a single source, nothing corroborates it

Set a subscriber number to hit before you build

A numeric target turns audience building from a vague intention into something you can finish, and it forces the risky work to happen while the product can still change. The floors named here differ a lot, from a first hundred to several thousand, but the reasoning is identical: only a fraction of any list buys, so list size sets the ceiling on the launch.

The method

1. 01

   Get a mailing list to at least 500 people before you start building anything you intend to charge for, so there is somebody to launch to.

2. 02

   Get the list to a few thousand before you start writing, rather than building the audience and the product at once.

3. 03

   Size the audience against the sales you need: only a small slice of reachable people ever buy, so a tiny list caps the launch before it starts.

4. 04

   Don't set list-building goals at a thousand subscribers; set a measurable near-term target of the first hundred and work on that.

What it returned

• 2014

  He began writing in January 2014 once the list passed 3,000 and launched to almost 6,000

• 1,000

  With 1,000 email subscribers you will struggle to exceed about 50 sales

Sources

• 1,000 email subscribersJustin Jackson · justinjackson.ca · 1,000 email subscribers · undated
• Adam Wathan's $100k product launchJustin Jackson · justinjackson.ca · Here's what this means for you · undated
• Three reasons product launches failNathan Barry · nathanbarry.com · Audience · 2014-03-18
• How Samuel Hulick made over $37,000 with his self-published bookNathan Barry · nathanbarry.com · User Onboard: Getting from 0 to 6,000 subscribers · 2014-06-09