Every founder I talk to knows they should have a newsletter. Most do not. The reasons are predictable: no time, not sure what to write, tried once and it fizzled. But the founders who do have consistent newsletters share something in common -- they close deals, attract talent, and build authority in ways that social media cannot replicate.
The Ownership Argument
When you build an audience on LinkedIn, Twitter, or Instagram, you are building on rented land. The algorithm decides who sees your content. The platform decides the rules. One policy change, one algorithmic shift, and your reach drops overnight. We have seen it happen repeatedly.
Your email list is different. You own it. Every subscriber opted in. Every email lands in their inbox regardless of what any algorithm decides. No pay-to-play. No engagement bait. Just your content, delivered directly to the people who asked for it.
The Economics
A newsletter subscriber is worth 3-10x more than a social media follower. Here is why:
- Attention quality: Email readers spend 2-5 minutes with your content. Social media scroll time per post is measured in seconds.
- Conversion rates: Email converts at 2-5% for most business offers. Social media converts at 0.1-0.5%.
- Lifetime value: An engaged newsletter subscriber stays subscribed for 18-36 months on average. Social media followers drift in and out of your content unpredictably.
- Direct revenue: Newsletters can be monetized through sponsorships, premium tiers, product sales, and referral programs. Social media monetization requires massive scale.
The Compounding Effect
A newsletter compounds in ways that social media posts do not. Every issue adds subscribers. Every subscriber increases the value of future issues. After 12 months of consistent publishing, you have an asset -- a direct line to hundreds or thousands of people who trust your perspective and want to hear from you.
That asset has concrete value. It generates leads. It attracts partners. It opens doors to speaking engagements, advisory roles, and business opportunities that would never appear otherwise.
Why Founders Specifically
Founders have a unique advantage in the newsletter space. You are building something. You are solving real problems. You have insights that come from operating in the trenches, not observing from the sidelines. Your audience -- whether customers, investors, or peers -- wants to hear those insights.
The founders who share their journey, their lessons, their perspective on the industry create magnetic personal brands. They become the person people think of when a problem arises in their domain. That top-of-mind awareness is priceless in business development.
The Time Problem
Of course, the reason most founders do not have a newsletter is time. Writing 1,000-2,000 words every week -- researching, drafting, editing, designing, sending -- takes 4-8 hours that most founders simply do not have.
That is exactly why Ted exists. Ted writes your newsletter in your voice, on your schedule, for your audience. You review and approve. Ted handles everything else. The result: you get the compounding benefits of a consistent newsletter without the time investment that kills most founders' attempts.