Advertise on podcast: Newsletter & Email Growth: Growth In Reverse

Get the FREE Growth Levers Library: growthinreverse.com/growth-levers-library/ *** “Most people underestimate how long it takes for anything meaningful to happen.” — Matt Paulson, MarketBeat Matt Paulson is the founder of MarketBeat, one of the largest independent financial media brands on the internet. What started as a scrappy side project eventually turned into a multi-newsletter business serving millions of investors, driven primarily by search, disciplined publishing, and long-term thinking. In this episode, Matt walks through how MarketBeat grew over time, why newsletters became a central growth lever, how monetization evolved alongside the audience, and what most creators misunderstand about “overnight success.” This is a grounded, reality-based look at building a newsletter business that lasts. KEY TAKEAWAYS Why Matt believes most newsletter creators reach for paid growth far too earlyThe channel Matt actively avoided for years, even as others obsessed over itThe two most important metrics Matt pays attention toMarketBeat's sign-up flow that earns back paid growth spend The surprising channel Matt is most bullish on today and why it prints moneyWhat “organic growth” actually looked like when it wasn’t glamorousHow MarketBeat evaluated channels based on profit, not attentionThe point where “more traffic” stopped being the goalWhat Matt would double down on today if starting from zeroLINKS MENTIONED MarketBeat.comMattPaulson.comMarketBeat YouTube ChannelNewMediaSummit.com (use GIR20 for 20% off your ticket)Take your newsletter to the next level with Chenell & Dylan — join GIR Pro todayAll of Chenell's Free Content → FOLLOW ON SOCIAL Chenell: Twitter | LinkedInDylan: LinkedIn | Substack | InstagramOUR NEWSLETTERS growthinreverse.comgrowthcurrency.netSubscribe & Leave a Review: Love what you’re hearing? Make sure to subscribe, and if you found this episode helpful, leave us a rating & review on your favorite podcast platform.

This is a clip from the FULL GIR episode with Tom Orbach: SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3LiScMzoSsoyASlymH8vC6YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vD-xde5kQ4Q *** How do you launch a paid Substack newsletter earning $50,000—without a long pre-launch, teaser campaign, or complicated funnel? And all this while working a full-time job? In this Growth In Reverse podcast clip, Tom Orbach breaks down exactly how he launched the paid version of his Substack newsletter after nearly two years of publishing for free—and why simply announcing it to his list worked so well.You’ll hear how Tom:→ Designed a paid Substack offer people couldn’t price per email→ Ran a surprise-style launch without warming up his audience→ Used multiple emails (not just one) to drive conversions→ Signed up 500+ paid subscribers before publishing his first paywalled post LINKS MENTIONED Tom's 3 Big Growth Levers & Launch PlanThe Full GIR Episode with Tom OrbachTom's newsletter — MarketingIdeas.comTom's 3 Big Growth Levers & Launch PlanNewMediaSummit.com (use GIR20 for 20% off your ticket)Take your newsletter to the next level with Chenell & Dylan — join GIR Pro todayAll of Chenell's Free Content → FOLLOW ON SOCIAL Chenell: Twitter | LinkedInDylan: LinkedIn | Substack | InstagramOUR NEWSLETTERS growthinreverse.comgrowthcurrency.netSubscribe & Leave a Review: Love what you’re hearing? Make sure to subscribe, and if you found this episode helpful, leave us a rating & review on your favorite podcast platform

Get Matt's 1,000 Email Subscriber Formula: https://growthinreverse.com/matt-yt-download/ *** "The way to monetize a small, niche audience is not sponsorships — it’s higher-ticket services." — Matt McGarry, GrowLetter Matt McGarry has helped grow some of the largest newsletters in the world — including The Hustle, Milk Road, and 1440 — to millions of subscribers. But in this conversation, he makes a contrarian case: you don’t need a massive email list to build a highly profitable newsletter business. We dig into why sponsorships are a weak monetization strategy for most creators, how Matt generates $76+ per subscriber from LinkedIn, why short-form video is the most underutilized growth channel for newsletters right now, and how to think about business models before chasing scale. Matt also shares how he’s evolved his own newsletter past 50,000 subscribers, what growth channels are actually working in 2025, and why events, services, and higher-touch offers often beat low-ticket products — especially early on. KEY TAKEAWAYS Why sponsorships are one of the weakest newsletter monetization pathsHow Matt earns $76 per LinkedIn subscriber (and why lead quality matters more than volume)How one YouTube video drove 1,000+ email subscribers with a simple lead magnetWhen not to start paid growth — and the exact criteria Matt uses before spending a dollarWhy newsletters should often monetize with services and consulting before productsThe biggest newsletter opportunity most creators are ignoring in 2026LINKS MENTIONED Matt's 1k Email Formula BreakdownGrowletter.coNewMediaSummit.com (use GIR20 for 20% off your ticket)Matt's newsletter — The Newsletter OperatorChenell's on Matt's podcast Take your newsletter to the next level with Chenell & Dylan — join GIR Pro todayAll of Chenell's Free Content → FOLLOW ON SOCIAL Chenell: Twitter | LinkedInDylan: Twitter | LinkedIn | BlueskyOUR NEWSLETTERS growthinreverse.comgrowthcurrency.netSubscribe & Leave a Review: Love what you’re hearing? Make sure to subscribe, and if you found this episode helpful, leave us a rating & review on your favorite podcast platform!

The Growth Vault is LIVE: Chenell's brand-new offer for newsletter creators is here—filled with newsletter templates, growth strategies, and real examples you can implement at your own pace. -------------------------------------- “Creators overinvest in subscriber count and under-invest in content quality.” — Chenell Basilio  We went live on YouTube for the first time and opened up the floor for a full creator Q&A session!  In this session, we answered audience questions about newsletters, growth, ROI, lead magnets, AI in email, overcoming writing fears, and building creator businesses that last. QUESTIONS WE ANSWERED These are the questions we tackled during the livestream: Do newsletter writers need to have a podcast and/or YouTube channel to succeed?Should creators focus on one platform first, or spread across multiple?What’s was our ROI and ROF (Return on Fun) of running a podcast for a year?What were the biggest benefits of podcasting this year?What would we do differently if we were starting the podcast in 2026?Which part of our podcast workflow will we stop doing (or want to stop)?How do subject lines affect open rates for new vs. long-time subscribers?What’s one thing newsletter creators over-invest in?What’s one thing newsletter creators under-invest in?What is the most important metric you track in your ESP? What metrics matter more than open rate?How are AI features in Apple Mail and Gmail changing how people interact with newsletters?...and more!LINKS MENTIONED GrowthInReverse.comGrowthCurrency.netJoin a community for newsletter creators: Growth In Reverse Pro Get The Growth Vault — newsletter templates, growth strategies, and real examples you can implement at your own pace.Want your newsletter roasted? Submit it here. Ask us a question or submit a podcast topic idea: growthinreverse.com/questionsCheck out past Growth In Reverse Deep Dives: https://growthinreverse.com/archive/FOLLOW ON SOCIAL Chenell: Twitter | LinkedIn | SubstackDylan: LinkedIn | Substack | InstagramOUR NEWSLETTERS growthinreverse.comgrowthcurrency.netSubscribe & Leave a Review: If you found this episode valuable, take a second to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify! It helps more newsletter creators find the show. Plus, if you submit a review, you’ll get priority for your own newsletter roast! Music from #Uppbeat:https://uppbeat.io/t/21-on-the-block/i-knowLicense code: 1XP9IRXHPZSBPGMM

Get 30 proven strategies to grow and optimize your email list FREE >> This week, we're playin' the hits! Let's rewind the clock to December 2024. This episode was the very first episode we published—and it's been our most popular episode to date! In this very first episode, we dig into the 3,000+ hours of research Chenell has done into creators and uncovered some of the wildest ways successful newsletter creators have grown their newsletters. Get the full list and 75+ newsletter growth tactics here: https://growthinreverse.com/wildStart collecting testimonials for free with Senja: https://growthinreverse.com/senja KEY TAKEAWAYS Codie Sanchez’s Playbook: How buying and growing newsletters helped her build a massive audience.Yossi Levi (Car Dealership Guy): Building a powerful brand—100% anonymously.Ali from First 1000: Breaking down intentional, daily growth strategies.Tom Alder’s Prelaunch Strategy: Using social media to validate your newsletter idea to the tune of 5k subscribers.Justin Welsh’s Content OS: A behind-the-scenes look at the system that powers Justin’s consistent content creation—and how it's earned him over 7 figures.Cross-Promotion Tactics: How creators like Alex Garcia used newsletter-video swaps to grow their lists by thousands.LINKS MENTIONED Codie Sanchez Grew Her Newsletter to 250k+ Subscribers in Just 3 Years (deep dive)Yossi Levi Built The Car Dealership Guy to 550k+ Followers (deep dive)First1000.co Grew to 60k Subscribers in 32 Months (deep dive)How Justin Welsh turned his sawdust into $2 million (deep dive)"Car Dealership Guy" Yossi Levi's "Who the f*** is Car Dealership Guy" videoJustin Welsh's Content System: https://youtu.be/0tjGORsL2QI?si=LRUt9hOqRAJHNdaW&t=1012 Justin's ContentOS course https://growthinreverse.com/contentos (aff link)Check out all these growth levers here: https://growthinreverse.com/wildFOLLOW ON SOCIAL Chenell: Twitter | LinkedIn | BlueskyDylan: Twitter | LinkedIn | BlueskyOUR NEWSLETTERS growthinreverse.comgrowthcurrency.netSubscribe & Leave a Review: Love what you’re hearing? Make sure to subscribe, and if you found this episode helpful, leave us a rating & review on your favorite podcast platform!

The Growth Vault is LIVE: Chenell's brand-new offer for newsletter creators is here—filled with newsletter templates, growth strategies, and real examples you can implement at your own pace. -------------------------------------- “I think you are being financially irresponsible if you do not have a newsletter.” — Nathan May, The Feed Media The GIR Podcast is approaching it's 1st anniversary of publishing! To celebrate, we pulled six standout clips from some of the smartest newsletter operators and creators we interviewed this year. Each clip highlights a growth or monetization tactic that actually works in the real world — from using testimonials strategically, to building self-liquidating flywheels, to using DMs to drive thousands of subscribers. KEY TAKEAWAYS How Eddie Shleyner drives high conversion rates on his landing pageThe Self-Liquidating Flywheel Olly Richards uses to fund his paid growthThe IG + ManyChat strategy Sam Vander Wielen uses to convert viewers to subscribersHow Katelyn Bourgoin uses an incentivized newsletter poll question to drive salesThe successful + unscalable strategy Justin Moore used to get his first devoted subscribersNathan May's private newsletter strategy earning $1M ARR. LINKS MENTIONED Eddie Shleyner's GIR Podcast episodeVeryGoodCopy.comOlly Richards' GIR Podcast episodeOllyRichards.coSam Vander Wielen's GIR Podcast episodeSam on IGNathan May's GIR Podcast episodeTheFeedMedia.com (Nathan's business)Katelyn Bourgoin's GIR Podcast episodeWhy We Buy newsletter (sign-up to get the Fri-Yay email)Justin Moore's GIR Podcast episodeCreatorWizard.comMilly Tamati's GIR Podcast EpisodeChenell on InstagramDylan on InstagramJoin a community for newsletter creators: Growth In Reverse Pro Get The Growth Vault — newsletter templates, growth strategies, and real examples you can implement at your own pace.Want your newsletter roasted? Submit it here. Ask us a question or submit a podcast topic idea: growthinreverse.com/questionsCheck out past Growth In Reverse Deep Dives: https://growthinreverse.com/archive/FOLLOW ON SOCIAL Chenell: Twitter | LinkedIn | SubstackDylan: LinkedIn | Substack | InstagramOUR NEWSLETTERS growthinreverse.comgrowthcurrency.netSubscribe & Leave a Review: If you found this episode valuable, take a second to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify! It helps more newsletter creators find the show. Plus, if you submit a review, you’ll get priority for your own newsletter roast! Music from #Uppbeat:https://uppbeat.io/t/21-on-the-block/i-knowLicense code: 1XP9IRXHPZSBPGMM

The Growth Vault is LIVE: Chenell's brand-new offer for newsletter creators is here—filled with newsletter templates, growth strategies, and real examples you can implement at your own pace. -------------------------------------- “The quiz brings them in, the newsletter builds the relationship, and the community closes the loop.” — Milly Tamati, Generalist World This week on Growth In Reverse, we sat down with Milly Tamati, founder of Generalist World — a thriving online community for multi-passionate professionals. Milly’s story is a masterclass in building an ecosystem that grows itself. She used a quiz funnel to attract her ideal audience, a newsletter to nurture them, and a lifetime-membership offer to monetize — all without relying on constant product launches or heavy ad spend. In this conversation, we dig into how Milly designed her quiz to drive newsletter sign-ups, how she uses TikTok and LinkedIn differently to drive new subscribers, and how the Generalist World newsletter feeds directly into her paid community. She breaks down conversion numbers, lessons learned, and the surprising reason she decided to cancel recurring monthly revenue—and switch to a lifetime membership model. If you’re looking to turn your newsletter audience into a self-sustaining business, this episode is packed with ideas you can steal today. KEY TAKEAWAYS How Milly went from 0 to 15,000 subscribers in under a year with one quiz.The exact structure of her quiz that’s driven 23,000+ completions.How she optimizes quiz results pages to convert visitors into newsletter subscribers.How Milly uses TikTok to fuel growth.Her LinkedIn strategy that has her posting for 1000+ weekdays in a row.How her newsletter now reaches 40,000+ globally — and the flywheel that keeps growth compounding.The reason she switched to a lifetime membership offer.How she's driving newsletter revenue after cancelling monthly subscriptions.How Milly landed her Big Four "dream" sponsors.The metrics she tracks weekly to measure real growth (not vanity metrics).What she’d do differently if she rebuilt the Generalist World from scratch today.LINKS MENTIONED Generalist WorldGeneralist Quiz – “What Kind of Generalist Are You?”Milly on LinkedInMilly on TikTokJoin a community for newsletter creators: Growth In Reverse Pro Get The Growth Vault — newsletter templates, growth strategies, and real examples you can implement at your own pace.Want your newsletter roasted? Submit it here. Ask us a question or submit a podcast topic idea: growthinreverse.com/questionsCheck out past Growth In Reverse Deep Dives: https://growthinreverse.com/archive/FOLLOW ON SOCIAL Chenell: Twitter | LinkedIn | SubstackDylan: LinkedIn | Substack | InstagramOUR NEWSLETTERS growthinreverse.comgrowthcurrency.netSubscribe & Leave a Review: If you found this episode valuable, take a second to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify! It helps more newsletter creators find the show. Plus, if you submit a review, you’ll get priority for your own newsletter roast! Music from #Uppbeat:https://uppbeat.io/t/21-on-the-block/i-knowLicense code: 1XP9IRXHPZSBPGMM

The Growth Vault is LIVE: Chenell's brand-new offer for newsletter creators is here—filled with newsletter templates, growth strategies, and real examples you can implement at your own pace. -------------------------------------- “Organic needs to be your biggest channel if you want a real audience that feels connected to you.” — Sean Griffey, Industry Dive You might not have aspirations of building a $100m newsletter empire. Neither did Sean Griffey. But 10 years after cofounding Industry Dive with two peers, Sean and his cofounders sold their newsletter media business for a reported $500 million. We sat down with Sean Griffey, to understand what it took to build a behemoth like they did with Industry Dive, and whether or not Sean is still bullish on the newsletter business model. In our chat, Sean breaks down exactly how they grew Industry Dive—from buying LinkedIn groups to mastering first-party data—and shares what today’s newsletter operators can learn from Industry Dive’s playbook. KEY TAKEAWAYS The real reason Industry Dive launched with five newsletters on day one (and why Sean says they all “sucked” at first).How a bad story accidentally proved their newsletter finally “mattered.”The exact growth levers they pulled early on — including buying LinkedIn groups.Why Sean believes “organic audience growth beats paid growth every time” for long-term brand value.How they turned a small B2B news business into a 500-person company operating globally.The virtuous cycle of investing revenue back into better content.What their content studio does—and how it now drives ~40 % of total revenue.What Sean believes is the most valuable data point in newsletters.How Industry Dive decided which metrics actually mattered. The lessons creators today can steal from a company that built 9 figures in newsletter revenue.LINKS MENTIONED Industry DiveSean Griffey on LinkedInInforma (the company that bought Industry Dive)Join a community for newsletter creators: Growth In Reverse Pro Get The Growth Vault — newsletter templates, growth strategies, and real examples you can implement at your own pace.Want your newsletter roasted? Submit it here. Ask us a question or submit a podcast topic idea: growthinreverse.com/questionsCheck out past Growth In Reverse Deep Dives: https://growthinreverse.com/archive/FOLLOW ON SOCIAL Chenell: Twitter | LinkedIn | SubstackDylan: LinkedIn | BlueskyOUR NEWSLETTERS growthinreverse.comgrowthcurrency.netSubscribe & Leave a Review: If you found this episode valuable, take a second to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify! It helps more newsletter creators find the show. Plus, if you submit a review, you’ll get priority for your own newsletter roast! Music from #Uppbeat:https://uppbeat.io/t/21-on-the-block/i-knowLicense code: 1XP9IRXHPZSBPGMM

The Growth Vault is LIVE: Chenell's brand-new offer for newsletter creators is here—filled with newsletter templates, growth strategies, and real examples you can implement at your own pace. -------------------------------------- “People think automation sounds hard. But If you do automatic bill pay, direct deposit, an email autoresponder, you're automating.” — Joe Casabona, casabona.org Chances are all of us writing newsletters could benefit from some more automation. It can save us time and energy so we can focus on creating Insanely Valuable Content™️. But what should we automate—and how? So we brought on our favorite automation expert, Joe Casabona, to break down simple, creator-friendly automations that save time, reduce mental load, and make newsletters and online businesses run smoother.  Joe shares the automations he uses in his own business, why you don’t need to be “techy” to build them, and how small workflow tweaks can free hours every week. KEY TAKEAWAYS Why automating parts of your newsletter doesn’t have to be complicatedThe simple automation Joe uses to welcome new members with a personal touch (and a dopamine hit).The 3-step checklist to figure out if something should be automated.The four building blocks every automation is made of—and how to combine them for powerful systems.A sneaky automation cheat sheet Zapier page no one talks about.How to automate personalized follow-ups for subscribers—without being creepy.The underrated platform Joe’s doubling down on for audience growth.How automation can actually increase your human connection with subscribers.Why creators should start small: Joe’s rule of thumb for the “one automation everyone should build first.”LINKS MENTIONED Casabona.org/growthJoe on LinkedInJoe's YT ChannelJoe's podcastZapier.comZapier AppsMake.comBonjoro.comJoin a community for newsletter creators: Growth In Reverse Pro Get The Growth Vault — newsletter templates, growth strategies, and real examples you can implement at your own pace.Want your newsletter roasted? Submit it here. Ask us a question or submit a podcast topic idea: growthinreverse.com/questionsCheck out past Growth In Reverse Deep Dives: https://growthinreverse.com/archive/FOLLOW ON SOCIAL Chenell: Twitter | LinkedIn | SubstackDylan: LinkedIn | BlueskyOUR NEWSLETTERS growthinreverse.comgrowthcurrency.netSubscribe & Leave a Review: If you found this episode valuable, take a second to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify! It helps more newsletter creators find the show. Plus, if you submit a review, you’ll get priority for your own newsletter roast! Music from #Uppbeat:https://uppbeat.io/t/21-on-the-block/i-knowLicense code: 1XP9IRXHPZSBPGMM Music from SoundStripe: END-USER COPYRIGHT LICENSE AGREEMENTSubject to your compliance with the Terms, Soundstripe Inc. grants Tim Forkin a non-exclusive,limited, non-sublicensable, and nontransferable license to download, reproduce, preparederivative works, distribute, perform and display the song Slayin It solely as combined withyour work of authorship, titled Growth In Reverse. This license was created for the Pro planand is approved for personal or commercial use only.

The Growth Vault is LIVE: Chenell's brand-new offer for newsletter creators is here—filled with newsletter templates, growth strategies, and real examples you can implement at your own pace. Quick note: We ran a 30-day Social Growth Challenge that we opened to the public for a $100 fee to join. But all purchasers of The Growth Vault were able to join for FREE ;)   -------------------------------------- “I love the concept of a challenge—I just don’t know that social media is the goal anymore.” — Chenell Basilio We ran a "public" 30-Day Social Growth Challenge. But was it worth it? This episode breaks down the fallout and lessons learned from the GIR 30-Day Social Growth Challenge. We dive into whether or not we thought the challenge was a success—and whether it was worth it for each of us. We also share some pretty epic wins from several of our challengers.  KEY TAKEAWAYS What can happen when you post 30 days straight.Whether or not a challenge like this is worth it.The hidden ROI of consistency—even when follower growth looks small.How one participant landed $2M in investor interest from a single post.Is daily posting “an exercise in futility”—and what you could do instead.How a 12-week Content Flywheel became the ultimate anti-burnout system.The channel appears to be the best long-term growth play for newsletters.How to design a challenge that actually moves your business forward.The surprising power of small wins and how to build momentum fast.LINKS MENTIONED Our Challenge Winners: 🥇 Tom Orbach || 🥈 Danny Naz || 🥉 Alejandra RojasAdam Schaeuble's 12-Week Content FlywheelJoin a community for newsletter creators: Growth In Reverse Pro Get The Growth Vault — newsletter templates, growth strategies, and real examples you can implement at your own pace.Want your newsletter roasted? Submit it here. Ask us a question or submit a podcast topic idea: growthinreverse.com/questionsCheck out past Growth In Reverse Deep Dives: https://growthinreverse.com/archive/FOLLOW ON SOCIAL Chenell: Twitter | LinkedIn | SubstackDylan: LinkedIn | BlueskyOUR NEWSLETTERS growthinreverse.comgrowthcurrency.netSubscribe & Leave a Review: If you found this episode valuable, take a second to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify! It helps more newsletter creators find the show. Plus, if you submit a review, you’ll get priority for your own newsletter roast!

The Growth Vault is LIVE: Chenell's brand-new offer for newsletter creators is here—filled with newsletter templates, growth strategies, and real examples you can implement at your own pace. -------------------------------------- “If you’re not exceptional at one of the Big 3 — it’s impossible to build a content business.” — Dylan quoting Matt McGarry We're sharing the biggest stories, trends, and lessons from the newsletter space over the past few weeks.  From Bari Weiss’s $150M Substack newsletter sale to gamified engagement strategies and the rise of YouTube as the new discovery channel, we're unpacking what these moves mean for creators and operators running newsletters today. KEY TAKEAWAYS What the $150M acquisition of Bari Weiss's The Free Press proves about newsletters.How creators can reverse-engineer their dream roles or acquisition partners.The game that The Assist launched to boost engagement & reader affinity.What LinkedIn’s games can teach creators about streaks, competition, and retention loops.A referral program so smart it practically funds itself.The "Big 3 Media Strategy” that should reshape your content marketing.The #1 fear that's holding back most newsletter creators.LINKS MENTIONED The Free Press by Barri WeissNews: CBS parent company Paramount Skydance buys The Free PressWorkle by The Assist newsletterThe Dink Deep Dive (via GIR)The "Big 3 Media Platforms" article via Matt McGarry Get Chenell's brand-new offering for newsletter creators: The Growth Vault — newsletter templates, growth strategies, and real examples you can implement at your own pace.Want your newsletter roasted? Submit it here. Ask us a question or submit a podcast topic idea: growthinreverse.com/questionsCheck out past Growth In Reverse Deep Dives: https://growthinreverse.com/archive/FOLLOW ON SOCIAL Chenell: Twitter | LinkedIn | SubstackDylan: LinkedIn | BlueskyOUR NEWSLETTERS growthinreverse.comgrowthcurrency.netSubscribe & Leave a Review: If you found this episode valuable, take a second to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify! It helps more newsletter creators find the show. Plus, if you submit a review, you’ll get priority for your own newsletter roast!

The Growth Vault is LIVE: Chenell's brand-new offer for newsletter creators is here—filled with newsletter templates, growth strategies, and real examples you can implement at your own pace. -------------------------------------- “Stop wasting time picking the ‘perfect’ newsletter tool. Just start publishing. You can always switch later." — Dylan We're breaking down the most common mistakes newsletter creators make in the early days — from obsessing over tools and automations to focusing on viral growth too soon. We are challenging the conventional “how to start a newsletter” checklists floating around online (and even ChatGPT’s advice), showing how little you actually need to start. And why over-planning, over-designing, and over-automating are the real growth killers. If you’ve been “getting ready” to launch for months, this episode will hopefully convince you to just start. KEY TAKEAWAYS Why most creators waste weeks setting up automations they don’t even needWhy you don't need a welcome sequence at first How Chenell recommends for getting your first 10 subscribers without a landing pageThe one tool mistake that can cost you hundreds of dollars—and zero new readersWhether or not you should invest in paid ads for early growthWhy planning your “perfect” newsletter launch might actually be procrastination in disguiseWhy tracking analytics in the beginning doesn't matter (and what to track instead)Why chasing virality before you’re ready can backfire hardHow to use early replies and feedback to shape your newsletter directionThe mindset shift that separates stuck creators from those who actually hit sendLINKS MENTIONED Tom Alder's GIR Deep Dive The Obvious Choice by Jonathan GoodmanDylan's 'Resend To Unopens' Experiment & ArticleGet Chenell's brand-new offering for newsletter creators: The Growth Vault — newsletter templates, growth strategies, and real examples you can implement at your own pace.Want your newsletter roasted? Submit it here. Ask us a question or submit a podcast topic idea: growthinreverse.com/questionsCheck out past Growth In Reverse Deep Dives: https://growthinreverse.com/archive/FOLLOW ON SOCIAL Chenell: Twitter | LinkedIn | SubstackDylan: LinkedIn | BlueskyOUR NEWSLETTERS growthinreverse.comgrowthcurrency.netSubscribe & Leave a Review: If you found this episode valuable, take a second to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify! It helps more newsletter creators find the show. Plus, if you submit a review, you’ll get priority for your own newsletter roast!

The Growth Vault is LIVE: Chenell's brand-new offer for newsletter creators is here—filled with newsletter templates, growth strategies, and real examples you can implement at your own pace. -------------------------------------- “I sent this short email—and got over 200 replies—when I usually get maybe 8 to 15. It was wild." — Chenell In this episode, we're digging into the art (and science) of getting more replies to your newsletter. Why replies? Because we believe (and we're not alone) that replies should be the #1 metric most newsletter creators should be focusing on—even more than open or click rates. We unpack why replies are a powerful signal for deliverability, engagement—even creator mental health—and we share practical strategies for getting more of them. Everything from welcome email tweaks to pattern-interrupt campaigns.  And we even highlight our own examples—plus some examples from major newsletter experts like Mario Gabriele’s “Puzzler,” Toby Howell’s gamified email, and Katelyn Bourgoin’s Fri-Yay edition (part of her Why We Buy newsletter). KEY TAKEAWAYS Why replies are the ultimate engagement metric (and why open/click rates can mislead you)How replies directly impact email deliverabilityThe underrated mental health boost creators get from reader repliesWhy your welcome email is the #1 place to prioritize a reply CTASimple frameworks to write reply-worthy content (like Shaan Puri’s 7 emotions)How pattern interrupt emails can spark hundreds of responses overnightThe surprising downsides: why Chenell’s 200-reply email also had record unsubscribesReal-world examples: Mario Gabriele’s “Puzzler,” Toby Howell’s “Button Game,” and Katelyn Bourgoin’s Fri-Yay interactive pollsHow replies can reveal new content ideas, products, or even potential clientsWhy even a short personal story in your newsletter can trigger authentic responsesLINKS MENTIONED Shaan Puri's 7 Key Emotions (+ AI Prompt Elicitor)Mario Gabriele ('The Puzzler') GIR Deep DiveToby Howell's 'The Game' newsletterKatelyn Bourgoin on GIR PodcastKatelyn's Why We Buy (+ Fri-Yay) newsletterGet Chenell's brand-new offering for newsletter creators: The Growth Vault — newsletter templates, growth strategies, and real examples you can implement at your own pace.Want your newsletter roasted? Submit it here. Ask us a question or submit a podcast topic idea: growthinreverse.com/questionsCheck out past Growth In Reverse Deep Dives: https://growthinreverse.com/archive/FOLLOW ON SOCIAL Chenell: Twitter | LinkedIn | SubstackDylan: LinkedIn | BlueskyOUR NEWSLETTERS growthinreverse.comgrowthcurrency.netSubscribe & Leave a Review: If you found this episode valuable, take a second to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify! It helps more newsletter creators find the show. Plus, if you submit a review, you’ll get priority for your own newsletter roast!

The Growth Vault is LIVE: Chenell's brand-new offer for newsletter creators is here! The Growth Vault is filled with newsletter templates, growth strategies, and real examples you can implement at your own pace. -------------------------------------- “One of the worst things you can do is send new subscribers to a dead-end thank you page. That kills engagement immediately." — Chenell We're breaking down the most overlooked (yet critical) part of growing a newsletter: onboarding new subscribers.  We'll take you through Chenell's 3-step onboarding process every newsletter creator should have in place—and show how to optimize each for higher engagement, deliverability, and long-term retention.  We also tease an advanced 5-step version and share examples from top creators like Katelyn Bourgoin, Tom Alder, and Eddie Shleyner. Whether you’re just starting out or already running a large newsletter, you’ll learn how to avoid common pitfalls and set up onboarding that actually works. KEY TAKEAWAYS The 3 Cs of a high-converting landing pageWhy default Thank-you pages kill engagement (and what to do instead)How "sniper links" can push new subscribers directly into their inbox to find your emailThe #1 mistake welcome emails makeThe most important job your welcome email hasA simple incentive trick to encourage repliesThe difference between a “true” and “false” double opt-inHow (and why) to include surveys in your onboardingWhat top creators do with their “almost there” pages to hook new subscribersLINKS MENTIONED The Growth Vault →Katelyn Bourgoin's Why We Buy landing page →Eddie Shleyner's 'Social Proof Avalanche' →Tom Alder's Strategy Breakdowns → Growth.Design →Senja →RightMessage →Growth In Reverse PRO Community →Want your newsletter roasted? Submit it here. Ask us a question or submit a podcast topic idea: growthinreverse.com/questionsCheck out past Growth In Reverse Deep Dives: https://growthinreverse.com/archive/FOLLOW ON SOCIAL Chenell: Twitter | LinkedIn | SubstackDylan: LinkedIn | Substack | Bluesky OUR NEWSLETTERS growthinreverse.comgrowthcurrency.netSubscribe & Leave a Review: If you found this episode valuable, take a second to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify! It helps more newsletter creators find the show. Plus, if you submit a review, you’ll get priority for your own newsletter roast!

The Growth Vault is LIVE: Chenell's brand-new offer for newsletter creators is here! The Growth Vault is filled with newsletter templates, growth strategies, and real examples you can implement at your own pace. -------------------------------------- “Sometimes less is more. Cut the clutter and highlight the one thing that matters." — Chenell It's newsletter roast time 🔥🔥 We're putting the spotlight on Hobby Card Life: a newsletter covering sports cards and collectibles.  We roast and review everything from the sign-up flow to newsletter design to growth levers. You’ll hear what’s working, what’s holding this newsletter back, and the exact opportunities we see for growth and monetization. KEY TAKEAWAYS The first impression a niche newsletter makes on readers (and where Hobby Card Life missed).The simple opt-in tweak that could dramatically increase subscriber conversions.Why design consistency matters more than you think—and how this newsletter could fix it quickly.What to do when your niche is too broad for new subscribers to understand instantly.The surprising monetization angle that could be a major revenue driver.How partnerships inside a passionate niche can compound growth.The retention risk we spotted in this newsletter’s publishing cadence.Where we’d focus first if we were growing Hobby Card Life from here.LINKS MENTIONED Hobby Card Life newsletterHobbyCardLife.comGrowth In Reverse PRO CommunityThe GIR Social Growth Challenge Get Chenell's brand-new course: The Growth Vault — newsletter templates, growth strategies, and real examples you can implement at your own pace.Want your newsletter roasted? Submit it here. Ask us a question or submit a podcast topic idea: growthinreverse.com/questionsCheck out past Growth In Reverse Deep Dives: https://growthinreverse.com/archive/FOLLOW ON SOCIAL Chenell: Twitter | LinkedIn | SubstackDylan: LinkedIn | BlueskyOUR NEWSLETTERS growthinreverse.comgrowthcurrency.netSubscribe & Leave a Review: If you found this episode valuable, take a second to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify! It helps more newsletter creators find the show. Plus, if you submit a review, you’ll get priority for your own newsletter roast!