my newsletter separate from my job/business (and why you should too)

One of the most strategic decisions I've made was keeping Creator And separate from Arena's official communications. While it might seem counterintuitive (wouldn't I want to funnel everything into my business?), this separation has been incredibly valuable.

Here's why diversifying your audience channels matters:

Freedom to explore broader topics

Arena - the career development platform I co-founded - has content that naturally focuses on sports, media, and entertainment careers. But through Creator And, I can explore topics like productivity, content creation, creator monetization, and personal branding that might not fit neatly within Arena's scope.

This broader approach has created new business opportunities. I've received speaking invitations, partnership offers, and consulting inquiries specifically through my newsletter that wouldn’t have come through Arena's more focused channels.

What I love most about this is that your personal newsletter gives you the freedom to follow your curiosity, test new ideas, and build relationships across industries - all while maintaining the focused messaging your business requires on those respective channels.

Why I chose beehiiv over Substack (and haven't looked back)

When I decided to launch Creator And, I spent an embarrassing amount of time researching different newsletter platforms - and since we’re all friends here… transparently, I sat on starting a newsletter for 2 whole years.

I know. I know. But anyways, the decision ultimately came down to Substack vs. beehiiv, and for me, eventually beehiiv was the clear winner for a few key reasons:

1. Better growth tools

As someone focused on building an audience efficiently, beehiiv's built-in growth tools were a game-changer. beehiiv offers 2.3x more native growth features than Substack.

The referral program alone has driven over 20% of my total subscriber growth. With customizable rewards and automated tracking, it turns my existing subscribers into ambassadors without requiring any manual work on my end.

2. Data ownership and analytics

Coming from a data-driven background, I needed robust analytics to understand my audience. beehiiv provides significantly more granular data than Substack, including:

• Detailed subscriber demographics

• Engagement maps showing exactly where readers spend time

• Click tracking for every link

• Cohort analysis to understand retention

3. Monetization flexibility

Yep, Substack is best known for its subscription model, but what I like about beehiiv is that it has a ton of monetization opportunities for creators:

• Native ad network: beehiiv's ad network does all the sourcing for you so you don’t need to source any advertisers on your own.

• Boost network: This unique feature pays when your subscribers opt into other relevant newsletters you showcase.

• Flexible paywalls: Unlike Substack's all-or-nothing approach, beehiiv lets me paywall specific sections within a single post. I haven’t tested this one yet as I’m just starting to build my audience - but worth checking out.

Despite predictions of email dying (at some points even I started to believe this BUT) it isn't just surviving, it's actually growing. Here's what the latest research shows:

• 91% of consumers check their email at least once daily (HubSpot, 2024)

• The average newsletter open rate is *21.5%**, compared to organic social media reach of just 2.2% (Campaign Monitor).

Sure, I guess you could say the best time to start building your owned audience through newsletter was five years ago. I’m right there with y’all, but the good news is that the second best time is NOW.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this! Are you already building a personal newsletter alongside your business? Just getting started? DM me on LinkedIn to share your experience. It’s time for you to build something that's truly yours no matter where your career takes you!

You got this,

P.S. If you found this valuable, I'd be grateful if you'd share it with a friend who's looking to build their personal brand alongside their personal business ventures.

Note: Some links in this newsletter are affiliate links - if you use them, I may earn a commission (no extra cost to you). I only share tools I actually use and love.