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My First Million

My First Million

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Validate if your newsletter subscribers are actually engaged readers

Newsletter operators who want to measure true engagement vs vanity metrics

1 day test, immediate results

What Success Looks Like

High reply rate (>10%) to personal outreach email from founder

Steps to Execute

1

Send personal email from founder to subscriber list

2

Ask simple question requiring short response (where do you live, do you like the newsletter)

3

Keep tone casual and personal, not promotional

4

Track reply rate within 24-48 hours

5

Compare to benchmark: quality newsletters get >10% reply rate

Checklist

Email comes from recognizable founder/editor name
Subject line indicates personal message
Question is simple and non-threatening
No promotional content in the email
Measure replies, not just opens

Inputs Needed

  • Newsletter subscriber list
  • Founder email address
  • Simple question to ask subscribers

Outputs

  • Reply rate percentage
  • Qualitative feedback from engaged subscribers
  • Clear signal on subscriber quality

Example

“Newsletter with 20,000 subscribers sends founder email asking 'Where do you live?' Only 3 people reply, revealing that co-registration has created fake engagement despite good open rates.”