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Hi 👋🏻
This is the first Tuesday of 2026, and I am very excited about Insideletter this year.
I have many plans, and I am constantly working on it to make it better and the best source for building a one-person newsletter business.
Today, I am talking about Newsletter Circle by Ciler.
Problem
Newsletter Circle and Insideletter are almost the same. Insideletter helps you build a one-person, standalone newsletter business, but it is a bit vague, right?
Ciler had the same problem. When she started Newsletter Circle, she initially positioned it as ‘A newsletter for newsletter creators.’
That was too broad.
So she narrowed it down to: ‘A newsletter for creators building newsletter businesses.’
Why this mattered is that you can monetise a newsletter in many different ways.
Sponsorships
Digital products
Affiliates
Events and webinars
Paid subscriptions
Ciler chose one monetisation model to focus on: paid subscriptions.
But positioning includes more than just monetisation.
Positioning is why someone chooses you.
What problem are you known for?
What makes you different?
Why ‘you’ instead of another newsletter?
I did some ideation for Insideletter to show this in action.
Broad idea:
‘I help people build a newsletter business.’
Positioning statement:
‘I help coaches build a newsletter business without social media.’
The same thing happened with Ciler. By narrowing her positioning, she removed friction.
Earlier, she was appealing to everyone. Now, she is appealing specifically to people on Substack who want to build a paid newsletter.
The 7 main ways to position your newsletter
1. Outcome-based positioning
Position your newsletter around a clear, specific result.
Examples:
Helping creators get their first 1,000 subscribers.
Turning a newsletter into a $5k/month business.
2. Speed-based positioning
Position your newsletter around how fast results are achieved.
Examples:
Growing a newsletter in 30 days.
Going from zero to monetised in 90 days.
3. Effort-based positioning
Position your newsletter around reducing effort or complexity.
Examples:
Building a newsletter in 30 minutes a day.
Growing without social media.
4. Method-based positioning
Position your newsletter around a specific system or approach.
Examples:
Using a Twitter-to-newsletter growth system.
Building with an AI-assisted writing workflow.
5. Identity-based positioning
Position your newsletter around who the reader is or wants to become.
Examples:
For solo founders who dislike sales calls.
For creators who want ownership instead of algorithms.
6. Anti-positioning (contrarian angle)
Position your newsletter by clearly rejecting common advice.
Examples:
Stop chasing growth and start building leverage.
Why most newsletter growth advice doesn’t work.
7. Authority- or proof-based positioning
Position your newsletter around experience, results, or credibility.
Examples:
Lessons from growing a newsletter to 50,000 subscribers.
What actually worked after building multiple newsletters.
Now let me tell you why Ciler’s newsletter is working now.
Why it works now
Ciler was appealing to a mass audience earlier, so even if people were interested, many skipped her newsletter because they were unsure whether it solved their specific problem.
Once she fixed the positioning, people started reading consistently. Today, more than 5,000 subscribers read her newsletter, and she also has paid subscribers.
Now it is time for you to fix your positioning. Do not serve everyone. Serve one.
Be the niche. Let people follow you because you offer something that no one else does.
Join the Insideletter community
I’d love to invite you to join the Insideletter community, where I help you build a 1-person newsletter business.
You can join here. Only £19/m.
Thanks for checking today’s edition. I hope you’ll fix this positioning now.
Anirban ‘helping you fix the newsletter positioning’ Das
