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THE BIG PICTURE

1. How to Sell 200 Million Books (Using a Simple Strategy)

I’m currently rereading Cashvertising (highly recommended) and came across this fascinating anecdote about how Haldeman-Julius sold more than 200 million books in the 1920s and 1930s:

Side note: if you’re curious, the LF8 refers to "Life-Force 8",” which is a list of foundational desires that are common to everyone: 1) Survival, enjoyment of life, life extension, 2) Enjoyment of food and beverages, 3) Freedom from fear, pain, and danger, 4) Sexual companionship, 5) Comfortable living conditions, 6) To be superior, winning, keeping up with the Joneses, 7) Care and protection of loved ones, 8) Social approval.

Instead of changing the content of the books, Haldeman-Julius simply changed their titles and sales skyrocketed. In some cases, he saw a 4x boost, and in one extreme example, a book went from selling 0 copies to over 30,000!

This is exactly why I'm a big believer in spending a disproportionate amount of time crafting the title and subtitle of your book (or any digital product).

It's the single most powerful marketing lever you have.

Case in point:

A couple of days ago, I picked up a random book at a local bookstore just because it had an irresistible title: How to Teach Economics to Your Dog.

I even tweeted about it on the spot 👇️ 

REVENUE STREAMS

2. How Beehiiv Makes It Easy for Me to Monetize Ads

In last week’s newsletter, I talked about how I’m using Beehiiv for all my 3 newsletters (including the one you’re reading now).

Today, I want to show you how I actually make money from the platform using a real example.

A few days ago, I got the following email from Beehiiv:

Morning Brew wanted to sponsor this newsletter and offered $1.20 per click (uncapped).

The best part? I didn’t have to lift a finger beyond being on one of Beehiiv’s paid plans. That’s the beauty of their ad network.

Instead of spending time hunting down sponsors, I occasionally get pitches automatically whenever a relevant ad opportunity comes up.

Here’s what it looks like when I click View Opportunity:

I can even see an estimated total payout upfront. In this case, about $9.60 based on a 1.0% click-through-rate (CTR).

If the payout feels too low, or the sponsor isn’t a fit, or I don’t have any newsletters scheduled within their timeframe (Feb 28th to April 1st), I just click on Not the right fit for me and move on.

But if it looks like a good match, I simply select a date that works.

For example, I usually send Side Gig Hacks on Tuesdays so I selected April 1, 2025.

Next, I choose from pre-made ad variations (usually 4-6 options with different images and copy), pick the one I like, and hit Review and Accept.

From there, it’s almost set-and-forget.

All I have to do is include the ad in my newsletter on the chosen date, and that’s it. If you want a quick walkthrough of the process, here’s a short video of me doing it step-by-step.

And how does the ad actually show up?

You’re looking at one right now. It appears right below this section under the “Presented by” heading.

On that note, if you’d like to try Beehiiv for yourself to get paid writing newsletters, use my affiliate link to get 30 days free (and 20% off your first 3 months on any paid plan).

Click here to try Beehiiv for 30 days for free

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3. Get Your Business News from Morning Brew

This week’s newsletter is sponsored by Morning Brew. More details below

(Quick note: This is the actual ad I mentioned earlier. If you click the image or any of the links below, I earn a small commission. Whether or not you subscribe, I genuinely think Morning Brew is a fantastic newsletter and worth checking out.)

Your job called—it wants better business news

Welcome to Morning Brew—the world’s most engaging business newsletter. Seriously, we mean it.

Morning Brew’s daily email keeps professionals informed on the business news that matters, but with a twist—think jokes, pop culture, quick writeups, and anything that makes traditionally dull news actually enjoyable.

It’s 100% free—so why not give it a shot? And if you decide you’d rather stick with dry, long-winded business news, you can always unsubscribe.

Check it out

ONE-MINUTE HACKS

4. A Quick Side Gig Hack You Can Apply Today

Craft a title that does four things:

1. Grab attention (will it make someone curious?)

2. Explain the outcome (what will the reader gain?)

3. Explain the audience (who is this for?)

4. Include keywords (are the words familiar & likely to show up in organic searches?)

You don’t need all four, but more is better.