Writing · Newsletter

AI newsletter (Substack)

Substack: free to publish, network-driven discovery, paid subs over ads

Drop Beehiiv's ad network and referral mechanics for Substack's Notes feed and recommendations. Perplexity replaces Feedly for one-writer research scale. Total spend stays under $25/mo until you have paid subs to give back 10% of.

WRITINGBEGINNERBeginnerFrom $20/mo
The stack
Perplexity
Story discovery

At one-writer scale you don't need Feedly's training loop. Perplexity Pro answers 'what's new in {niche} this week' with citations.

$20/mo Pro · API tier-basedAlts: Feedly
Claude
Synthesis + voice

Same drafting role as the Beehiiv stack. The voice library is what carries.

$20/mo Pro · API $3/M tokensAlts: ChatGPT
Substack
Publish + grow

Notes feed and recommendations push your work to readers already on Substack. Free to start; 10% of paid subs only when monetized.

Free to publish · 10% of paid subsAlts: Beehiiv
Typefully
Promo threads

Same cross-post role. Substack's own Notes covers some of what X used to.

Free · $12.50/mo StandardAlts: Taplio
Real monthly cost
small
$20/mo
Free, building list
  • perplexityFree
  • claude$20
  • substackFree
  • typefullyFree
medium
$53/mo
Pro research + paid subs
  • perplexity$20
  • claude$20
  • substack10% on paid
  • typefully$13
heavy
$130/mo + 10%
Daily + paid tier monetized
  • perplexity$20
  • claude$80 API
  • substack10% on paid
  • typefully$28
Workflow
  1. 1
    Weekly research passPerplexity

    Perplexity Pro: ask 3 to 5 narrowly scoped questions about your niche. Star answers with citations.

    Prompt · Weekly niche research prompt
    For my newsletter on {{niche}}, give me this week's developments. Focus the search on the last 7 days only.
    
    Output sections:
    1. **Three things that actually happened** — specific, with sources, with dates.
    2. **One contrarian read** — a take from someone credible that pushes against the consensus this week.
    3. **One under-covered story** — something most outlets in {{niche}} missed.
    
    Each item: 50 words max. Cite the source name and link inline. No "experts say", no paraphrased filler.
  2. 2
    SynthesizeClaude

    Claude turns starred items + your voice library into the issue.

    Prompt · Issue from Perplexity research + voice library
    You are writing this week's issue of {{newsletter_name}} for {{audience}}. Voice: {{e.g. direct, mildly skeptical, light dry humor}}.
    
    This week's research (Perplexity output):
    """
    {{paste perplexity output, including links}}
    """
    
    Voice library (3 of my last issues):
    """
    {{paste 3 issues}}
    """
    
    Structure:
    1. **The story** — the single most important item, 120 words, sharp lede, one specific number.
    2. **Three more worth your time** — bulleted, 35 words each, link in the bullet.
    3. **Worth a click** — 5 short links with 1-line context each.
    4. **One contrarian take** — pick the most against-the-grain item, steelman it in 80 words.
    
    Rules:
    - Never use "delve", "in the rapidly evolving landscape", "it's important to note".
    - Every section opens with a specific noun.
    - No em dashes.
    - Cite source name inline, like "(Bloomberg, May 2)".
    
    Output the full issue as Markdown, ready to paste into Substack.
  3. 3
    Publish to SubstackSubstack

    Paste in. Use one consistent issue template; Substack's editor is opinionated, lean into it.

  4. 4
    Drop a Note + cross-postTypefully

    Substack Note distills the lede into 280 chars; Typefully sends an X thread + a LinkedIn version from the same draft.

    Prompt · Substack Note + X thread + LinkedIn from issue
    Source issue:
    """
    {{paste full issue}}
    """
    
    Output three artifacts:
    
    1. **Substack Note** (one item, under 280 chars)
       - Hook from the issue's lede
       - Ends with "(full issue in profile)" — no link, Notes auto-link
    
    2. **X thread** (5 to 7 posts, 280 chars each)
       - Post 1: same hook
       - Posts 2 to 6: one specific takeaway each, with a number or name
       - Final: link to the issue with a one-line "why click"
    
    3. **LinkedIn post** (180 to 220 words)
       - Hook in line 1, no warm-up
       - Plain text, 1 to 2 hashtags at end
       - Link + 1-line CTA
    
    No emojis. No em dashes.
What it produced
Niche writer, 0 to 1,400 subs in 90 days

Free Substack newsletter. ~62% of growth came from Substack recommendations and Notes; 0% from paid acquisition. Crossed the 'paid tier worth turning on' line at month 4.

Common pitfalls
Substack network can also be quiet

Recommendations only kick in once you're in the 'recommended by larger writers' graph. Like Beehiiv's recommendations, plan for a 60 to 90-day cold start.

10% take is real money at scale

At $50k+/yr in paid subs, the platform fee is large enough to justify a Beehiiv migration. Crosswalk: ~$20k/yr in paid subs is roughly the indifference point including time cost.

Notes is its own job

Active Notes posting drives most discovery. If you skip Notes, the network barely works for you.

Other ways to do AI newsletter
Curated by @rae-f
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