One Platform, Multiple Opportunities: Starting a Newsletter On Gumroad
And making money with it
When it comes to selling digital products, Gumroad is a juggernaut in the industry. Many writers and creators choose Gumroad as their preferred platform for selling their products. I did.
However, most people don’t realize the myriad of other possibilities that Gumroad offers. It’s a truly multi-functional platform that can serve as much more than just a sales platform.
To the inboxes
One of the lesser-known features of Gumroad is the ability to create a newsletter on the platform.
In fact, I recently started my own newsletter on Gumroad, and it took me only a few minutes to set up. By simply creating a new product in the backend, I was able to set up my email blast, add a cover, write an intro text, and go live.
To this day, I have grown this newsletter to 500+ subscribers.
Why Gumroad
You might wonder why I selected Gumroad for my newsletter.
Well, firstly, I already use Gumroad for selling digital products, so it felt like a natural fit to have my newsletter on the same platform. It’s convenient to have everything in one place.
Of course, I still maintain my main newsletter on Substack.The ease of use is another reason why I opted for Gumroad. Additionally, Gumroad allows for easy donation collection for free products, which is how I initially generated income on the platform.
Gumroad provides a user-friendly editor and simple publishing features such as email and web posting, scheduling, segmented emails, and workflows.
Workflows, in particular, are a powerful tool for small to medium-sized newsletters. They enable automated email delivery to new subscribers within specific time frames, such as immediately after they subscribe or at designated intervals.
While Gumroad’s workflows may not be as robust as those offered by platforms like ConvertKit or MailChimp, they provide an excellent starting point for email marketing newcomers.
Masterminds
In my newsletter, “Medium Masterminds”, I have combined the automation capabilities of Gumroad’s workflows with the posting functionality.
This allows me to send automatic emails to new subscribers while maintaining an archive of past issues on my Gumroad profile. These archived issues are visible only to newsletter members, creating an exclusive member-only blog experience.
Limitations
However, there are a few limitations to consider when using Gumroad for a newsletter.
Firstly, its capabilities are somewhat limited, which is understandable considering that Gumroad is a free platform. Advanced customization options are currently unavailable, but there are plans to introduce more in the future.
Setting up newsletters on Gumroad can be slightly cumbersome, requiring the creation of a periodic membership with a price field, even for free newsletters.
Unfortunately, you cannot directly import subscribers from other sources via a CSV file, Gumroad treats newsletters more like membership products. However, there is a feature request to address this limitation, and you can show your support by upvoting it.
Other benefits of Gumroad
Apart from creating digital and physical products, Gumroad offers additional features such as selling memberships and creating courses.
Moreover, Gumroad serves as a solid blogging platform. Your Gumroad profile includes a dedicated post section where you can share blog posts that are accessible to anyone, complete with a comment section.
The best part is that all of these features are free, and you can even connect your own domain to transform your Gumroad profile into a fully functional website with a shop, blog, newsletter, and more.
Gumroad provides advanced analytics for product sales, downloads, post views, email open rates, and click rates, with the option to integrate third-party analytic tools.
The platform boasts a slick and stable interface, both in the backend and user interface.
There are also apps available for consumers and creators, and payout options include bank transfers and PayPal.
Gumroad can be seamlessly integrated with automation tools like Zapier or Make, and there is even an affiliate program for creators.
Furthermore, the Gumroad team consistently updates the platform, sharing their roadmap and goals with transparency. Exciting features such as upsells were recently released.
The bottom line
Gumroad is not just a sales platform. It’s a versatile tool with a range of features.
Whether you’re selling digital or physical products, offering memberships, creating courses, or starting a blog, Gumroad has you covered.
The best part is that all of these features are available for free, with Gumroad only taking a fee on each sale you make.
My personal experience with Gumroad, particularly with the newsletter and blog features, has been positive. I highly recommend giving Gumroad a try and exploring all the possibilities it has to offer.