Tyler Denk - If You Own a Business, You Must Start a Newsletter in 2026

<p>Tyler Denk is giving you The Newsletter Playbook · beehiiv's path to $50M ARR → <a href="https://openresidency.com/tyler-denk-playbook?utm_source=spotify&amp;utm_medium=description&amp;utm_campaign=tyler_denk_playbook" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://openresidency.com/tyler-denk-playbook?utm_source=spotify&amp;utm_medium=description&amp;utm_campaign=tyler_denk_playbook</a></p><p>Tyler Denk turned Big Desk Energy, his newsletter, into a $400,000 side business working five hours a week. He did it by building and using beehiiv, the newsletter platform he co-founded. This conversation covers the entire playbook: pre-launch waitlists, email gates, referral programs, the Boost network, lead magnets, and paid acquisition.</p><p>You'll also hear about the five main ways to monetize a newsletter, why Tyler raised a $12.5M Series A in six days, and how he manages 130 remote employees with almost no one leaving. It's a detailed look at founder-led distribution and newsletter economics.</p><p>⏱ CHAPTERS<br />00:00:00 Trailer<br />00:00:42 What Big Desk Energy Actually Is<br />00:02:50 Building in Public Before the Product<br />00:07:31 Pre-Launch Waitlist Strategy<br />00:09:13 Email Gates and the Content Flywheel<br />00:11:58 Referral Programs and Beyond<br />00:17:13 The Boost Network and Cross-Promotion<br />00:21:27 Lead Magnets That Actually Convert<br />00:24:26 Five Ways to Monetize a Newsletter<br />00:28:39 Direct Sponsorships and the Media Kit<br />00:41:44 Digital Products and Paid Subscriptions<br />00:47:54 The Costa Rica Founder Mastermind<br />00:52:39 Building in Public: Wins and Backfires<br />01:06:24 The beehiiv MCP and Agentic Workflows<br />01:26:38 Creator Economy in the AI Era<br />01:31:27 Running 130 People Fully Remote<br />01:35:32 Weekly Success List and All-Hands Rhythm<br />01:42:51 The $12.5M Series A in Six Days<br />01:50:29 Quickstrike Questions</p><p><b>🔗 TYLER DENK</b><br />Website: <a href="https://bigdeskenergy.com" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://bigdeskenergy.com</a><br />Instagram: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/tylerdenk_/" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.instagram.com/tylerdenk_/</a><br />X: <a href="https://x.com/denk_tweets" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://x.com/denk_tweets</a><br />LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/tyler-denk/" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.linkedin.com/in/tyler-denk