Why to Build a Separate Publication for Business Partners (Newsletter Monetization Strategy)

Alright my friend - buckle up and get ready. Last week, I told you how I built a second publication for Catskill Crew - one specifically for sponsors, separate from the main newsletter. (Read it here).

Today I’m gonna be revealing the exact email sequence I used to get $36,000 in advertising sales pipeline and 70%+ Open Rates.

Let me walk you through what I built and what it is doing for my business.

This sequence only works because every person on the list has already had some kind of contact with Catskill Crew. 

These are warm leads. Do not run this tactic scraped lists or cold contacts and expect the same numbers. The warmth is the whole point.

Currently, 141 highly qualified businesses are already in this sequence. 

Here’s the breakdown:

Email 1:  1 hour after adding them 

The job of this email is to make them feel recognised, not targeted. Here, I acknowledge that we have crossed paths and educate them on how Catskill Crew is different from any other email in their inbox. 

This is the foot in the door.

Email 2:  7 days later

Now that they understand Catskill Crew better, it’s time to give them proof on why it’s a great marketing channel for them. 

I like to show them strong proofs of results to drive the point home. 

And this one is closed softly with a call to action to reply.

Email 3: 4 days later 

Now I show what working together actually looks like - featured ad placements, featured events, collaborative experiences, and business updates. 

This is still not a pitch. The goal is to get them from "interested" to "I can picture this for my business."

There’s one thing I make clear here: I am picky about who I work with. This is because not every partnership is going to be beneficial for their business or for my readers. The more relevant the business is, the higher conversions it will achieve and the better subscriber experience it will create. 

So, when it is a fit, businesses often see sold-out events, top click-through rates, and inbound interest. This is always my goal. 

Email 4: 6 days later 

I’ve observed that partners might not even know the options available to them in terms of how they can collaborate with Catskill Crew. So, I like to keep this one focused on the various types of partnerships we offer. 

The goal here is to show movement, excitement, and opportunities for partnership. 

Pro tip: Inject some actual personality to create excitement and human connection.

Email 5: Final email 

This one is short and this one is sweet.

By now they have heard from me four times. They know what Catskill Crew is. They know what results look like. They know how to get started. 

If they are still opening these emails - There. Is. Interest.

The ones who do not convert here still stay on the list and hear from me via regular business updates. Something I often see is businesses reach out after months of silently following along. 

Potential partners on your list are still watching. They see the events you run, the partnerships you close, the community you are building. And when the timing is right, you are already top of mind. 

This tactic directly expands your surface area of luck.

After I rebuilt this sequence from scratch, I got $36,000 in my inbound pipeline with $7,000 converted in 3 days.

I documented the entire thing - every subject line, the exact copy I use. And now you have it here:

I was able to get these results just through my local media newsletter.