From 0 to 100,000 Subscribers in 1.5 Years: The Morning Crunch Newsletter Playbook

About this episode

Every morning, Morning Crunch reaches over 100,000 readers with their newsletter formats. What's impressive: the team only started at the end of 2023. Paul Ostwald, founder of Morning Crunch, reveals in conversation with Fabian Tausch how this rapid ascent was achieved.

Why newsletters are booming right now

Newsletters are experiencing a renaissance – and for good reason. They offer something social media cannot: a direct, independent connection to readers. No algorithm changes from Google or Meta can affect this relationship. "Newsletters enable you to build a real community without being dependent on platforms," Paul explains.

With six different formats – from stock market topics to M&A and crypto – Morning Crunch has proven that specialized content works in Germany. The key lies not in the size of the target audience, but in its quality and engagement.

Getting started: From zero to first subscribers

How do you win your first newsletter subscribers? Paul emphasizes the importance of a clear value proposition: "You need to know from the start what problem you're solving for your readers." For Morning Crunch, that was making complex financial topics understandable.

The first subscribers often come from your own network, but you need to grow beyond that quickly. Various growth strategies play a role here:

• –Referral marketing: Existing readers recommend the newsletter
• –Paid ads: Targeted advertising on relevant platforms
• –Cross-promotion: Partnerships with other newsletter operators
• –Content marketing: High-quality content that gets shared organically

Monetization: When does it become profitable?

One of the most common questions from newsletter starters: When can you make a living from it? Paul is realistic here: "You should think about monetization from the start, but don't expect it to work immediately."

At Morning Crunch, monetization runs mainly through advertising partners. CPMs (cost per thousand impressions) vary depending on the target audience and quality of the newsletter list. Particularly important: Not every newsletter is equally valuable to advertisers. An engaged, affluent readership is often more important than pure reach.

Advertising partners typically take notice at around 10,000-20,000 subscribers, but the really interesting deals often only emerge at higher numbers. "Small but very specific target groups can often be surprisingly profitable," Paul explains.

The right tools for newsletter success

Paul recommends three essential tools for newsletter starters:

1. –Newsletter platform: Beehiiv has proven particularly user-friendly
2. –Analytics tools: To understand and optimize reader behavior
3. –Content creation tools: AI can help significantly here, but shouldn't replace the human touch

Particularly interesting is the use of AI at Morning Crunch. "AI helps us with content creation and analytics tracking, but strategic decisions are still made by us humans," Paul emphasizes.

Content strategy: Building trust and retaining readers

Morning Crunch's success is based on a clear content strategy. Every newsletter must provide concrete added value – whether through contextualizing complex topics, exclusive insights, or simply saving readers time.

"Trust is a newsletter's most valuable asset," says Paul. "Once lost, it's very hard to rebuild." That's why Morning Crunch focuses on quality over quantity and transparency with sponsored content.

Outlook: What's next?

The newsletter market in Germany is still in its infancy – compared to the US, there's enormous potential here. Paul sees particularly big opportunities in B2B niches for new newsletter formats.

His tip for newsletter starters: "Start small, but think big. Find a niche you really understand and build a loyal community there. Monetization will almost come naturally."

Morning Crunch's success shows: With the right strategy, appropriate tools, and above all consistent execution, successful newsletter businesses can be built in German-speaking markets too. The direct connection to readers makes newsletters one of the most valuable marketing tools of our time.