AI Side Hustles
Business Model

AI Newsletters

Creators who run email newsletters, either covering AI news and tools or using AI to research and draft issues. Income in the documented cases comes from sponsorships, ad networks and paid subscriptions. Figures below are computed from the cases listed on this page and are what each source reports, not typical results.

Email newsletters about AI, or written with AI help, that earn from sponsors and paid subscriptions.

Side Hustle School episode 3152 title card: "First $1,000: Book Summary Subscription Breaks Out".
aitools.fyi social preview: the aitools.fyi logo and "Find Amazing AI Tools That Make Your Life Easy!" over a collage of AI tool screenshots.
A creator working at a home studio desk with a microphone and video editing screens
Startup Cost in Our Cases
About $20 a month plus platform fees in the one case that discloses a cost
Time to First Revenue in Our Cases
One case reports just under $300 in its first month; the others do not say
Published Cases
9 Published
Independently Documented
1 of 9

Strengths Seen in Our Cases

  • Low cost to start on free or cheap newsletter platforms
  • An owned email list is not tied to one social platform
  • Sponsorship income grows with the audience

Known Risks

  • Many newsletters cover the same AI news
  • Sponsors usually want a sizeable, engaged list first
  • AI-written issues still need fact-checking
Gallery

Images and videos from AI Newsletters cases

Side Hustle School episode 3152 title card: "First $1,000: Book Summary Subscription Breaks Out".Image: Side Hustle School (episode page)
Unnamed side hustler (Side Hustle School episode 3152)
aitools.fyi social preview: the aitools.fyi logo and "Find Amazing AI Tools That Make Your Life Easy!" over a collage of AI tool screenshots.Image: aitools.fyi
World of AI (aitools.fyi)

How the model works

General guidance

A creator picks a topic, such as AI tools or a specific industry, and sends a regular email issue.

AI helps with research, summaries and first drafts; the creator picks what matters and adds their own view.

Growth usually comes from social media posts, referrals and cross-promotion with other newsletters.

How it earns

General guidance

Sponsorships and ad networks pay per issue or per click once the list is large enough.

Some creators add paid subscriptions, courses or services for their readers.

General guidance is our editorial summary and contains no figures. Every number on this page comes from a linked case.

Reported results

What the cases report, and how well it is backed up

Figures are as reported by each source, for different periods and metrics. They are not typical results. How we label evidence.

Case Studies

AI Newsletters Cases

9 case studies
Side Hustle School episode 3152 title card: "First $1,000: Book Summary Subscription Breaks Out".
Image: Side Hustle School (episode page)
August 18, 2025
1 source

A paid book-summary newsletter that reached $1,400 a month by month six

Unnamed side hustler (Side Hustle School episode 3152)

A side hustler launched a weekly book-summary newsletter on Substack at $7 a month or $50 a year. The first month brought 42 subscribers. By month three there were 150 subscribers and $1,000 in total revenue, and by month six about $1,400 a month.

Read original source
Reported figure
About $1,400/mo(revenue)
Evidence levelSelf-Reported
Tools:
Inspect Case
aitools.fyi social preview: the aitools.fyi logo and "Find Amazing AI Tools That Make Your Life Easy!" over a collage of AI tool screenshots.
Image: aitools.fyi
2023
1 source

An AI tools newsletter built on beehiiv reached $6,000 a month in revenue

World of AI (aitools.fyi)

World of AI is a newsletter run alongside aitools.fyi, a directory of AI tools. The founder told Starter Story the paid plans bring in $6,000 a month and the site averages about 150,000 page views a month, while warning that AI hype was cooling.

Read original source
Reported figure
$6,000 a month(revenue)
Evidence levelSelf-Reported
Tools:
Inspect Case
A creator working at a home studio desk with a microphone and video editing screens
June 30, 2023
1 source

Two brothers built an AI newsletter to more than 300,000 subscribers, with sold-out ads bringing in six figures a month

Superhuman AI newsletter (Zain and Awais Kahn)

Zain Kahn and his brother Awais moved from Pakistan to Canada in 2016 and to Dubai in 2022, where they launched the AI newsletter Superhuman a year later. Zain had grown a Twitter following of more than 400,000 by writing threads on marketing and psychology. Some threads about AI went viral, so he focused on AI and tested the newsletter content as threads first. They now lead a team of eight.

Read original source
Reported figure
Six figures a month(revenue)
Evidence levelSelf-Reported
Tools:
Inspect Case
A creator working at a home studio desk with a microphone and video editing screens
April 7, 2025
1 source

A podcaster turns his episodes into a newsletter with a custom AI model and charges $3K to $7K per sponsored send

Chris Koerner (The Koerner Office)

Chris Koerner runs The Koerner Office podcast and newsletter. According to beehiiv, a reader built a custom AI model trained on his content, which he uses to turn podcast material into newsletter issues. Sponsors pay $3K to $7K per send.

Read original source
Reported figure
$3K to $7K per sponsored send(revenue)
Evidence levelSelf-Reported
Tools:none named in the source
Inspect Case
A creator working at a home studio desk with a microphone and video editing screens
March 18, 2025
1 source

An AI content creator says his newsletter, agency and sponsorships bring in $60,000 a month combined

Hasan Toor (The ProHuman)

Hasan Toor, based in Australia, creates AI content on X and LinkedIn. He told The Economic Times his newsletter has over 150K subscribers and that he runs an agency managing 30 LinkedIn and 50 Instagram AI creators. The outlet reports he makes consolidated earnings of $60,000 a month.

Read original source
Reported figure
$60,000 a month combined(revenue)
Evidence levelSelf-Reported
Tools:none named in the source
Inspect Case
A creator working at a home studio desk with a microphone and video editing screens
October 6, 2026
1 source

Rowan Cheung built The Rundown AI newsletter into an eight-figure business in about 3.5 years

Rowan Cheung (The Rundown AI)

Rowan Cheung posted about AI developments on X for almost a year before ChatGPT launched. He launched The Rundown in January 2023, and Creator Spotlight reports it became an eight-figure business with about two dozen employees in 3.5 years.

Read original source
Reported figure
Eight-figure business(revenue)
Evidence levelSelf-Reported
Tools:none named in the source
Inspect Case
A writer at a desk with a tablet, a notebook and shelves of books
September 29, 2024
1 source

Ben Tossell turned his AI newsletter into an AI education business that reached seven figures in about 9 months

Ben Tossell (Ben's Bites)

Ben Tossell, who previously sold Makerpad to Zapier, ran a daily AI newsletter with 100K+ subscribers. He pivoted to an AI education portal with a lifetime plan, which the interview describes as a 7-figure business that has taught 10,000+ people to use AI.

Read original source
Reported figure
7-figure business(revenue)
Evidence levelSelf-Reported
Tools:none named in the source
Inspect Case
A creator working at a home studio desk with a microphone and video editing screens
June 26, 2026
1 source

An AI tutorial newsletter for professionals has earned more than $150,000 from one ad network alone

Alex Fiore (AI Central)

AI Central teaches busy senior professionals to use AI at work through practical tutorials and has about 300,000 readers. beehiiv reports it has earned more than $150,000 from its ad network alone, with brand and affiliate partnerships now the larger share.

Read original source
Reported figure
More than $150,000 from the ad network to date(revenue)
Evidence levelSelf-Reported
Tools:
Inspect Case
Startup costs

What the cases say they spent

The other 8 sources do not disclose a startup cost.

Risks

Challenges reported in these cases

Tools

Tools for AI Newsletters

ChatGPT logo and wordmark on a blue and orange gradient.Official image

ChatGPT

AI Assistant

OpenAI's general-purpose AI assistant. In our documented cases it is used to draft reports, brainstorm product slogans, write first drafts of client posts, and generate code for digital products.

Free plan: Yes. Free plan with limits on uploads, image creation, and deep research.

Pricing: Free plan, plus paid Go, Plus, and Pro plans for individuals and Business and Enterprise plans for teams. Exact prices were not shown in the version of the page we could read; check the official page for your region.

Checked October 17, 2026

Used in 51 documented casesView Profile
Claude logo and wordmark on a cream background.Official image

Claude

AI Assistant

Anthropic's AI assistant. Documented cases use it to write long video scripts, draft newsletter summaries, and run client offers on a single monthly subscription.

Free plan: Yes. Free plan for chat on web, desktop, and mobile.

Pricing: Free plan. Pro is $20/month billed monthly or $17/month billed annually. Max starts at $100/month. Team seats start at $20/seat/month billed annually.

Checked October 17, 2026

Used in 35 documented casesView Profile
n8n logo with the line "Automate without limits."Official image

n8n

Automation

A workflow automation platform with AI and agent nodes that can run in the cloud or be self-hosted. Used to rebuild the documented construction estimate automation in under a week.

Free plan: Free trial on cloud plans; self-hosted Community Edition available at no licence cost.

Pricing: Cloud Starter 20 EUR/month and Pro 50 EUR/month, billed annually. Business plan from 667 EUR/month billed annually. A self-hosted Community Edition is also available.

Checked October 17, 2026

Used in 6 documented casesView Profile
Canva wordmark surrounded by sample design templates.Official image

Canva

Design

An online design tool with built-in AI features. Documented sellers use it to make print-on-demand designs and to lay out printables and workbooks.

Free plan: Yes.

Pricing: Free plan plus paid Pro, Teams, and Enterprise plans. We could not load the live pricing page in our check; one documented seller cited Canva Pro at $10/month in September 2024.

Checked October 17, 2026

Used in 7 documented casesView Profile
More tools

Other tools and platforms used in this model

beehiivNewsletter platform named in the cases (official site, opens in a new tab)SubstackNewsletter platform with paid subscriptions (official site, opens in a new tab)

Links go to each tool's official site. None of these links are affiliate links.

FAQ

AI Newsletters: common questions

How much do people make with AI Newsletters and AI?

Across the 5 of our 9 sourced cases that report a monthly figure, amounts range from $726 to $100,000 a month, with a median of $6,000. These are what each source reports, not typical results.

How much does it cost to start?

About $20 a month plus platform fees in the one case that discloses a cost. 1 of 9 cases disclose a startup cost.

How long until the first dollar?

One case reports just under $300 in its first month; the others do not say. This comes from what our cases report.

Which AI tools do these cases use most?

ChatGPT (3 cases), Claude (2 cases), Canva (1 case), n8n (1 case). Only tools named in the sources are counted.

How reliable are these income figures?

1 of 9 cases are independently documented, meaning a news outlet says it reviewed records. 8 are self-reported. Every case links its source.

What are the main risks?

Many newsletters cover the same AI news. Sponsors usually want a sizeable, engaged list first. AI-written issues still need fact-checking.

How many of these cases say when they made their first dollar?

2 of 9 cases state a time to first revenue. For example: Unnamed side hustler (Side Hustle School episode 3152): "First month (42 subscribers, just under $300 a month)"; Rowan Cheung (The Rundown AI): "He says it was profitable from day one; recommendations brought $30K to $40K a month early on". The rest do not say, so treat any single timeline as one example, not a norm.

What went wrong or held these cases back?

9 of 9 cases list limitations or risks drawn from their sources. Examples: Unnamed side hustler (Side Hustle School episode 3152): Some subscribers left wanting more than one summary a week; World of AI (aitools.fyi): Depends on interest in AI tools staying high, which the founder says is declining; Superhuman AI newsletter (Zain and Awais Kahn): The figures are self-reported and were not independently checked. Each case page lists them in full.

Do I have to report this income to the IRS if I never get a 1099-K?

Yes. The IRS says that whether or not you receive a Form 1099-K, you must report all income from selling goods or services on your tax return. Payment apps and online marketplaces must send a 1099-K when payments for goods or services total over $20,000 in more than 200 transactions, but they may send one for lower amounts. Source: IRS, "Understanding your Form 1099-K" (irs.gov/businesses/understanding-your-form-1099-k), checked 2026-10-20. General information, not tax advice.

Do I owe self-employment tax on side hustle income in the US?

According to the IRS, you must pay self-employment tax and file Schedule SE if your net earnings from self-employment were $400 or more. The rate is 15.3% (12.4% Social Security and 2.9% Medicare), and you may need to pay estimated taxes quarterly. Source: IRS, "Self-employment tax (Social Security and Medicare taxes)" (irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/self-employment-tax-social-security-and-medicare-taxes), checked 2026-10-20. General information, not tax advice.

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