Juris Kristobans is a freelance photographer and newsletter creator. He’s sold two newsletters over the course of his writing career: The Email School and Modern Different. He agreed to an interview to share what he learned through the process, including the differences between his first experience and his second.
What newsletters did you sell?
I created and sold two newsletters over a six-month period.
I created The Email School to learn more and teach others about email marketing and newsletters. I thought it was an exciting topic, but I wasn't that excited. So I decided to sell it in September 2021. I am happy that I sold it instead of leaving it dormant. I learned a lot by going through the selling process. It was stressful, but I loved it.
I listed The Email School on Flippa and IndieMaker sites. I didn't know about other marketplaces. I didn't expect anyone to email me, but three people reached out to me from Flippa very shortly after the listing went live. They were interested in website stats because I was also selling the website with the best email marketing resources. Since there wasn't much incoming traffic, they weren't interested.
A couple of days later, I had a low four-figure offer on the IndieMaker site. I was curious about the sale. How do I transfer money? How do I transfer assets? What might happen if I do something wrong? I had more questions than answers. The IndieMaker site is linked together with Escrow. I got paid through Escrow, and the most critical part was to follow Escrow instructions.
Everything was pretty straightforward, except Escrow people asked us to sign an agreement at one point. It was challenging to figure out what is essential to mention in the contract. It was also somewhat complicated because I was in Europe, and the buyer was in the USA.
I found a very basic contract online. I wasn't sure whether I was ok with the contract, but I sent it to the buyer. He agreed, and we signed the deal using online document signing software. It took about one week to close the deal and receive the funds.
Even more recently, I sold Modern Different, a product discovery newsletter, through the Duuce. I loved this newsletter much more than the previous one because I love good quality products.
I had a much better experience in selling this asset since I already knew what to expect.
We had a virtual handshake, and I loved that. I felt I could 100% trust this person, and I offered to transfer all assets without a middleman, Escrow and contracts. He paid first. I sent out the last two newsletter issues and then transferred ownership of the website, social media, and email list. I sold it for a low four figures.
What got you interested in selling your newsletter?
I sold The Email School because of my lack of interest in email marketing and newsletters. I created it because of the worldwide “newsletter boom.” Everybody talked about newsletters, and I thought I'd do the same. I was wrong. Do it because you love it.
I sold Modern Difference because it is tough to write something every week. I used to send this newsletter twice a week, then I reduced cadence to one time per week, but still, it was a lot of work. I also wanted to create a good website with a directory, interviews, and more things.
It started as a side project, and I thought it would take a few hours of my week. But it turned out to be much more time consuming. I needed to focus more on my main gig as a freelance photographer.
Why do you think buyers were interested in your newsletter?
I did not ask buyers why they wanted to buy the newsletter. People are often very attached to their creations and wish things stay the same, and new editors don't change much. I was happy to let it go, and people can do whatever they want to do.
It seems that The Email School newsletter is not running anymore. I guess the buyer purchased it with a dream to run a newsletter, but it turned out to be far too challenging to find time for researching and writing.
The Modern Different will be merged with another fabulous newsletter called The Slice. I think it makes a lot of sense. There are quite a lot of newsletters with tiny audiences.
What single action did you take that moved the needle the most?
I don't have an audience on social media, but I knew it was essential to get some traction early. The first thing that came to mind was to run ads. I gained the first few hundred subscribers by placing ads in other newsletters. I also cross-promoted with similar and better newsletters than mine. That felt good emotionally and fuelled me to keep going.
I also focused a lot on the newsletter and website design. I had excellent engagement early on because of the clean and clear newsletter layout. I managed to attract people that love nice and beautiful things. Existing subscribers told friends about the newsletter and asked them to subscribe. They were the best readers.
What are you working on right now?
I am taking a break from the newsletters. I admire people that create content regularly on YouTube, TikTok, or write a weekly newsletter. It is a very time consuming process to make quality content. I am not planning to start a new newsletter any time soon.
I am a freelance photographer. I mainly work with brands. I create content for their social media accounts and websites. I am not active on social media, but I try to convince myself to post on Twitter more often.
What advice would you give to other publishers?
If I started a newsletter again, I would look for a co-writer. It takes off a lot of pressure. It is easier to take a break when you need to or go on holiday. I know it is hard to do because most newsletters are very personal to people. I was far too attached to newsletters and didn't want to lose editorial freedom.
When I started a newsletter, I built a basic landing page on Carrd. But very soon after, I decided that I needed to have a good website with a product directory, interviews, etc. It was very time-consuming to update everything. I would have less stuff and features today.
If you know that you might sell your newsletter one day, I suggest documenting everything as you build things. It is much easier to hand something over if you have already collected all the information in one place.
Is there anything you’d like to add?
The best part about writing the newsletter is meeting interesting people. I would recommend everyone who loves writing to write a personal newsletter or blog. It opens doors to incredible opportunities.
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