This man has become one of the most successful solopreneurs by mastering short-form content.

In just 3.5 years, he’s generated millions in revenue largely on his own.

He’s done this by building an audience of hundreds of thousands of people across three main platforms: LinkedIn, Twitter, and his email newsletters.

It’s Justin Welsh.

But how did Welsh go from 0 to over $2 million in revenue so quickly?

Let’s break down his journey.

Starting Small on LinkedIn

Welsh began building his audience in 2018 solely on LinkedIn. He committed to consistently publishing valuable short-form content day in and day out.

It was a slow grind at first, but he stuck with it. Over years of posting daily, he was able to steadily grow his following into the six figures.

The key factors to his LinkedIn growth were:

• Consistency: Publishing daily, rarely missing a day of content.
• Optimization: Analyzing what posts performed best and replicating their style.
• Value: Providing genuinely useful tips and insights for his audience.

As Welsh honed his skills on LinkedIn, he became extremely skilled at short-form content. He mastered quick tips, listicles, and threads that helped his audience succeed. This enabled rapid growth.

Expanding to Twitter

In October 2021, Welsh made the decision to expand his reach by launching a presence on Twitter.

Thanks to his existing authority from 100k+ LinkedIn followers, he was able to gain traction on Twitter right away.

By analyzing the tactics of fast-growing creators on the platform, Welsh reverse-engineered what worked.

Within just 16 months, he amassed over 300,000 Twitter followers. The platform is now on pace to surpass his LinkedIn audience soon.

Diversifying Beyond Social Media

Relying solely on social media platforms was still too risky for Welsh’s liking. In January 2022, he launched his own email newsletter called The Saturday Solopreneur.

He promoted the newsletter heavily on LinkedIn and Twitter, rapidly growing it to 85,000 subscribers in one year, and over 95,000 since.

This provided him with a way to reach his audience without any platform risk.

The Saturday Solopreneur became the new hub of Welsh’s business.

He sells lucrative sponsored ad spots in each issue. He highlights his courses. And he plugs affiliate offers.

For example, in each issue, he sells two sponsored ad spots for $3000 each.

At $6,000 per issue, published weekly, that’s over $300,000 per year just from his newsletter ads.

And those ads are usually 1–2 sentences short. That’s a hefty pay-per-word rate.

Courses, Coaching, and Affiliate Marketing

In addition to the newsletter, Welsh generates revenue through online courses, coaching, and affiliate promotions:

• Courses: His two flagship courses LinkedIn OS and Content OS each sell for $150. He’s made multiple millions in course sales.
• Coaching: Welsh offers exclusive coaching to a small group one-on-one. This is his most premium offering.
• Affiliate Marketing: He earns commissions promoting tools through his affiliate links, generating at least $25k+ per year.

This diversified income mix helps Welsh earn well over $1 million per year as a solopreneur.

He’s built an incredibly efficient business with staggeringly high profit margins of around 95%.

Key Takeaways from Justin Welsh’s Success

The growth of Justin Welsh provides several powerful lessons for any entrepreneur or creator hoping to emulate his success:

• Start by mastering one platform completely before expanding. Welsh focused solely on LinkedIn for his first few years.
• Constantly analyze your best-performing content and double down on it. Repurpose what works.
• Once you have traction, expand to new platforms using proven tactics that work. Welsh reverse-engineered others’ strategies.
• Diversify your audience across channels like email lists to decrease platform risk.
• Create multiple income streams through online courses, coaching, sponsorships, and affiliate promotions. Don’t rely on just one.
• Build systems and processes to maximize efficiency as you scale your business. Eliminate busywork through automation.

By combining these strategies, Justin Welsh built an audience most solopreneurs only dream of.

He’s grown a highly-profitable million-dollar business in just a few short years.

There are certainly lessons any entrepreneur can learn from his journey.