How I Grew a Newsletter to 10,000 Subscribers (While Working Full-Time)

The Principles That Actually Helped Me Grow

Almost one year ago, I published the first issue of Output Theory to an audience of roughly zero.

Today, more than 10,000 people are subscribed.

The newsletter was never meant to replace my income within a year.

I started it while working full-time as a software developer and studying computer science at university. During that time, I was also learning Japanese, training regularly and traveling, amongst other hobbies and pursuits.

This was always a side project.

I wanted to become a better writer, share what I was learning, and slowly build an audience around ideas I genuinely cared about.

A year later, the audience has grown much faster than I expected.

Along the way, I have learned a lot about how newsletters actually grow, what makes readers return, and which creator problems are mostly distractions.

These are the principles that made the biggest difference.