Ready for a gatekeeper-free platform?
Start your newsletter, build a body of work, and get your words out to the world.
Refine your idea. Set a sustainable schedule. Send it to new fans.
Without tech headaches or cursing out Substack.
Voxer for feedback & 3-hour call to put on the finishing touches and launch that day!
All on your schedule - one-on-one support.
Hello, lovely writer!
Let me guess, you want to be able to write what you actually care about? Without waiting for an agent or editor to say it's okay.
The good news: An audience makes that happen.
The even better news: A newsletter is the best way to build an audience.
You don’t have to post on social media every day, get on TikTok, or try some weird marketing thing that feels like crap.
You just have to write and share your work.
Aka, the thing you’re already good at.
Here are just a few cool things about having a newsletter:
Consistency & Confidence
Did I have a good writing routine before my newsletter? Hell no. I wrote when I had a deadline and freaked out the rest of the time. Yet, I haven’t missed a newsletter in 2 ½ years.
Having an audience to write for makes you want to write.
With that consistency, your skills grow, your confidence increases, and you’re ready to take on even bigger writing goals.
No Algorithms to Ruin Your Day
Twitter could explode any moment…even more than it already has. Social media platforms are inherently unstable, so all your followers can disappear with one billionaire tantrum. Email has no algorithms. Even if the Substack fad fades, email will stick around. Whether Zuck destroys Facebook in the metaverse or Musk makes Wingdings the default font, you’ll be able to stay in touch with your audience. A key to building a platform for your writing career.
Cash Possibilities
Newsletters are not an overnight cash cow. But having an audience that loves what you write leads to all kinds of possibilities. Whether you want to sell your books, grow your podcast, offer courses, move merch, or get new clients, a newsletter gives you a pool of people who want your work. My first workshop made $2000 from a list of 250. Since then I’ve made over $110,000 each year - every penny of that from my newsletter.
Whether you're...
- A freelance writer who wants a creative outlet of their own
- A fiction writer trying to build a platform to sell your books
- A coach/business owner who wants to grow their client base without feeling like a ShamWow salesman
You're in the right place!
Imagine sitting down to write and knowing there's an audience already there, waiting to hear from you.
It would make it pretty easy to keep writing, right? That's what newsletters do.
They connect you to fans, earn you new ones, and make you want to write consistently in your unique voice.
Introducing…
Start Your Newsletter in a Week
The 6 Day Live Intensive to Launch Your Newsletter & Build a Platform For Your Writing Career
- Guided lessons to launch your newsletter with no distractions
- 5 one-hour lessons (one per day) to get through all creative and tech obstacles
- Finish copy, design, and a month's content plan in barely more time than Killers of the Flower Moon
- Find out how to get subscribers in minutes (not tons, but you'll launch to at least 5 people)
- Tech tutorials to set up your newsletter on Substack, Convertkit, or MailerLite
- Slack group for accountability and feedback - The group is available 24/7 (minus the time I eat and sleep) to answer your questions, help you through hurdles, and keep you on track to launch that week. Easy accountability you can fit into your day.
- Live Call to Launch Together -On whatever date you choose, we meet for 3 hours to finish up the newsletter and launch together.
- Put your newsletter in front of 11,000 people - If you launch by March 2nd, you'll get a promotion in my newsletter of over 11,000 subscribers.
- Bonus: Lessons to change your mindset on promotion (aka, make it feel less crappy), troubleshoot any "why would people want to read this?" worries, and training to happily keep your newsletter going long after class is over.
Live Intensive starts when you want! Choose the week and VIP Zoom that works with your schedule.
"Amber packs so much valuable content into all of her courses, and is so supportive of both new and more established writers! Trust me, she is the best teacher you could ask for, and you need to start a newsletter ASAP. "
Wendi Gordon
"The class gave me the confidence to share my writing on my own terms. Amber is incredibly encouraging and talks you through all the doubts and insecurities that you might have in the process. 1000% recommend. Worth every penny."
- Gabriela Ramos Tavarez
In 6 days, go from idea to realized newsletter.
You'll find out how to...
- Hone your topic to lure in new readers
- Set up all the newsletter tech (without tearing your hair out)
- Find a sustainable structure & cadence so it's easy to keep writing
- One easy trick to get at least 5 subscribers right away
- Get guidance to avoid the biggest pitfalls
- Create an enticing description, so you never have to resort to "subscribe to my newsletter" as the only way to get new readers
- Tools to get past the "no one wants to read this" voice that likes to chime in every time you open the laptop
Bonus:
Free promo to 11,000 people
Previous students got anywhere from 20 - 200 new subscribers from this alone.
"I would have given up on my newsletter before it got anywhere near finished. So this course was a bit miraculous. The thought that went into it, the presentation of materials, and the unflagging optimism and cheerleading were just amazing. Launching my newsletter gave me more confidence for marketing my book (and future books, I hope!)."
- Jennifer Della'Zanna
Who Should NOT Take This Course?
To make sure I don't waste your time, if these sound like you, the class might not be a good fit.
- If you feel like you should start a newsletter, but really don't want to. If you hate the idea now, you'll hate it a week from now, so this class won't be fun for you.
- If you need money from your newsletter right away: Yes, a newsletter can bring in a lot of money…but not immediately. This is a long game, if you need a short game solution, this class isn't for you.
- If you're an a-hole. My classes are full of dreamboat, supportive people, so jerks need not apply.
"I'd always wanted to start a newsletter but worried that I was boring, or distractible, or just not a good enough writer. Within the first lessons of our "Start Your Newsletter" class, I had a newsletter concept, a list of topics, a concrete set of steps to follow to launch, the confidence to DO it, and most importantly of all-- folks in my corner, cheering me on, who I could cheer on too. And I got a huge mindset shift, courtesy of Amber. The last couple of months, writing and growing my Substack, have felt energizing and creative in a way that I SUPER needed, after some previous publishing drama. And I knew that I didn't need that book deal to move forward with my creative/career goals.
Now, I have a completely new mindset about perfection, a fun writing practice, and a couple hundred newsletter subscribers I definitely didn't have before, all courtesy of Amber Petty!
Micaela Blei
To sum up all the gems you get with
Start Your Newsletter In A Week, you'll...
- Launch your newsletter by August 10th
- Save months of time and worry
- Start a platform for your creative career
- Get bonus modules to keep your newsletter going
- Slack group for feedback and accountability. Not sure about your title? Want to refine your idea? Put it in the Slack group and via text or voice note, you'll get direct help making your newsletter feel perfect for you.
- Live Launch Call - A 3 hour call for questions, time to work, and the excitement of launching with other wonderful writers.
- Instant audience - Launch by August 10th and get a big subscriber boost with a promo in my newsletter with 11,000 subscribers.
- No social media required - You don't need to use social media for any part of this class (even when it comes to getting subscribers). Hooray.
- Immediate access, so you can start now and launch early if you feel like it.
- Press play and write. Each video has built in prompts and writing time to keep you moving forward.
- Outrun your perfectionism. The class moves fast to avoid overthinking and second guessing and still getting a wonderful newsletter out there.
- Only the info you need. Avoid a Google rabbit hole and get just what makes the biggest impact. Believe me, I've wasted a lot of time. You don't have to.
- Outsource your doubts. With the simple course setup and clear timeline, you can focus on writing and save your doubts for another day.
Live class starts August 5th. Keep All Videos Forever.
The tools shared in 1 week will help you through the lifetime of your newsletter.
Start Your Newsletter In A Week
One-on-One Support
Dates That Fit Your Schedule
Can't make it live? Do Self-Study instead!
Instand Access. Keep forever.
Start Your Newsletter in a Day: Self-Study
If you want to go at your own pace, the self-study course gives you 5 one-hour lessons to happily launch your newsletter.
There are no Slack groups, live calls, or feedback, but if you want to launch today or 2 months from now, you'll get everything you need to know.
How mad will you be if someone else does it?
That's one of my favorite metrics to decide if I want to start a project.
"How mad will I be if someone else does it?"
When the answer is, "uh, not much" then it goes on the back burner.
But when the answer is "oh, so mad" then it's time to start right away.
Yes, there are lots of people with newsletters. And there are only going to be more.
Do you want to keep mulling it over? And see some jerk do a much worse job of your lovely idea?
Time for “start my newsletter” to come off the to do list.
Before the year is over, you’ll have a newsletter going out regularly to your new fans.
You’ll have the satisfaction of writing what you want to write consistently.
And marketing and promotion won’t be a task from hell or take you into a “am I being annoying?” spiral.
It’ll be a simple activity to get eyes on all the wonderful stuff you do.
If you want to wait till the new year - cool! You'll have the tools you need for the pace you want.
A newsletter gives you complete creative freedom. No agents saying no, publications ghosting, or editors taking out all your jokes and asking for more SEO content. You get to build a body of work with your name on it. And that feels great from day one.
"Amber helped me so much! I was able to get over my roadblocks. I realized through the workshop that I had so many ideas simply because I was encouraged by Amber to think differently about writing and the time I had for it."
Jaclyn Roessel
Hello, I'm Amber Petty!
I’m Amber Petty, I've been a writer for 8 years for places like the New York Times, Parade, Greatist, Bustle, and more.
5 years ago, I started a newsletter and got...20 subscribers and gave up.
But 3 years ago, I shifted my topic, learned how to get through "no one wants your newsletter" thoughts, and set it up to be sustainable. Now, I have 10,000 subscribers and my newsletter's gone out every single week.
Because of my newsletter, I was able to leave my full-time copywriting job, teach delightful people how to get bylines, and make $110,000 in my first year and $597,000 all-time (about 3 years).
A newsletter is a miracle for any writer. Every week, you'll want to write for your audience. You don't have to wait for any gatekeepers or agents to say okay. You get to write for an audience that cares, which increases confidence, creativity, and eventually...cash.
Want to know exactly what's in this course?
Here's an outline of every single day!
Plus, you'll get full tech tutorials for Substack, Convertkit, or MailerLite setup.
And bonus modules to answer common questions and keep you moving forward.
Day 1: Find Your Idea
- Find out why your H.I.P.S. don’t lie.
- Nail down an idea that’s sustainable, fun, and attractive to readers.
Day 2: Title & Enticing Description
- Find out why the title isn’t that big of a deal, but the description is.
- Finish a great “elevator pitch” for your newsletter.
Day 3: Set Up Your Substack, Convertkit, or MailerLite
- Find out which email server is best for you.
- Get designated time & tutorials to finish this annoying part without giving up.
Day 4: Your First 3 Newsletters
- Take the pressure off your debut issue by planning some content in advance.
- Find out a good structure, length, and form for your newsletter.
Day 5: Get 5 Subscribers
- Find out why it’s important to get some subscribers before you send your first newsletter.
- Learn how to start your audience with a few texts and emails.
Day 6: Send Out Your Newsletter
- Launch your newsletter live! We'll meet on Zoom at March 2nd at 10am PST/ 1pm EST/ 4pm GMT to put the finishing touches on a short first newsletter and send it out to the world.
- Find out how to make a sustainable plan to keep going.
What happy students said...
"A great platform for my memoir"
"I'm getting positive feedback for all my newsletter posts. It's already a great platform for my upcoming memoir."
Anna Dao
"Capable and confident"
"I feel so much more capable and confident! My newsletter doesn't feel like big a deal in a really good way. And most importantly, it still feels fun!"
Jess Beachkofsky
"Built a community around my business"
"My newsletter built a community around my business. That's something I've been trying to do for a long time, but never knew how and never managed to do. It's made me and my clients feel more connected."
Lou Piccolo
Frequently Asked Questions
When does this start?
Whenever you like! Pick a week in August or September (I'm out of town Aug 13th-25th, but all other times work) for Slack support and a day for our 3-hour VIP call. It's all completely custom to your schedule.
Is it live?
Yes? The question mark is because most of it is pre-recorded and you can watch when you like (watching one a day is recommended). But, we'll have a live Slack group so you can ask questions any time and a live launch all.
Do I need a newsletter idea to take this class?
No? The question mark is because it's good to have some idea of what you'd like to write about. But, you'll get the first hour to find and refine your idea, so it's fine if you're more at the "vague notion" stage of brainstorming.
Do you give refunds?
No! This is a short class, so there's really no room for refunds.
What if I already have a newsletter, but want to get more subscribers?
Don't take this! I do have a course on marketing your newsletter, but it's a separate thing. You can find it here
Will I have to do any pre-work before I launch my newsletter?
No! Just follow along with the lessons every day (or do 2 a day or set aside 4-5 hours on one day and knock it out) and you'll be right on time to launch.
Will I really launch my newsletter in 6 days?
Yes! It sounds like a lot, I know. But I've broken everything down to small, manageable steps and you'll have ample time every day to do each bit. Plus, it's focused on getting it done, not being perfect. Your first newsletter will be a little shorter and all the perfect design elements might not be in place. But, it'll still be great and more importantly - finished! Keeping up the momentum (and making little changes along the way) is much easier once you launch.
I have another question that's not here. What can I do?
Email me at Amber@Amberpetty.com. Ask me anything you like!
Start Your Newsletter In A Week
Custom Fit to Your Schedule
One-on-One Support
"It is no exaggeration that this class changed my life! It took my lifelong dream of becoming a writer and gave me the tools, accountability, feedback, and encouragement I needed to make my dream come true."
Risa Harms
You're great!
Writing is never easy, but developing an audience through my newsletter has been the best part of my career so far.
It's brought me new opportunities, students, and writing to look forward to every week.
Your newsletter can be wonderful for you and incredible for your readers.
There are so many people that want to read your work and hear your delightful thoughts. Why deprive them of your genius?
Don't let somebody else start the newsletter you always wanted to write.
Even if you don't take the class, I can't wait to see what you put out there.
- Amber Petty
P.S. - Enjoy my dance class photo from 1993. It's unrelated, but proves my love of sparkles goes back a ways.
