Hi there {{first_name}},

I’ve never identified as a content creator, although I have a ton of respect for people who are really taking professional content creation to the next level. I do create, but the purpose is not to grow followers or impressions, but to serve my community with high value content.

And for this reason, when I first joined X after being Clubhouse, my account grew very slowly. This was a drastic contrast to going viral on Clubhouse and growing a community what felt like overnight thanks to the launch of ChatGPT and my One Click Course Creator prompt template.

It wasn’t until I stepped back into my full identity as a community builder (something I had established in my education career and time on Clubhouse) that I saw growth and started really making valuable connections. The only problem was, I didn’t want to build on a community platform off of X… I wanted to keep my community right where I had found them.

But I needed a way to still make it mine and own my community data (ie. email list) so I wasn’t dependent on a social media platform for access to my audience.

This is when I decided to start a community newsletter and it’s the best decision I’ve made for my business and brand.

Did you recently see an ad for beehiiv in a newsletter? We’re running a short brand lift survey to understand what’s actually breaking through (and what’s not).

It takes about 20 seconds, the questions are super easy, and your feedback directly helps us improve how we show up in the newsletters you read and love.

If you’ve got a few moments, we’d really appreciate your insight.

Take the survey.

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Most people start a newsletter thinking about content.
What should I write about
How often should I send
How do I grow faster

That mindset turns a newsletter into a broadcast channel.

The shift happens when you realize this instead:

Your newsletter is a community before it is a product.

Not a loud one.
Not a chatty one.
But a real one built on trust, attention, and service.

It is easy to reduce subscribers to numbers.

Open rates.
Click rates.
Growth charts.

Those metrics matter, but they are not always great indicators.

The real work happens upstream.

Each subscriber is a person who raised their hand and said:
I want to hear from you.

That is not an audience asking to be entertained.
That is a group asking to be led, supported, and helped.

When you see subscribers as people you serve, everything changes.

What you write
How you write
What you offer
When you monetize

Broadcasting sounds like this:

Here is what I think
Here is what I made
Here is what I am selling

Serving sounds like this:

Here is what I noticed you struggling with
Here is what helped me
Here is something useful you can apply this week

A community forms when readers feel seen, not targeted.

They do not need constant calls to action.
They need relevance, consistency, and care.

That is why small newsletters often outperform big ones.

Trust compounds faster than reach.

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Many founders avoid the word community because they picture:

Slack channels
Discord servers
Daily moderation
Constant engagement

A newsletter based community is quieter and more sustainable.

It runs on rhythm instead of noise.

Weekly presence
Clear point of view
Predictable value

You do not need everyone talking to each other.

You need people who feel connected to you.

That connection is enough to create momentum.

When a newsletter is treated as a product first, monetization feels forced.

When a newsletter is treated as a community first, monetization feels natural.

You start to notice patterns.

Questions people ask repeatedly
Problems that keep surfacing
Requests for deeper help

Those signals tell you what to build.

Courses
Workshops
Services
Tools

The best offers do not come from brainstorming sessions.

They come from paying attention.

Before you hit send, ask yourself 3 questions:

If you can answer those questions, you are not broadcasting.

You are serving.

And service is what turns subscribers into supporters, buyers, and advocates.

Algorithms change.
Platforms shift.
Trends fade.

Communities last.

A newsletter built on service becomes:

A trusted weekly touchpoint
A feedback loop for ideas
A foundation for sustainable revenue

You do not need a massive list to build something meaningful.

You need alignment between what you write and who you are serving.

Start there.

The product will follow.

That’s all for now,

Christel

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