My newsletter about B2B logistics compliance is ‘boring.’ It will never go viral on social media.
It doesn’t have trendy graphics. And it just crossed $240,000 in Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR).
For years, I chased the same ‘creator’ dream we’re all sold. I tried to build a massive audience, get millions of views, and land huge brand sponsorships.
I tried to be “interesting.” It was exhausting, and it failed.
The truth is, most of us are overlooking the most durable, profitable, and simple newsletter business model available. We think we need fame. We don’t. We need to be useful.
I’m sharing the exact, unsexy framework I used. I’ll show you why a “boring” newsletter in a niche you already know is your greatest asset, how to structure the simple premium model, and the 5-step plan to launch yours in 2025.
The “Boring” Idea: Why I Chose a Niche Everyone Else Ignores
For two years, I tried to build a ‘cool’ newsletter. I wrote about “AI marketing hacks” and “the future of branding.”
I was competing with everyone. I burned out trying to sound smarter than the thousands of other people writing about the exact same topics.
I had 2,000 subscribers and was making $50 a month from affiliates. It was a failure.
My “aha!” moment came from my 9-to-5. I was a mid-level manager in supply chain logistics.
My “boring” job was to read dense, 80-page reports on new shipping regulations. I’d then have to summarize the three key points for my VP.
I realized that was the value. Professionals don’t pay for “content.” They pay for information.
They pay for analysis that saves them time or insights that make them money. A “sexy” newsletter shares a viral tweet about a new AI tool.
My “boring” newsletter analyzes how a new shipping regulation will impact Q4 margins for e-commerce brands. Which one do you think a VP of Operations will pay for?
This is the “100 True Customers” model. Forget “1,000 True Fans.” You don’t need 20,000 hobbyists paying $1. You need 100 companies paying $200/month. That’s $240,000 ARR.
It’s a different mindset. Stop trying to be interesting. Start being valuable.
The Simple Business Model: One Problem, One Solution, One Price
Here’s the part that will either shock you or bore you. My $240,000 ARR business model has one line item: a premium subscription.
That’s it.
No ads. No affiliate links. No sponsors. No $500 courses or $5,000 bootcamps.
The ‘creator’ world wants you to build a complex value ladder. I rejected it. The ad-based model is a trap. Let’s do the math.
Path 1: The Ad Model To make $240,000 at a (very high) $25 CPM (cost per mille), you need 9,600,000 email impressions per year.
Path 2: The Simple Premium Model To make $240,000, you need 1,000 subscribers paying $20/month.
Which one feels more achievable?
My structure is simple: I send one free “teaser” email a month. This is my best analysis to show non-subscribers what they’re missing. The other three weekly emails are for paid subscribers only.
Platforms like Substack, Beehiiv, and Ghost are built for this. You can set it up in an afternoon.
My value proposition is crystal clear: “I am not a writer. I am a researcher and analyst. You pay me $20/month to spend 10 hours a week reading dense industry reports so you don’t have to.”
My “Boring” Content Strategy That Attracts High-Value Readers
My content will never win a writing award. It’s not supposed to. My readers don’t pay me to be entertained. They pay me to get to the point.
I don’t write “articles.” I write “briefings.”
Every paid email I send follows the same repeatable 3-part template.
- The Data Point: One new statistic, regulation, or market shift. (e.g., “The Port of LA just changed its container processing fee.”)
- The Analysis: “Why this matters.” (A 2-sentence summary. e.g., “This adds an average of 4% to landed costs for goods from Asia. It will hit Q4 margins.”)
- The Action Item: “What to do about it.” (3 bullet points for a manager. e.g., “1. Audit your last 10 shipments. 2. Get new quotes from your freight forwarder. 3. Model a 4% cost increase for Q4.”)
That’s the whole email. It’s 300 words. My readers can get the full value in 60 seconds.
My research process is “boring,” too. I don’t browse social media for ideas. I read trade journals, SEC filings, and government reports.
This “boring” content creates near-zero churn. Why? Because it becomes part of my readers’ weekly workflow. It’s a tool, not a magazine.
If they stop reading, they feel “out of the loop” and at a disadvantage to their competitors.
I’m not trying to get “likes.” I’m trying to become a line item in their company’s software budget.
This is the analyst-as-creator model pioneered by people like Ben Thompson (Stratechery). It’s the most durable model on the internet.
The “Overlooked” Growth Plan: How I Got My First 1,000 Paying Subscribers
If my content is “boring,” my growth strategy is even “slower.”
It’s manual. And it’s the most effective thing I did.
I didn’t try to go viral on TikTok or run Facebook ads. I focused on getting my first 100 paying customers one by one.
My 3-Part Growth Engine:
1. Manual LinkedIn Outreach I found 50 people on LinkedIn with “Logistics Director” in their title. I sent them my first issue (as a Google Doc) for free. My message was simple: “Hi [Name], I’m a fellow logistics pro and I’m writing a weekly brief on [My Niche]. You’re an expert in this, and I’d be honored to get your feedback on my first issue.”
I asked for feedback, not a subscription. Ten of those 50 replied. Five of them became my first paying customers.
2. Niche Guest Posts I didn’t write for Forbes or a big blog. I wrote one guest post for a “boring” industry trade blog. The one all my ideal customers read. It wasn’t sexy, but it drove 50 highly-qualified leads in 48 hours.
3. Private Communities I didn’t ask “How do I go viral?” I asked, “Where do 100 of my ideal customers already hang out online?” The answer was private Slack groups and old-school forums for my industry. I went there and was genuinely helpful for a month. Then, I shared a link to my newsletter. This was my single biggest driver of subscribers.
I used a 2-week free trial that showed the full value. After that, a hard paywall. This creates urgency. This doesn’t scale to millions. But it scales to $240k ARR. You pick.
Your 5-Step Action Plan for 2026 (The “Boring” Model)
Okay, let’s make this actionable for you. Right now. For 2026.
You have a $100k/year newsletter idea in your head right now. You just think it’s “boring.” Good.
- Step 1: Find Your “Boring” Superpower. Look at your resume, not your hobbies. What do you know from your 9-to-5 job that others would pay to learn? What meetings do you sit in? What reports do you read? That’s your niche.
- Step 2: Define Your $20/mo Problem. What is a small, recurring, expensive problem for a specific professional? (e.g., “SaaS marketers don’t know what Google Ads policies changed this week.” “Local real estate agents can’t track new zoning laws.”)
- Step 3: Choose Your Simple Stack. Pick one platform (like Beehiiv or Substack). Pick one “research” source (like a trade journal or government database). That’s it. Don’t build a website. Don’t start a podcast.
- Step 4: Get Your First 10 Customers Manually. Write your first issue in a Google Doc. Email it to 20 people you found on LinkedIn. Ask for feedback. Convert 5 of them. Your business is now profitable.
- Step 5: Systematize Your Content. Create your 3-part template (Data, Analysis, Action). Block 4 hours on your calendar. Repeat every single week. Consistency is the product.
Stop Chasing Fame, Start Being Useful
You don’t need to be a celebrity to build a $240,000/year business online. You just need to be relentlessly useful to a specific group of people.
This simple newsletter business model works because it’s boring, focused, and valuable. It’s not about fame; it’s about utility.
Stop overlooking your ‘boring’ expertise.
What’s one problem from your day job you could solve in a weekly email?