If you are reading this, there is a good chance you have a newsletter graveyard somewhere. A Mailchimp account with 347 subscribers and a last-sent date of August 2024. A Substack with six published posts and an abandoned draft titled "Issue #7 - Coming Soon."
You are not alone. The majority of newsletters launched by founders and marketers go silent within 90 days. Here is why, and what to do about it.
The Five Reasons Newsletters Die
1. The Time Commitment Was Underestimated
Most founders budget 1-2 hours per issue in their minds. The reality is 4-6 hours when you include topic ideation, research, writing, editing, design, and scheduling. That gap between expectation and reality creates a growing sense of dread around newsletter day.
The fix: Reduce the scope of each issue (800 words instead of 2,000), switch to a curated format that requires less original writing, or hand the production to Ted and reclaim those hours entirely.
2. Perfectionism Killed the Schedule
You missed one week. Then the next issue felt like it needed to be extra good to "make up" for the gap. That pressure made it harder to write, so you missed another week. The gap grew. Each subsequent issue felt more intimidating. Eventually, the newsletter became a source of guilt rather than a creative outlet.
The fix: Publish imperfect content on schedule. A B-plus newsletter published on time is infinitely more valuable than an A-plus newsletter published never. Consistency is the strategy. Quality improves with reps.
3. No Feedback Loop
You published five issues. Nobody replied. Nobody commented. You had no idea if anyone was reading or caring. Without positive reinforcement, the motivation to continue evaporated.
The fix: Ask for engagement explicitly. End each issue with a question. "Reply and tell me what you think." Even 2-3 responses per issue provide the motivation to keep going. Track your analytics -- open rates and click rates are silent feedback that tells you people are paying attention even when they do not reply.
4. Topic Exhaustion
You started strong because you had 5-10 topics saved up. By issue six, you had used them all and faced the blank page with nothing queued. The energy shifted from "I get to write about this cool thing" to "I need to come up with something to write about."
The fix: Build a content calendar before you start. Map out 3-6 months of topics using the pillar framework. Keep a running list of ideas (a simple note on your phone works). Subscribe to industry sources that feed you raw material.
5. No Growth Meant No Motivation
Your subscriber count was flat. Writing to the same 200 people every week felt like shouting into a void. Without visible growth, the investment of time did not feel justified.
The fix: Separate content quality from growth. A newsletter of 200 highly engaged subscribers is valuable. But if growth matters to you (and it should), implement the growth tactics covered in our subscriber growth guide. Growth begets motivation begets consistency begets more growth.
How to Revive a Dead Newsletter
If your newsletter has been dormant for months, here is the relaunch playbook:
Step 1: Clean the list. Remove anyone who has not opened an email in the last 6 months. Your deliverability has likely suffered during the dormancy. A clean list gives you a fresh start.
Step 2: Send a relaunch email. Be honest. "I took a break. I am back. Here is what you can expect going forward." No apologies. No lengthy explanations. Just a clear, confident statement of intent.
Step 3: Commit to a reduced frequency. If you were sending weekly before, start with biweekly. Lower the activation energy. You can always increase frequency once the habit is reestablished.
Step 4: Pre-write 4-6 issues. Before you send the relaunch, have a month of content ready. This buffer protects you from the spiral of missed deadlines.
Step 5: Consider bringing in help. If the newsletter died because of time or energy, those constraints have not changed. Ted can handle the writing, design, and sending so you only need to review and approve. The newsletter gets published. You get the credit. Everyone wins.