📈 Steal 2 Ad Copy Frameworks We Use to Grow Newsletters

Welcome to BetterLetter 📧

In the last 2 newsletters, I covered the image-based ads and video ads you can use to grow your newsletter with FB ads.

In today’s email, you’ll learn:

• 📒 2 ad copy frameworks to grow your newsletter with ads (including examples)

• 💰️ The easiest & most overlooked way to make money with your newsletter (and no, I’m not talking about upscribe or boosts)

Helpful Links 🔗 

• 💩 Why most marketing is bad, especially within larger organizations (link)

• 📹️ ICYMI: 4 types of video ads you can start running today to grow your newsletter (link)

• 🇨🇦 Isaac launched a local newsletter in Canada and has 1,000+ subscribers in the first few weeks… (link)

• 🎨 Beehiiv dropped their new website builder in the latest product update (link)

• 🐝 The best ESP in the game: Beehiiv just released new pricing, making their free plan even more powerful. Get 20% off of a beehiiv subscription for 3 months (link)*

• ♻️ Get paid to make money: Get a $100 bonus if you make $100 in paid referrals within 2 months when you sign up for Sparkloop here → (link)*

_{*This is an affiliate link}

Let’s dive in.

Ad Copy That Converts 📒 

Remember, ad performance is a function of:

• The newsletter’s value prop (the problem it solves)

• Targeting (who sees it)

• The ad (caption, creative, headline, CTA)

• Landing page (copy + design)

• Post-Subscribe flow (true ad performance doesn’t stop at acquisition)

Today, let’s talk about the caption, aka the ad copy.

People tend to overthink ad copy. But if your ad creative is doing its job, it will do most (if not all) of the work.

So when it comes to the caption, simple is best and clear is kind.

• Don’t: distract from the ad creative

• Do: reinforce (concisely) what the ad creative communicates

2 Ad Copy Frameworks 📒 

We typically use a 1-sentence caption or a 3-sentence caption.

Here’s a simple framework for each option. 👇️ 

✍️ 1-sentence framework

The one sentence caption should spark curiosity, demonstrate social proof or explain the value prop of the newsletter in 10 words or less.

Examples:

• Spark curiosity: “The best decision you’ll make today”

• Social proof: “The go-to news source for 4M+ professionals”

• Value prop:

  • “Learn all the marketing tactics they didn’t teach you in college.”

  • “Get the latest news across business, tech, finance & more in Morning Brew's quick-to-read FREE newsletter 👀”

  • “This free newsletter will help you [get desired outcome]”

1 sentence is all it takes. Simple enough.

Note: This only works well when you have a clear value proposition that is communicated in the ad creative + on the landing page.

✍️ 3-sentence framework

1. Hook 🪝 

2. Educate/Build Credibility 👨‍🏫 

3. CTA 📣 

First sentence 🪝 

You want your target audience to lean in, and your non-target audience to keep scrolling ASAP.

3 options to do that:

1. Outcome focused: Talk about what they want

2. Identity focused: Call out who they are 

3. Problem focused: Talk about what they want to avoid

1 → Want [desired outcome]?

• Want to grow your newsletter with FB ads?

• Want to lose weight without burning a hole in your wallet?

• Want to travel the world without breaking the budget?

2 → [ideal subscriber]?

• Startup founder…?

• Dog owner…?

• Busy mom…?

Note: You can combine 1 + 2. For example, “Startup founder trying to raise your next round?” or “Want healthy food for your furry friends?”

3 → Problem focused // Don’t [be stuck with problem]

• Is your email list growth at a standstill?

• Trying to lose weight but spending a fortune on groceries?

• Don’t buy a full-priced flight ever again.

• Don’t waste another dollar on Google ads.

Second sentence 👨‍🏫 

Now that you’ve hooked your ideal subscriber, educate them on why they should trust you + subscribe.

• Build social proof:

  • Join [subscriber count] readers at companies like [industry-leading companies]

  • Readers call it: ‘The only [newsletter topic] email I actually read.’

  • I [impressive thing you accomplished] - now, I’m sharing everything I learned in a 4-minute read every week.

• Educate on the value:

  • We break down [valuable topic] every week into a 5 min read.

Examples:

• Join 7,000+ marketers including leaders at Tesla, SpaceX and Amazon.

• I sold my SaaS startup for 8 figures - now I’m sharing everything I learned about scaling a tech company.

• Each Monday, we give you one practical step you can take to grow your newsletter with FB ads.

• We break down the latest news, stats and highlights from the NBA every weekday.

• Every weekday, we send 50k travelers the cheapest flight deals to the best destinations in the world.

Third sentence 📣 

Super simple. Tell them exactly what to do.

“Subscribe for free below!”

Here’s what one looks like when you put all 3 sentences together:

There you have it.

It’s a framework, not a formula - so don’t be afraid to start with it and deviate.

For example, here’s a 3-sentence caption from Overheard on Wall Street that’s slightly different:

The easiest (and most overlooked) way to monetize your newsletter

In my previous business, I drove > $200k of my revenue via a solo podcast with 100 episodes + a niche audience of less than 500 listeners.

(link here to the podcast if you’re really curious)

The way I did it was simple.

Starting with episode 1, I created the most valuable piece of content I could possibly produce.

And every week after that, I tried to do the same.

Is every episode actually better than the one before it?

No, but what it did was force me to constantly deliver value to a specific audience over an extended period of time.

And when you do that, it drives revenue.

I applied this same tactic to a personal newsletter I operate.

Then, I simply added a line at the very bottom of every email with a link to support the newsletter.

And this is what happened 👇️

I make ~$400/month from this newsletter and I’m not even selling anything.

I didn’t create a product, offer a service or sell…anything.

All I did was make it an option for people to give me money...

(and I created dope content).

If your free content isn’t so good that people would be willing to pay for it, it’s probably not that good.

📁 File under: Publish more buy buttons on the internet (link)

This actually isn’t about monetization

This isn’t to brag and this isn’t a business model I recommend for most creators and brands.

(You should have much better ways to monetize your audience than this)

Will doing this create a revenue stream that fuels your business?

Probably not, BUT it can be extremely valuable in terms of:

• Validating content-market fit

• Identifying what your audience finds valuable + is willing to pay for (be sure to collect feedback from people who upgrade and learn exactly why they paid)

• Informing future monetization decisions (premium newsletter, which products and services to offer, etc.)

• Pushing you as a content creator to deliver high value

→ Actionable Takeaways:

• Set up a premium subscription in beehiiv

• Link to it at the very bottom of every email you send

• Create content so valuable people voluntarily find a way to pay you for it

That’s all for today. As always…

👉️ Here’s a summary of the takeaways:

• Newsletter ad copy:

  • Should be clear + concise

  • Use short, choppy copy

  • It should work with (not distract from) the ad creative

• 1-sentence captions: Spark curiosity, demonstrate social proof or communicate the value prop

• 3-sentence captions:

  • Hook: Name the desired outcome, call out exactly who you want subscribing to your newsletter, or state the problem your subscribers want to avoid

  • Social Proof/Educate: Share why they should trust you (# or quality of subscribers, your experience) or reinforce the value prop

  • CTA: Tell them what to do → “Subscribe for free below”

• Set up a premium subscription option → create insanely valuable content → do it again and again

There you have it.

Go get to work 🫡 

Until next time,

Isaac + Kieran ✌️

P.S. Want to grow your newsletter?

Let us do it for you. We help creators, brands and ministries grow their newsletters so they can drive more revenue. If you’re ready to invest at least $2k/month on ads, book a call with us here and let’s talk 🤙