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- CREATOR INTERVIEW | First 1000 by Ali Abouelatta
CREATOR INTERVIEW | First 1000 by Ali Abouelatta
From zero to 60K subscribers in less than 3 years with no audience
Tinh Nguyen
January 28th, 2024
Welcome to X With Me!👋
This is Tinh - the founder of X With Me, the newsletter all about Learn & Growth for founders and creators.
Every Monday (For Founders), you will read the unique growth story of a different brand and learn more about how to start, grow and become a big tech
Every Sunday (For Creators), you will read the unique journey of a different newsletter creator and learn more about how to start, grow and monetize your own newsletter.
Today’s guest is who is the creator of First 1000, the newsletter diving deep into how founders got their first 1000 customers.
Ali grew his newsletter from zero to 60K subscribers in less than 3 years with no audience. How? He worked and experimented a lot!
However, despite the huge e-mail list, he doesn’t monetize his newsletter.
He sees his newsletter as his personal blog that helps him find answers to the questions he struggles with. It is not a business for him and doesn’t seem to be in the near future.
Ali already wrote two detailed articles about all his experimentation, growth hacks, and what works and what doesn’t. I highly recommend reading these two pieces that every indie newsletter creator should study carefully. I think both are masterpieces providing a lot to learn and explore.
He is currently working on another article where he will share all the secrets behind how he grew from 10K to 60K subscribers in a detailed way. So stay tuned for it. In the meantime, you can also check out Chenell Basilio’s great deep dive on “How First 1000 grew to 60K”.
Considering all these resources, I didn’t ask Ali to explain growth tactics again in our interview. Instead, we discussed some of his key strategies, how he approaches his newsletter and his creative process.
He gave me a lot to get inspired by.
Now, passing the mic to today’s creator, Ali Abouelatta.
When starting a newsletter, there are plenty of choices. But there’s only one publishing tool built to help you grow your publications as quickly and sustainably as possible.
beehiiv was founded by some of the earliest employees of the Morning Brew, and they know what it takes to grow a newsletter from zero to millions.
The all-in-one publishing suite comes with built-in growth tools, customization, and best-in-class analytics that actually move the needle - all in an easy-to-use interface.
Not to mention—responsive audience polls, a custom referral program, SEO-optimized webpages, and so much more.
If you’ve considered starting a newsletter, there’s no better place to get started and no better time than now.
⌨️ CREATOR’S COCOON
This is where Ali writes those incredible First 1000 articles. Great set-up, right?
And have you noticed the note Ali left for you on his desk? :)
🛠 Tool Stack
ESP (E-mail Service Provider) → Substack
Note Taking & Growth → Notion
Logo Design → Figma
Grammar Check → Grammarly & Chat GPT
👋 MEET THE CREATOR
Ali, an associate product manager at Duolingo, shares insights about his journey with First 1000, a journal open to the world. Let's dive into his motivations and experiences.
🥁 START
Q1: How and why did you decide to start First 1000?
Ali initiated First 1000 to synthesize information and develop personal frameworks. The 0→1000 customer journey angle aligned with his curiosity and desire for a focused scope.
🚀 GROWTH
Q2: Experiencing exponential growth after the second Product Hunt launch, how did you sustain this upward trend?
Ali attributes ongoing success to various strategies, including launching referrals and investing in SEO. The momentum from the product hunt campaign fueled continuous improvement in content creation.
Q3: The referral system plays a crucial role in your growth. Could you elaborate on how it works, and what are your key learnings?
Ali designed an "exploding referrals" system, emphasizing catering features to advocates. Focusing on quality over quantity avoids spam and complexity, ensuring a higher ROI.
Q4: Do you recommend guest posting for newsletter growth and personal brand strengthening?
Ali recommends guest posting to accelerate online credibility, fostering trust, and prompting creative thinking beyond newsletter constraints.
Q5: Opening a separate website after the product hunt launch, when is the right time for such a move?
Ali's decision was tactical, driven by the product hunt launch. He now benefits from traffic on his domain, emphasizing Substack's strong SEO support.
Q6: Leveraging social media with a modest Twitter following, how do you use it to grow your newsletter and strengthen your brand?
Still exploring social media, Ali finds authenticity key on Twitter, amplifying day-to-day conversations for a magical experience.
Q7: Reflecting on growth efforts, what would you do differently if starting over?
Ali suggests focusing more on writing quality content than growth hacking.
💸 MONETIZATION
Q8: Why don't you monetize your newsletter, considering its substantial subscriber base?
Ali sees his newsletter as a personal blog, a medium for self-expression rather than a business. He values sharing thoughts and questions without commercial intent.
Q9: Any plans to monetize in the future?
No, Ali envisions maintaining the non-commercial nature of his newsletter.
📩 E-MAIL SERVICE PROVIDER
Q10: Why did you choose Substack as your email service provider? What are the pros and cons?
Ali praises Substack's tools for writers, aligning with the company's mission. He appreciates the ongoing improvements and the platform's role in his journey.
🧩 SYSTEM & PRODUCTIVITY
Q11: Can you share your typical weekly process from creating to releasing a new issue?
Ali follows a rigid schedule with set hours for research, synthesis, and writing. Sundays involve spending extended hours compiling content.
Q12: How do you manage your time, balancing a full-time role at Duolingo with First1000?
Ali emphasizes the quality of time over quantity, tracking daily activities with a 1-3 rating to improve time allocation.
Q13: Your newsletter release schedule isn't consistent. How do you approach consistency and cope with occasional breaks?
Acknowledging the importance of consistency, Ali explains that life events sometimes necessitate breaks for self-care. The format of First 1000 allows flexibility.
Q14: How did writing First 1000 contribute to your life personally?
Ali values the connections made through the newsletter, meeting remarkable individuals that he wouldn't have encountered otherwise.
Q15: What's the biggest "aha" moment in your newsletter journey?
Discovering an unknown subscriber early in the journey marked a significant moment for Ali.
Q16: The most challenging part of writing a newsletter and how do you handle it?
Burnout poses a challenge, and Ali addresses it by taking extended breaks until inspiration returns.
Q17: Any big mistake along your newsletter journey?
Ali admits optimizing for perceived reader preferences was a mistake, leading to content he disliked.
🎯 FUTURE
Q18: With 60K subscribers, what's next on your newsletter journey?
Ali sets his sights on reaching 100K subscribers by 2025, focusing on continued growth and engagement.
FINAL WORDS
Thanks for having me. This was awesome!
Thank you so much, Ali.
Watching you build your tribe with 100K subscribers will be exciting!
That’s all for today. Thanks for reading.
If you liked reading this, don’t be shy to click the ❤️ button on this post and leave your comment (so that more people can discover it on Substack).
See you next Sunday.
When starting a newsletter, there are plenty of choices. But there’s only one publishing tool built to help you grow your publications as quickly and sustainably as possible.
beehiiv was founded by some of the earliest employees of the Morning Brew, and they know what it takes to grow a newsletter from zero to millions.
The all-in-one publishing suite comes with built-in growth tools, customization, and best-in-class analytics that actually move the needle - all in an easy-to-use interface.
Not to mention—responsive audience polls, a custom referral program, SEO-optimized webpages, and so much more.
If you’ve considered starting a newsletter, there’s no better place to get started and no better time than now.
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