Why Launching a Newsletter Deserves More Than a Signup Form
In the rush to ship, many founders treat newsletters as an afterthought—a "coming soon" form slapped on their homepage. But a great product newsletter isn't just a marketing tool.
It's:
- A customer education engine
- A trust-building touchpoint
- A growth loop tied to retention and feedback
Launching your newsletter well can be the difference between 2% open rates and 200 loyal advocates. And it all starts before you hit send.
Define Your Newsletter's Purpose
Before you worry about design, ask: Why are we sending this in the first place?
Common goals:
- 🧠 Educate users on features or product use cases
- 🧪 Collect feedback and usage signals
- 💸 Drive conversion to paid tiers or upsells
- 🎤 Build hype for upcoming releases
Clearly define whether you're sending to leads, users, churned customers—or all three. Your audience defines your tone and timing.
Nail Your Audience and Frequency
A newsletter with no audience strategy is like a SaaS with no ICP.
Ask yourself:
- Who exactly is this for?
- What stage of their journey are they in?
- What value do they expect every time?
Then choose a frequency you can sustain. Weekly? Biweekly? Monthly?
💡 Pro tip: Don't start more frequent than you can maintain. Missing promised sends breaks trust.
Choose the Right Platform (ESP)
You don't need enterprise tools to start—just something fast, reliable, and lightweight.
| Platform | Best For |
|---|---|
| Substack | Writers, creators, no-code teams |
| ConvertKit | SaaS, automations, landing pages |
| Buttondown | Dev-friendly, markdown-first |
| EmailOctopus | Budget-friendly + Zapier-friendly |
| Outseta | All-in-one (CRM + billing + email) |
What matters most is deliverability, list control, and simple integrations.
Build a Validated Pre-Launch List
You'll never get a second chance at a first send. If your list includes:
- ❌ Typos (gmial.com)
- ❌ Throwaway inboxes (mailinator.com)
- ❌ Fake signups from bots
…you're sabotaging your deliverability before you begin.
Solution? Validate your list before launch.
Lero lets you:
- • Upload and clean CSVs in seconds
- • Validate in real-time via API
- • Catch traps, syntax errors, and disposable domains
- • Start with 500 free validations
💥 Clean data = higher open rates = more reach.
Write a Welcome Email That Sets Expectations
Your welcome email is the real launch. It should:
- Thank them for joining
- Restate your value prop
- Preview what's coming and when
- Link to your best content or community
Bonus points if you write it in the same tone you'll use going forward—friendly, helpful, human.
Warm Your Domain (Yes, Even for Newsletters)
Even if you're not doing cold email, your domain still needs warming.
ESP and ISP filters look at:
- 🛑 Bounce history
- 📬 Engagement (opens, clicks, replies)
- 💣 Complaints or spam flags
If you've never sent bulk emails from this domain or subdomain before:
- • Start with 20–30 warm-up emails per day
- • Use inbox warm-up tools (e.g., Instantly, Mailreach)
- • Seed inboxes with real accounts and open/click
Warm-up can take 7–14 days—but it's essential.
Test Delivery, Rendering, and UX
Your email should look and feel good on every screen:
| Test for | Tools to Use |
|---|---|
| Gmail & Outlook previews | Litmus, Email on Acid |
| Mobile vs desktop views | ESP built-in previews |
| Dark mode rendering | Manual tests or test lists |
| CTA click behavior | Track via ESP or UTM links |
Also: send to yourself and 2–3 teammates before launch.
Anti-Fake Email Checklist for Signups
Here's how to reduce fake or garbage signups before they poison your list:
Fake emails ruin inboxing. Clean email = clean insights.
How to Use Lero with Newsletter Platforms
Whether you're on Webflow, Notion, Framer, or Substack, Lero fits in easily:
| Tool | Integration Approach |
|---|---|
| Webflow/Framer | JS script + webhook to API |
| Notion-style forms | Typeform + Zapier + Lero hook |
| Substack | Pre-import bulk validation |
| Outseta | Real-time form integration |
Set up validation at the moment of submission to stop fake data before it enters your CRM or ESP.
Track These Metrics from Day One
If you're not measuring, you can't improve.
| Metric | Why It Matters |
|---|---|
| Bounce rate | Should be <2% at launch |
| Open rate | Healthy = 40–60% early on |
| Fake email ratio | Validate vs. submission count |
| Domain health | Use Postmaster Tools or Mail-Tester |
| Unsub rate | Signal of misaligned expectations |
📊 Bonus: Use analytics to tailor follow-up campaigns.
Case Study: A Founder's 0→2K Newsletter Growth
Context:
A solo founder launched a "Build in Public" newsletter for their SaaS.
- Built a landing page with Outseta
- Used Lero to validate all email inputs
- Sent 3 warm-up editions before announcing
- Shared behind-the-scenes feature decisions
Results in 3 months:
- 📈 2,100 subscribers
- 📨 54% average open rate
- 💬 30+ replies per issue
- ⚠️ 0 fake emails (post-validation setup)
FAQs on Newsletter Launch Best Practices
Q1: Should I use double opt-in?
Only if you're seeing spam problems or legal requirements (EU/GDPR). Otherwise, validated real-time submission is enough.
Q2: Do I need to warm a domain even if I use a tool like Substack?
If Substack sends from their own domain, no. If sending from yours, yes.
Q3: How many emails should I send at first?
Start with 50–100/day during warm-up, then scale gradually.
Q4: How does Lero work with platforms like Framer or Webflow?
Add a script or use Zapier/Webhooks to call Lero's API. Sub-50ms validation.
Q5: How often should I clean my list?
Monthly if you grow fast. Every 2–3 months for smaller lists.
Final Checklist + Downloadable Launch Planner
Here's your final checklist before you launch:
🔗 Ready to launch? Get the full startup email strategy in our
Email Marketing for Startups Guide →🚀 Start your newsletter right with 500 free email validations
Get Free Validations🧾 Want this as a Notion checklist or Google Doc? Just ask—we'll generate it for you!