The 3-2-1 Framework: Your Secret to Starting a Newsletter

Another week in 2025 and another curve ball getting in the way of my plans but creating opportunities in the wake of it.

The temporary TikTok ban caused quite a stir and got me thinking about how I started this newsletter long before I felt ready. Making it the perfect moment to share that journey with you.

It was also an opportunity to finally edit a bonus video with Louise Stigell, where we dive into her approach to writing weekly letters. Publishing one video in January is already more than I expected last week.

Speaking of progress, the Orbit Community for Solo Creators is very close to opening its doors to the first founding members. If you’re interested in joining a growing group of like-minded creators, join the waitlist of more than 40 Solo Creators.

Now, let’s get into how I’ve managed to stay consistent with this newsletter over the past 74 weeks.

💛 Valentin

New in Orbit:
📺 They lost their Audience. Don’t make the same mistake!

About TikTok and newsletters

Less than a week ago TikTok was actually banned in the US. For less than a day but long enough to let Europeans realize they never experienced social media without Americans. While U.S. based creators had to face the harsh truth of how dependent they are on one platform to reach their people.

It was a wake-up call for many, highlighting a crucial fact for anyone building an online presence:

You need an email list.

Unlike social media platforms that come and go, an email list is the only reliable way to reach the people who care about your work. Even if you don’t know what you’d write (yet), collecting email addresses is the single most important step you can take if you want to make money or build a lasting relationship with your audience.

To make this less intimidating here is how I started the Orbit Newsletter with you.

How I write these letters to you

Before launching Orbit for Creators, I knew I needed a newsletter but had no clue where to begin.

What would I write about? Can I send one every week? Is that to much? Too little? The thought of writing regular emails felt not just overwhelming but painful. Thanks to all the school teachers who made me believe I’m bad at writing just because my spelling sucked.

What turned the tide around was a conversation with my friend Aidan Belizaire. He had been writing an online journal to track his creator journey, and his method was simple:

“Treat it like a diary and write it for yourself.”

That single line shifted my mindset. Instead of putting pressure on me to be profound or perfect it became an exercise in reflection. A chance to document what mattered to me, without worrying about impressing anyone.

Once again highlighting how important it is to have people around you. People who help you see a path forward in a confusing world.

Making the next challenge what to write about.
Even if it was a public journal there had to be some guideline, not just random thoughts.

The Power of Curation

To keep it as simple as possible and repeatable I decided to just share 3 videos I’d watched that week. This gave me a structure and a reason to pay attention to trends, lessons, and new creators. Making it educational for me.

Here’s what I found:

• Curation builds awareness. I began spotting outliers—like new YouTube channels that cracked the algorithm.

• It’s sustainable. By focusing on content I was already consuming, I didn’t need to worry about writing something original.

• It’s valuable. Readers appreciated having curated, distilled insights handed to them.

This approach works for creators big and small. Even Tim Ferris built his 5-Bullet Friday on a similar model!

Only in year two did I make the switch to more educational writing. After building the confidence in my writing skills and a lot of help from “Bruce”, my patient ChatGPT tutor. By then I also had a much better understanding of who I’m writing too and how I can be helpful. Causing the change to share frameworks and principles I discovered on my journey. Making it more helpful to you (hopefully).

The Time it Takes

But where do you find the time for this? I’m already spending so much time doing xyz.

For me, the answer came from Steven Pressfield’s The War of Art:

Set a time and do the work.

I gave myself 1 hour every Friday morning to write. That one small commitment has turned into a 74-week streak. Becoming the most consistent creative habit I’ve ever built, and it’s helped me grow on so many levels.

Who do you send it to?

I started with a list of 30 people I knew from online events I hosted during the pandemic. And I bet you have 10 people you can think of who would be happy to hear from you on a regular basis.

But regardless of hwo big or small you list is, write it to one person. A lesson Louise helped me understand.

From there it’s about communicating the existence of it to people who can benefit from it.
Something I actually trying to get better at.

What matters most is getting started.
So here is a simple framework to help with that.

The 3-2-1 Framework

To make this more actionable for you here are my lessons in asimple format you can copy.

The 3-2-1 Breakdown:

3 Key Pieces of Content

Choose three things to include in your newsletter: curated content, personal moments, insights, jokes, or even questions. Giving it structure without overloading your reader or yourself.

2 Goals for Your Newsletter:

For me that was to:

• Build consistency and

• improve me writing skills.

That two sided approach gave me a reason to do it even if I didn’t feel like it.

1 Person you write to:

Imagine one person whenever you sit down to write. This helps you stay focused on what’s relevant to your audience and builds a personal connection with your readers.

Bonus Tip

Listen to the same playlist or album every time you write. For me, it’s Elderbrook - Live from the Aquarium. (I’ve played it way more than 74 times.) If you prefer instrumental music, here is a playlist I made specifically for writing emails.

Start your newsletter today and let me know how it goes.

Community Spotlight

Luke Himmelsbach has been an incredible guiding light for me in the creator economy. Not only has he supported Orbit since episode 0, but his positive energy and willingness to share are qualities I wish more people had.

So it was an incredible delight to see him write about me and Orbit in his newsletter, Cmd+Shift+Create.

Luke, I deeply appreciate the love!

If you’re looking for good vibes and sharp insights around content creation and creator-led marketing, you need his newsletter in your inbox. Go give it a sub

If you want your channel or publication featured in one of the next issues just do what Luke did.

Tell your audience about Orbit and insights you’ve gained from it.

Make sure to send it over, so I definitely see it.

Cheat Code I discovered this week:

A Custom GPT that answers any question about DaVinci Resolve.

I bet there is a chat bot for any software by now.

In case you missed it:

⬅️ Last week I gave you a 1 page YouTube strategy 

➡️ Next week I hopefully get to share 3 Rules that made me a better creator.

Thank you for reading 💛