Interview Date: February 23, 2025
Table of Content
- Meet Maya Sayvanova
- Newsletter Identity Card
- Tools she uses to run her newsletter
- How she started Smarter Solopreneurs
- How she grew over 4,000 subcribers
- How Medium contributes to her newsletter growth
- Her paid subscription strategies
- Personal & professional impact of running a newsletter
MEET THE CREATOR
Maya is an online writer with copywriting & marketing expertise with a yearly revenue of $100K. She started her solo business of writing in 2014, and now she thinks that solopreneurship is the future of work.
She also runs a newsletter called “Smarter Solopreneurs” on Substack with over 4,000 subscribers and 70+ paid ones.
In this interview, we’ll explore:
- Why she added a newsletter to her $100K business
- How her Medium account with 20,000 followers contributes to her newsletter
- How her solopreneurship turned into a successful newsletter with over 70 paid subscribers
Enjoy!
NEWSLETTER IDENTITY CARD
TOOL STACK
- ESP: Substack
- Curation & Note taking: iPhone Notes
- Productivity: ChatGPT
- Design of visuals design: Canva
- Payments: Stripe
START
You make $100K+ per year writing online. How and why did you start a newsletter in the first place? What is the role of Smart Solopreneurs in your professional life?
I built my $100K business “in the dark”. I used Fiverr and recommendations to get copywriting clients, but I had no meaningful online presence, and no e-mail list.
It goes to show you you don’t need a huge (or any) following to make 6 figures.
But I got a little tired of client work.
In 2019, I discovered Medium and began to earn from writing what I wanted to write, not what clients needed.
I discovered that a lot of people wanted to achieve results I’ve already achieved, to build a solo business and live a no-boss, no-day-job life.
That’s why I decided to focus on building content around being a solopreneur, and built Smarter Solopreneurs to support that.
GROWTH
Which strategies did you use to grow over 4,000 subscribers?
0 – 1,000 Subscribers
The first 100 were the hardest.
“I answered questions in FB groups and invited people to join. I posted an invitation to join my newsletter at the end of every Medium article. It took me 4 months to get to 100. Then I started getting some traction.”
I started using Notes more, but more to comment and engage with others than to post. That’s how I started getting recommendations.
“I’d say recommendations and Medium were the main driver behind the first 1,000.”
1,000 – 2,500 Subscribers
I did a few guest appearances and invited a few writers to write guest posts for my newsletter. This really helped, too.
2,500+ Subscribers
I’m posting on Notes more lately, and it’s working. I’m at 4,000 now.
You have 20,000 followers on Medium where you have been publishing content since 2021. (see here) How does Medium contribute to your newsletter growth? Which strategies do you use to convert your Medium followers into newsletter subscribers?
That’s a great question and I’ll tell you this:
“My strategy is simplicity. I don’t have a freebie. I just never liked it as a strategy, so I just invite people to join the newsletter at the end of articles. That’s it!”
I think it makes sense, because you’re subscribing to get someone’s content, right? And you just read an example of that content, right? So if you liked it, you’ll subscribe.
I am thinking about building a freebie lately, just to test it out, but I am happy with my Medium growth. The platform has brought over 500 subscribers so far.
Regarding growth efforts, what would you do differently if you had a chance to start over?
Maybe post on Notes more right from the start.
MONETIZATION
How does your newsletter contribute to your revenue of $100K+ per year? What percentage does it cover?
Not a lot yet. It brought in almost $6K in paid subscriptions in 2024, and about $1,5K in product sales. This is the first year I’m selling digital products and I’m starting with micro-products priced at $10-$50, so that’s still decent.
I’ve also had one sponsorship opportunity at $400. It was an accident, it came from an event I attended, but I intend to do more about that next year.
Paid subscription is the main monetization channel for your newsletter. How did you decide it was the right time for you to apply paid subscription?
I turned on paid when I had about 180 subscribers. It was 1st of December 2023, 5 months after I started it.
“I think the sooner you turn on paid, the better. It allows you to start testing different methods to see how to get paid subscribers, and it increases the quality of your newsletter.”
How many paid subscribers do you have? What are your strategies to convert free subscribers into paid ones or to gain new paid subscribers?
I have 71 paid subscribers. I’ve tried different strategies for converting free to paid: from simply locking content to creating offers with bonuses, and recently did a discount offer for the first time ever.
What are the biggest lessons you’ve learned from running a successful paid subscription?
Offers definitely work better but there might be a few cancelations after that because some people take advantage of the offer and then change their minds. However, growth is still faster overall and it’s worth it.
IMPACT & LEARNINGS
How did building Smarter Solopreneurs newsletter contribute to your life professionally and personally?
I love having this community. It’s full of awesome people, a few of them are really my “true fans” and it keeps you going when you feel stuck (which I do, too, like everyone else). It’s been growing at a good rate and making some money, and it’s also been great for selling digital products and testing ideas.
What would you do differently if you had a chance to start over Smarter Solopreneurs?
Pff, that’s a good question. Maybe nothing.
“I see mistakes looking back, but each mistake has taught me something I couldn’t know without making it. Testing is everything in marketing.”
You need to test to find what works. And I did a lot of tests. So I wouldn’t change anything.
What would it be if you had the right to give one piece of advice to aspiring newsletter creators?
To go for it. And I mean, really go for it, not just start a newsletter and never post anything. Commit to posting once per week and writing one note per day. Give it a few months and you’d be surprised at the result.
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Where to Find Maya Sayvanova
- “Smarter Solopreneurs” Newsletter
- Medium
- X
