For Darian Symoné Harvin, the most important characteristic of a successful newsletter is having a very specific idea — and her independent publication on Substack, Beauty IRL, definitely hits that mark. Launched in October of last year, Beauty IRL is focused on the intersection of politics and beauty, meaning it is very often centered on Black women. Beauty IRL was Darian’s solution to a constant cycle of bouncing back and forth between working for media companies in order to pay the bills and working on passion projects with a subject matter she really wants to engage with.

“Consistency is also really important, I didn’t really see my subscriber base grow until I got really consistent,” Harvin remembered, in a recent phone interview. “And I think being willing to experiment with form and with subject matter within the niche topic — so you can figure out what resonates with your audience, and what you enjoy, too — is equally key for success.”

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