01
Products
How are your products set up, and is anyone being walked up the ladder?
The philosophy
Marketing works. That's the problem.
The first time you do some heavy advertising to your list, you'll be shocked by how well it works. It will work so well that you're going to want to do it again, and again, and again. Soon enough, you'll be Oklahoma in the 1930s.
I've watched a publisher go from tens of millions a year to bankruptcy. They kept adding more sends and more products, and it worked right up until subscribers realized they were being treated as targets instead of customers.
Average revenue per user is the lifeblood of a newsletter. Raising it takes two things: subscribers who keep renewing, and a ladder of higher-priced products your best readers can climb. Both depend on readers feeling they get more from you than they pay. Fewer, better campaigns compound, and a list you treat well is worth more every year.
What I do
Two ways to work together
01 · Growth Review
A deep look at the whole business
I go through your newsletter across nine areas, from products and pricing to renewals and editorial. I don't just hand over a report, either. I fix some things myself along the way.
02 · Launch Campaign
A full back-end launch
Built around something you're genuinely excited about: the offer, the build-up, the order form and the follow-up emails. I'm paid on revenue share, so my upside is tied to yours.
The review
Nine questions about your business
02
Pricing
Do your tiers make sense, and is there a lifetime option at all?
03
Offers
Is there an actual offer, or just a subscribe button?
04
Promotional calendar
How often do you sell, and is the list over-fished?
05
Discovery
Is your best writing reaching new readers, or published once and forgotten? Does everywhere you show up point back to your list?
06
Funnel & checkout
What does the path to buying look like, and where does it leak?
07
After the purchase
What happens between "payment succeeded" and a new subscriber's first week?
08
Retention & renewals
Are you watching months one, three and six, or finding out about churn at renewal?
09
Editorial
Who does the writing actually serve, and is it enjoyable enough to keep reading?
About me
Ten years inside financial publishing
I'm James Driver. I've worked at Stansberry Research, InvestorPlace, TradeSmith and MarketWise, on everything from starting a newsletter from scratch to the biggest operations in the industry: building lists, running launches and getting more out of every customer relationship.
The Means Company is my own firm.
- Your money stays yours.Campaigns run on your own Stripe account. I never hold your payment keys and can't charge your customers.
- Quick wins first.I start with fixes you can see in the first week, like what a new subscriber gets the moment after they pay. You shouldn't have to wait months to know this was worth it.
- No hype.If an offer leans on claims you can't stand behind, I'll be the one telling you to cut them.
Now booking
Taking on a few founding clients
I'm working with a small number of independent financial newsletters while the firm is new. If you publish one and want a second set of eyes on the business, send me a note telling me what you publish and what's on your mind.
Email jdriver@themeansco.com