Starting a 1.7million reader email list with Sam Parr of TheHustle
Sam Parr is founder and CEO of TheHustle, a newsletter with 1.7 million readers a day.
We talk about how to start a giant newsletter, writing, conferences, happiness, validating business ideas and community.
Watch the full Sam Parr interview here:
We’ve chopped up this hefty interview into little digestible clips, and put them on a separate “clips” we hope you subscribe on YouTube:
▶️ Copywriting Course YouTube Channel
▶️ Copywriting Clips YouTube Channel (new)
Sam Parr originally worked for the TV show American Pickers, then started an online liquor store in college, then, started and ran a hotdog stand called Southern Sam’s: Wiener’s as Big as a Baby’s Arm, then started a roommate matching app called Bunk, which was then acquired by Apartment List.
When I first him he had an online store selling a poison ivy remedy called Itch Juice. Then he started a small conference called Bootstrap Live, which then turned into HustleCon, which then got really big and spun off a company called TheHustle which is a newsletter with around 1.3m readers a day. Then he spun off even more products like Hustle Trends and The Ideation Bootcamp.
The power of newsletters. “The math works out, and reach is better than social.”
- People primarily know you from your company TheHustle. At its core it’s just an email newsletter you send out everyday. Now it’s 1.3 million people or so.
- How did you start the newsletter? What’s the story behind it?
- Would you start a newsletter again today?
- Why is an email newsletter so powerful?
- What do you think of SubStack?
- “Building your business on Instagram (or whatever platform) is like building a store where the landlord jacks up the rent every 18 months.”
Where do you learn from? “You are annoyingly inquisitive.”
- You are annoyingly inquisitive. How much money do you make?? Who is your CEO?? What is their salary?? How did you hire them??
- Where do you learn from? Do you read? Podcasts?
What helped you succeed when you were young? (Between 18-25 years old):
- What are some actions you took in your young adult life (18-25) that benefitted you tremendously throughout your life this far?
How do you spot “good writing” or a “good writer?”
- How do you spot “Good Writing” ?
- You’re a naturally good writer it seems….was that a skill you learned or just intuitively knew.
- You first started Anti-MBA, a book club.
- What do you look for in a writer. Is it the resume?
- When someone applies, do you read their stuff?
- How would a writer get an interview with you.
What is copywriting? How did it affect your life?
- What value did copywriting have in your life.
- Copywriting as a skill. Not as a career.
- How many people Sam has got into the Copywriting Course.
Are conferences screwed? “Conferences are cool, but trade shows are where da money at.”
- You originally did Bootstrap Live → Then HustleCon → Grew That → Now fully digital.
- Are conferences screwed?
- Pro’s/Con’s of conferences.
- Trade shows can get far more money in sponsorships.
What do you get out of podcasting? “The reach is insane.”
- What do you get out of podcasting?
- How big is the reach?
- Easiness vs return?
How do you maintain a good Facebook Groups community and subscription product?
- You run the Trends.co group on Facebook.
- Do you constantly kick out members?
- How do you have time to participate so much?
- The Trends community is the only Facebook Group I ever check anymore.
- What makes it “good” ?
- How do you think about curating it?
How do you validate new business ideas?
- How do you go about validating if an idea can work?
- Ways you validate. Bootcamp.
- Jobs → Trends.
Why did you move to Austin? “Starting a community.”
- Why leave San Fran and live in Austin?
Happiness…what does it mean to you? “Wife, Dog, Nature.”
- What is a good life to you?
- You once posted a photo of you walking on some trail in the middle of nowhere. It said “Wife, dog, nature….what else do I need.” Do you think that’s true?
- Who is your ideal model for life?
- Follow Sam Parr:
If you're 21 and you have to start over, what would you do? #blogger #twitter
My favorite book, this is like my bible. #goodreads #bookreview #biography
How easy is Copywriting? We fixed this business with just a simple headline. #skills #learning
How I Increased This Busines Revenue By 50% In A Month Using Copywriting
Try This Copywriting Exercise (It's Very Funny)
New Way Of Making Money With Short Form Agencies
This book helped me change my perspective in life #goodreads #bookreview
Follow Sam Parr:
🖥 Website: TheHustle.co
🖥 Website: Trends.co
🖥 Website: Ideation Bootcamp
🐦 Twitter: @TheSamParr
This was a super fun conversation with one of my best buddies, and I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did!
Sincerely,
Neville Medhora – Copywriting Course
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