Why Would People Subscribe to My Newsletter?

What value do I provide?

Jan 24, 2025

space gray iPhone X beside turned on laptop beside coffee and succulent plant — Photo by Ben Kolde on Unsplash

🔔 New free subscriber to The Creator’s Journey!

Whenever I see this email notification, I feel so grateful. I would open it, read the name of my new subscriber and say “Thank you” 🥹🙏🏻

But honestly, there are also times that I find myself wondering why they would even subscribe to me…

“Maybe they're just subscribers of other writers who recommended me but they don’t really know what my newsletter is about…
Will they unsubscribe the moment they see my work?”

I hear these negative thoughts in my head sometimes…

It’s really hard to shake off impostor syndrome when you’re a complete beginner still trying to figure things out 🥲

Maybe there’s some truth to my fears—there may indeed be people who will subscribe to my newsletter and then cancel it once they realize it’s not what they were expecting.

The reason why I disabled notifications for canceled subscriptions is because I want to focus on the people who chose to stay—people who appreciate my work even though I am not yet sure what value I’m providing.

I guess this is a good opportunity to ask,
“What made you subscribe to my newsletter?”

(I’ve been wanting to ask this question for so long, but I worry that you might be pressured if I asked you directly 🫠)

But if you have an answer, please let me know in the comments (or through DM if you want to send it privately). Your feedback would be a huge help! 🙏🏼

I want content creation advice aligned with my values

The biggest problem I have with most content creation advice is that they place so much emphasis on the numbers—how to go viral, how to get more subscribers, how to make more money…

Sure, it’s great to have more subscribers and earn more money, but they don’t understand the struggle that I have to strike a balance between meaning and metrics, between purpose and profit.

I want to make money doing what I love, but I want to do it in a way that is aligned with my mission and purpose. I’m here to give value, not to go viral.

I’m tired of the rat race of always chasing more—I hope to connect with like-minded individuals who see beyond the metrics and are driven by a deep sense of purpose.

I want conversation, not just advice

The journey towards becoming a successful creatorpreneur is a long one—it will likely take years before it can be a sustainable source of income.

All those “growth hacks” promising me results in just a short period of time only make me feel impatient with my progress. They can also be misleading because often, these people aren’t even starting completely from scratch—they already have expertise or years of experience in creating content elsewhere so, of course, they can achieve those results so fast.

I know a lot of these experts have good intentions and they sincerely want to help, but sometimes what I really need is not advice, but a heartfelt conversation.

I want to feel understood and have someone I can talk to about the struggles of being a beginner…

How scary it is to choose an unconventional career path that will not give you the security of a monthly paycheck
How lonely it is to be doing something completely different from your friends in real life
How much you have to battle with your fears, insecurities, and self-doubt when you’re not seeing instant results from your efforts
How hard it is to go out of your comfort zone, put yourself out there, and learn entrepreneurship skills when you’re shy, introverted, and afraid of promoting and selling your work

“Actionable advice” isn’t that actionable when people have not yet overcome their fears and limiting beliefs that are preventing them from starting in the first place.

Most of the time, we already know what we need to do—the difficult part is finding the courage to actually do it.

I want to be inspired, not just educated

I really believe that the best way to teach is to lead by example.

And leading by example doesn’t necessarily mean being perfect and never making mistakes.

Quite the contrary, I think it means being honest and vulnerable about your own flaws and struggles.

Seeing someone doing their best and showing up amidst their fears is so much more inspiring than just “how-to” articles and step-by-step guides.

Most experts and gurus feel so out of reach—it’s hard to imagine having the same level of success they’ve achieved. Compared to them, I can relate better with people who are just a few steps ahead of me and it makes me believe that if they can do it, I can do it too.

I’m still figuring out how to clearly articulate the value of my newsletter, but all I know is that I’m documenting my journey so that when I become successful in the future, people can go back to my humble beginnings and see how I struggled with the same problems that they’re going through.

I hope I can be an inspiration to those of you who are also starting your creator journey completely from scratch.

I know you have big dreams and you’re scared, but you have a deep sense of purpose within you that drives you to pursue this path.

You are not here by accident—you have a unique mission in this world that only you can fulfill.

Find courage and let your faith and dreams be bigger than your fears.

You are a hero in the making! 💪🏻💖

✨ Alea’s Cabinet of Curiosities

🗨️ Quote

“Tell your heart that the fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself.
And that no heart has ever suffered when it goes in search of its dreams, because every second of the search is a second's encounter with God and with eternity.”
― Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist