Looking for a jolt of side hustle inspiration in your inbox each week? Whether you’re starting your own newsletter, starting a company or freelance hustle, or just fostering some hobbies and passion projects, these side project newsletters are worth a read to help you succeed.
Start with these 4 side income newsletters
Are you starting a side project to try and get a new company off the ground or make additional income? Subscribe to these newsletters for product development ideas, growth strategies, and productivity tactics to build a profitable side hustle.
First 1000
As is probably evident by the name, First 1000 digs into strategies for early growth. Outside of deep dives into how companies you know and love got their first 1,000 customers, you can expect posts exploring other interesting growth hacks around the web.
Who writes it
Ali Abouelatta is a product manager at Duolingo who spends time on the side exploring how other startups succeed.
Who should read it
Anyone who is just getting started on their side project and looking for inspiration on how others have gotten big ideas off the ground.
Where to start
- 100 unicorns: 12 different GTM motions
- Welcome emails: good, great, & amazing examples
- 7 pricing insights from studying the top 100 grossing apps & 20 of my favorite apps
Demand Curve
So much of side project success is about branding and marketing, and Demand Curve is the place to learn about the strategies and tactics other fast-growing startups are using to get in front of customers. Each week, you’ll get three new insights (written in non-jargony language) that you can implement right away to drive growth for your side project.
Who writes it
Neal O’Grady is the founder of growth agency Bell Curve and the personal branding course Un-ignorable. He and a team of content writers turn insights from the agency into the weekly newsletter, basically giving you free agency knowledge.
Who should read it
Anyone who is decidedly Not a Marketer™, but knows they need to understand marketing for their side project to succeed.
Where to start
- Ingredients of viral content, questions for experiments, and bonus offers
- SEO in an AI world, product image tests, and giving voice to an unvoiced frustration or concern
- Growth through activity, 7 social ad tips, and leveraging herd mentality
Beyond Productivity
Every Thursday, Beyond Productivity dishes out a new science-based habit for getting more out of the limited hours you have in a day. This isn’t your typical “wake up at 4 am and you’ll get more done” productivity dish—this newsletter is all about sustainable productivity, so you’ll learn tactics for achieving more while also avoiding the dreaded side hustle burnout.
Who writes it
Christian Poensgen is a former scientist who got his doctorate on the interplay between stress and performance, and now coaches professionals in high-stress environments to set them up for success. In other words, he’s the perfect partner in crime for anyone trying to juggle multiple projects at once.
Who should read it
Anyone who isn’t sure how they’re going to fit a side hustle into their already busy days.
Where to start
- What productivity is (not) about, and how to get better at it
- How to get better at doing hard things
- Why defocus is key for transforming stress and accomplish more at work
3 Ideas on Sunday
Each week, this newsletter breaks down one new side hustle idea, sharing the data behind why it should succeed, how to easily get it started, and how to price things so you’ll turn a profit. While you may not actually start any of these specific side hustles, it’s a good exercise in learning how to verify and monetize an idea.
Who writes it
Nic Conley has years of experience in sales and business development for tech companies, and also writes a sales newsletter, The Follow Up.
Who should read it
Anyone who wants a profitable side hustle, but doesn’t have an idea nailed down (or is struggling to make money from their idea).
Where to start
Here's 4 newsletters focused on side projects
Is your side project less about the money and more about exploring a hobby or expanding your career? These newsletters that explore personal growth and living the multi-hyphenate life are the perfect inspiration.
The Growth Guide
The Growth Guide focuses less on startup growth and more on personal growth. Each week, you’ll receive one idea for living better, one for achieving more, and one for being more financially free.
Who writes it
Clint Murphy is a coach who has taken his own winding path in life and is dedicated to helping others live outside of society’s vision of a conventional box.
Who should read it
Anyone looking to take a more intentional approach to their side project (and their life).
Where to start
- Build A Bias to Action and Live a More Fulfilled Life
- What if You Succeed and Energetic Breadcrumbs
- A Beginner's Mindset, an Optimized Life and be Oversubscribed
The Hyphen
The Hyphen is a newsletter all about “wellbeing, creativity, joy, side hustles and living life on your own terms.” Expect regular essays on everything from tactical ways to make money on the internet to the more soft sides of being a multihyphenate, link roundups of reads around living a multi-hyphenate life, and guest columns from some of the most interesting polymaths on the internet.
Who writes it
Emma Gannon is a writer who literally wrote the book on building a multi-passionate life: The Multi-Hyphen Method. She has also written The Success Myth, Ctrl Alt Delete (and the associated podcast), the novel Olive, and more.
Who should read it
Anyone thinking about how to align their side project with their long-term career and life goals. (And who is willing to pay for content—Emma’s newsletter requires a paid subscription to access most of the content given this is one of her income streams.)
Where to start
- How to play the career long game
- How to be creative (when you have no time) - guest post by Paula Cocozza
- How to know when to quit
The Imperfectionist
Taking a more philosophical approach to productivity, this newsletter delivers two essays a month on “building a meaningful life in an age of bewilderment.”
Who writes it
Oliver Burkeman is the author of Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals, The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can't Stand Positive Thinking, and Help! How to Become Slightly Happier and Get a Bit More Done.
Who should read it
Anyone who regularly has an existential crisis about how they’ll ever achieve everything they want to in life.
Where to start
Making Time
For anyone who has more hobbies than official side projects, this newsletter shares advice on creativity and overcoming “time anxiety” when there’s a lot you love to do.
Who writes it
Sarai Mitnick is the founder of sewing company Seamwork, and also a gardener, home cook, baker, mediocre amateur powerlifter, knitter, and dabbler in all sorts of other hobbies.
Who should read it
Anyone looking to take a gentle approach to their multihyphenate life.
Where to start
