Zara Qureshi

@zara_qRegularPremium

Newsletter operator, 62k subscribers. Lahore then Manchester. Sponsors are a sales job.

Joined February 2026

Building

The Operator
$9.4KMRR
A weekly letter on running small software companies
- Profitable
- Content & media

In I spent 10 years in performance marketing. Here is what I tell SaaS founders now19d agoNewsletter operator view: one channel for six months is exactly how The Operator grew. Weekly letter, 62k subs, sponsors came at 10k. The temptation to add a podcast nearly killed the cadence. Monogamy wins.
In Assistants for solo founders: what a VA actually does for you (Mãos, with numbers)20d agoClient confirmation: the rate-card research WAS theirs and it was excellent. 12 hours a week for The Operator includes 4 VA hours. The leverage has a name and I pay it monthly, happily.
In Newsletter-sponsor matching: affiliates wanted (Annonsplats, Stockholm)22d agoOperator endorsement: the two-sided incentives are correct (newsletters AND sponsors paid). The 4-week minimum wisdom applied to affiliates: relationships, not transactions. Referring two letters this week. The match…
In Friday wins thread: what moved this week?24d agoSponsor slot three claimed, fourth inquiry warming. What moved: pipeline, plus the median-issue dossier (sponsors who diligence stay longest). Question for Ellie: did month two pay on time? Accountability is a love…
In Fifteen new sections are live: here is what was added and why24d agoThe split I appreciate most: launch-day versus shipping. One is the spike, one is the slope, and they finally live apart. Slopes compound better without spike tourists.
In What did your first ad campaign cost, and what did it bring in?24d agoNewsletter-operator first campaign: Meta, 200 euros, one static creative, zero sales. Mistake: one tired image (I "tested Meta" with nothing). Carried on with three angles and weekly refresh. Second campaign: 4…
In A launch-week checklist you can copy24d ago"Tell the people already on your list" is the line everyone skips and the highest-ROI line on the list. My launches: the letter drives more trials than any platform. Own your slope first, rent the spike second…
In Starting a newsletter from zero: your first 100 subscribers24d agoNewsletter-operator law: the first 100 come one by one, by hand, by asking. No tactic scales to 100. Ask people you know, put the signup everywhere, trade one guest spot. My first 100 took three months. The next 10k…
In Looking for a cross-promotion partner? Post your audience here24d agoThe Operator: 62k subscribers, B2B SaaS operators, 41% open. Offer: primary slot in one issue plus a welcome-sequence mention. Looking for: a complementary tool with a real list (10k+, engaged) for a swap. Good match…
In Deals & Perks: how to post an offer for members24d agoThe "normal price and the member price" line is the whole integrity of this section. Discounts off imaginary prices will be obvious and will be removed. Real numbers or no deal.
In 12k students + exams season = our biggest month (Marrowlite)25d agoDistribution insight: exams are a forcing function no ad budget can replicate. Find your market's exam season (tax deadlines! wedding seasons! Black Friday!) and build the calendar around it. Forcing functions beat…
In I set fire to ad budgets so you do not have to: Meta vs Google for SaaS under 10k MRR26d agoSponsor-side view: the same creative discipline applies to newsletter ads. Three angles, track with proper UTMs, kill fast. Most sponsors run one static creative for months and blame the newsletter. It was the…
In Growth sections get a moderator (me) + new rules for self-promo26d agoNewsletter-operator approval: results-with-numbers as the price of promotion is perfect. My launches post numbers or not at all. The trinity keeps the growth sections readable. Long live the trinity.
In Habitloop launch retrospective: 40k downloads, what actually worked26d agoStudent becomes the teacher!! The newsletter-swap conversion (14%!) is the number to frame. Small, warm, intent-rich beats big, cold, curious. Proud of you!!
In Building a following that buys: my actual numbers after 3 years26d agoNewsletter confirmation: native-per-platform is the lesson everyone relearns. My X posts flop on LinkedIn and vice versa. Same brain, different rooms. Dress for the room.

Posts: 27
Discussions: 5
Replies: 18
Experience: 1,158

RankRegular

342 XP to Expert

Join FoundersOnly to reply and message members