Newsletter & Email Growth: Growth In Reverse

We're launching 30 Days of Growth on April 20th! Sign up at 30daysofgrowth.co for free. Get 30 ways to grow and optimize your email list, from creators who have successfully done it. If 30 top creators handed you their best newsletter growth tactic, for free, would you take it? Of course you would! I'm excited to share that we are launching 30 Days of Growth (Part 2!) on April 20th. If you missed last year's event, you don't want to miss it again. Each day I'll be sending you 1 tip you can use to improve or grow your newsletter.In this episode, I break down why cross-promotions are one of the most underrated newsletter growth strategies, share the real numbers from last year's 30 Days of Growth (3,714 signups, 1,757 new subscribers, 77% open rates), and announce what's coming for year 2 - including the creators, the prizes, and how to get in.Sign up for free at 30daysofgrowth.coCreators featured this year include Dave Gerhardt, Katelyn Bourgoin, Justin Welsh, Sam Vander Wielen, Daniel Bustamante, and many more.Sign up: 30daysofgrowth.coGrowth In Reverse newsletter: growthinreverse.comGrowth In Reverse Pro community: growthinreverse.com/pro/

We're launching 30 Days of Growth on April 20th! Sign up at 30daysofgrowth.co for free. Get 30 ways to grow and optimize your email list, from creators who have successfully done it. NOTE: This is a rerun of an episode we published in September 2025. But just because it's a rerun doesn't mean it ain't still a banger 💥--------------------------------------“One of the worst things you can do is send new subscribers to a dead-end thank you page. That kills engagement immediately." — ChenellWe'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 TAKEAWAYSThe 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 MENTIONEDThe 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 SOCIALChenell: Twitter | LinkedIn | SubstackDylan: LinkedIn | Substack | Bluesky OUR NEWSLETTERSgrowthinreverse.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!

We're launching 30 Days of Growth on April 20th! Sign up at 30daysofgrowth.co for free. Get 30 ways to grow and optimize your email list, from creators who have successfully done it. Get the Growth Levers Library FREE >> growthinreverse.com/growth-levers-library

We're launching 30 Days of Growth on April 20th! Sign up at 30daysofgrowth.co for free. Get 30 ways to grow and optimize your email list, from creators who have successfully done it. Get Chenell's step-by-step breakdown of Jonathan Goodman's Lead Magnet Strategy: https://growthinreverse.com/jon-content-loops/We start the next round of 30 Days of Growth on April 20th, you can join to get access when it's live here: https://30daysofgrowth.co/?source=youtube ***Lead Magnet Episode (Part 1) >>

We're launching 30 Days of Growth on April 20th! Sign up at 30daysofgrowth.co for free. Get 30 ways to grow and optimize your email list, from creators who have successfully done it. Get the slides + the awesome bonuses → growthinreverse.com/nms-2026/

We're launching 30 Days of Growth on April 20th! Sign up at 30daysofgrowth.co for free. Get 30 ways to grow and optimize your email list, from creators who have successfully done it. Get the Happy Subscribers Formula for more newsletter opens, clicks AND replies → growthinreverse.com/happy-subscribers/?ref=podcast-shownotes

We're launching 30 Days of Growth on April 20th! Sign up at 30daysofgrowth.co for free. Get 30 ways to grow and optimize your email list, from creators who have successfully done it. Get the Collaboration Playbook and resources here → https://growthinreverse.com/collab-playbook/

We're launching 30 Days of Growth on April 20th! Sign up at 30daysofgrowth.co for free. Get 30 ways to grow and optimize your email list, from creators who have successfully done it. Get the FREE Lead Magnet Guide >> growthinreverse.com/leadmagnetGet Instant Access to the Growth Vault now >> growthinreverse.com/vault*** “Lead magnets definitely still work. I think they’re having a resurgence right now.” — Chenell BasilioIt took 60 episodes. But we finally dedicated a full episode to lead magnets — what they are, what’s actually working right now, and what’s quietly a waste of time.In this episode, we break down the three lead magnet formats we see winning, why “quick win” matters more than length, and how tactics like comment-to-get and pop-up newsletters can create real growth flywheels. We also talk about when lead magnets don’t make sense (yes, that’s a thing) and the simple promotion step most creators skip that could double the impact of what they’ve already built.KEY TAKEAWAYSThe “Trojan horse” that beats the “Subscribe to my newsletter” CTAWhether or not lead magnets still work5 keys to a creating a successful lead magnetThe most critical lead magnet mistakes to avoidThe best types of lead magnets working right now Chenell's number #1 tip for lead magnetsLINKS MENTIONEDThe Growth Vault → Sam Vander Wielen Episode → Growth In Reverse Pro FOLLOW ON SOCIALChenell: Twitter | LinkedInDylan: LinkedIn | Substack | InstagramOUR NEWSLETTERSgrowthinreverse.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.

We're launching 30 Days of Growth on April 20th! Sign up at 30daysofgrowth.co for free. Get 30 ways to grow and optimize your email list, from creators who have successfully done it. Get Instant Access to the Growth Vault now >> growthinreverse.com/vault*** In this episode of the GIR Podcast, we're airing "cross-published" episode originally featured on Jay Clouse's Creator Science podcast. Check out the Creator Science podcast here >>***“If someone can Google what you wrote and get the same thing elsewhere, it’s not differentiated.” — Chenell BasilioChenell Basilio joins Jay Clouse on Creator Science to break down how she built Growth In Reverse into a thriving newsletter with over 35,000 subscribers.Chenell shares the strategy behind her deep dive format, how she thinks about positioning and differentiation, why focus beats platform sprawl, and how she turned detailed research into sustainable audience growth. Jay and Chenell also discuss monetization, collaboration strategy, audience building, and what it actually takes to build a durable newsletter business.KEY TAKEAWAYSWhy depth beats volume when building a newsletter audienceThe compounding power of collaborations in niche marketsHow to create “internal share” content that spreads inside companiesWhy narrowing your focus accelerates newsletter growthThe difference between building an audience and building a businessHow to turn research into durable newsletter contentWhy distribution strategy matters more than content frequencyThe real value of long-term positioning in the newsletter spaceLINKS MENTIONEDCreator Science podcastThe Growth VaultGrowth In Reverse newsletterJay Clouse on LinkedInGrowth In Reverse Pro FOLLOW ON SOCIALChenell: Twitter | LinkedInDylan: LinkedIn | Substack | InstagramOUR NEWSLETTERSgrowthinreverse.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.

We're launching 30 Days of Growth on April 20th! Sign up at 30daysofgrowth.co for free. Get 30 ways to grow and optimize your email list, from creators who have successfully done it. 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 TAKEAWAYSWhy 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 MENTIONEDMarketBeat.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 SOCIALChenell: Twitter | LinkedInDylan: LinkedIn | Substack | InstagramOUR NEWSLETTERSgrowthinreverse.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.

We're launching 30 Days of Growth on April 20th! Sign up at 30daysofgrowth.co for free. Get 30 ways to grow and optimize your email list, from creators who have successfully done it. 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 postLINKS MENTIONEDTom'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 SOCIALChenell: Twitter | LinkedInDylan: LinkedIn | Substack | InstagramOUR NEWSLETTERSgrowthinreverse.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

We're launching 30 Days of Growth on April 20th! Sign up at 30daysofgrowth.co for free. Get 30 ways to grow and optimize your email list, from creators who have successfully done it. 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 TAKEAWAYSWhy 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 MENTIONEDMatt'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 SOCIALChenell: Twitter | LinkedInDylan: Twitter | LinkedIn | BlueskyOUR NEWSLETTERSgrowthinreverse.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!

We're launching 30 Days of Growth on April 20th! Sign up at 30daysofgrowth.co for free. Get 30 ways to grow and optimize your email list, from creators who have successfully done it. 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 MENTIONEDGrowthInReverse.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 SOCIALChenell: Twitter | LinkedIn | SubstackDylan: LinkedIn | Substack | InstagramOUR NEWSLETTERSgrowthinreverse.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

We're launching 30 Days of Growth on April 20th! Sign up at 30daysofgrowth.co for free. Get 30 ways to grow and optimize your email list, from creators who have successfully done it. 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/senjaKEY TAKEAWAYSCodie 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 MENTIONEDCodie 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 SOCIALChenell: Twitter | LinkedIn | BlueskyDylan: Twitter | LinkedIn | BlueskyOUR NEWSLETTERSgrowthinreverse.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!

We're launching 30 Days of Growth on April 20th! Sign up at 30daysofgrowth.co for free. Get 30 ways to grow and optimize your email list, from creators who have successfully done it. 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 TAKEAWAYSHow 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 MENTIONEDEddie 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 SOCIALChenell: Twitter | LinkedIn | SubstackDylan: LinkedIn | Substack | InstagramOUR NEWSLETTERSgrowthinreverse.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

We're launching 30 Days of Growth on April 20th! Sign up at 30daysofgrowth.co for free. Get 30 ways to grow and optimize your email list, from creators who have successfully done it. 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 WorldThis 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 TAKEAWAYSHow 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 MENTIONEDGeneralist 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 SOCIALChenell: Twitter | LinkedIn | SubstackDylan: LinkedIn | Substack | InstagramOUR NEWSLETTERSgrowthinreverse.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

We're launching 30 Days of Growth on April 20th! Sign up at 30daysofgrowth.co for free. Get 30 ways to grow and optimize your email list, from creators who have successfully done it. 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 DiveYou 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 TAKEAWAYSThe 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 MENTIONEDIndustry 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 SOCIALChenell: Twitter | LinkedIn | SubstackDylan: LinkedIn | BlueskyOUR NEWSLETTERSgrowthinreverse.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

We're launching 30 Days of Growth on April 20th! Sign up at 30daysofgrowth.co for free. Get 30 ways to grow and optimize your email list, from creators who have successfully done it. 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.orgChances 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 TAKEAWAYSWhy 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 MENTIONEDCasabona.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 SOCIALChenell: Twitter | LinkedIn | SubstackDylan: LinkedIn | BlueskyOUR NEWSLETTERSgrowthinreverse.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: 1XP9IRXHPZSBPGMMMusic 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.

We're launching 30 Days of Growth on April 20th! Sign up at 30daysofgrowth.co for free. Get 30 ways to grow and optimize your email list, from creators who have successfully done it. 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 BasilioWe 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 TAKEAWAYSWhat 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 MENTIONEDOur 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 SOCIALChenell: Twitter | LinkedIn | SubstackDylan: LinkedIn | BlueskyOUR NEWSLETTERSgrowthinreverse.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!

We're launching 30 Days of Growth on April 20th! Sign up at 30daysofgrowth.co for free. Get 30 ways to grow and optimize your email list, from creators who have successfully done it. 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 TAKEAWAYSWhat 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 MENTIONEDThe 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 SOCIALChenell: Twitter | LinkedIn | SubstackDylan: LinkedIn | BlueskyOUR NEWSLETTERSgrowthinreverse.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!

We're launching 30 Days of Growth on April 20th! Sign up at 30daysofgrowth.co for free. Get 30 ways to grow and optimize your email list, from creators who have successfully done it. 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." — DylanWe'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 TAKEAWAYSWhy 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 MENTIONEDTom 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 SOCIALChenell: Twitter | LinkedIn | SubstackDylan: LinkedIn | BlueskyOUR NEWSLETTERSgrowthinreverse.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!

We're launching 30 Days of Growth on April 20th! Sign up at 30daysofgrowth.co for free. Get 30 ways to grow and optimize your email list, from creators who have successfully done it. 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." — ChenellIn 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 TAKEAWAYSWhy 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 MENTIONEDShaan 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 SOCIALChenell: Twitter | LinkedIn | SubstackDylan: LinkedIn | BlueskyOUR NEWSLETTERSgrowthinreverse.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!

We're launching 30 Days of Growth on April 20th! Sign up at 30daysofgrowth.co for free. Get 30 ways to grow and optimize your email list, from creators who have successfully done it. 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." — ChenellWe'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 TAKEAWAYSThe 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 MENTIONEDThe 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 SOCIALChenell: Twitter | LinkedIn | SubstackDylan: LinkedIn | Substack | Bluesky OUR NEWSLETTERSgrowthinreverse.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!

We're launching 30 Days of Growth on April 20th! Sign up at 30daysofgrowth.co for free. Get 30 ways to grow and optimize your email list, from creators who have successfully done it. 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." — ChenellIt'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 TAKEAWAYSThe 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 MENTIONEDHobby 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 SOCIALChenell: Twitter | LinkedIn | SubstackDylan: LinkedIn | BlueskyOUR NEWSLETTERSgrowthinreverse.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!

We're launching 30 Days of Growth on April 20th! Sign up at 30daysofgrowth.co for free. Get 30 ways to grow and optimize your email list, from creators who have successfully done it. Get 30+ video lessons and ideas for optimizing your newsletter: https://growthinreverse.com/vault--------------------------“All roads point to the email list." — Sam Vander Wielen, Sam's SidebarIn this episode, we interview Sam Vander Wielen—a lawyer-turned-creator who has sold over $9M in legal templates with a 50k-subscriber newsletter. Sam shares how her motto of "All roads point to the email list" has helped her earn over $9M in total revenue since starting her business in 2017. And she's done it with a small team and a replicable funnel strategy most creators could copy. KEY TAKEAWAYSWhy she decided to walk away from strategies that “should” work — and what happened afterThe $100k turning point that reshaped how she runs her businessHow she blends storytelling with practical education to keep readers engagedHow her newsletter fuels her entire content ecosystemWhat creators misunderstand about legal protections (and how to fix it)Why she believes the boring stuff is actually the growth engineThe platform she almost abandoned — and why she came back strongerHer advice for creators chasing growth but ignoring long-term sustainabilityLINKS MENTIONEDSam's websiteSam's book: When I Start My Business I'll Be HappySam's Socials: LinkedIn | Instagram | YouTubeAsk us a question or submit a podcast topic idea: growthinreverse.com/questionsGet Chenell's brand-new course: The Growth Vault — newsletter templates, growth strategies, and real examples you can implement at your own pace.Growth In Reverse PRO CommunityWant your newsletter roasted? Submit it here. Check out past Growth In Reverse Deep Dives: https://growthinreverse.com/archive/FOLLOW ON SOCIALChenell: Twitter | LinkedIn | SubstackDylan: LinkedIn | BlueskyOUR NEWSLETTERSgrowthinreverse.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!Thanks to Tim Forkin for editing these episodes.

We're launching 30 Days of Growth on April 20th! Sign up at 30daysofgrowth.co for free. Get 30 ways to grow and optimize your email list, from creators who have successfully done it. The Growth Vault is LIVE: Chenell's brand-new product —The Growth Vault— is here. Filled with newsletter templates, growth strategies, and real examples you can implement at your own pace.--------------------------------------“If content is king, AI is storming the castle." — Darren Vesterfelt, Mighty Networks Chenell was just in Cleveland for the annual CEX conference. And she wasn't *just* in attendance—she was also a speaker! So we're recapping the biggest lessons and takeaways from Chenell's experience at CEX (Content Entrepreneur Expo) — where she basically opened the conference with her keynote, traded notes with some content economy heavy hitters (like Jay Acunzo, Ann Handley, Mark Schaefer, Robert Rose), and soaked up the big trends. We dig into why slowing down beats AI-first content, the power of community and IRL relationships, how to think about discovery vs. relationship platforms, and why some SEO pros are betting on social over search. KEY TAKEAWAYSThe case for “as slow as possible” content: let ideas marinate; don’t outsource your thinking to AI. How to use AI as an editor rather than a first-draft brain replacement—and why this matters more than ever. Driving audiences from discovery platforms → relationship platforms. Community is a durable moat when content sameness rises (AI is “storming the castle”). Social > Search (sometimes): comments from real humans can beat 10k empty pageviews. Testing ideas fast with social media—and how commenting sparks even more ideas.IRL still trumps all: stages, dinners, and small masterminds create outsized serendipity. Are physical newsletters back? Should you try AI sobriety?LINKS MENTIONEDCEXAnn HandleyJay AcunzoMark SchaferGrowth 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 SOCIALChenell: Twitter | LinkedIn | SubstackDylan: LinkedIn | BlueskyOUR NEWSLETTERSgrowthinreverse.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!

We're launching 30 Days of Growth on April 20th! Sign up at 30daysofgrowth.co for free. Get 30 ways to grow and optimize your email list, from creators who have successfully done it. Join our September Social Growth Challenge: https://growthinreverse.com/social --------------------------“You have to be first—or you have to be best. That's how you win at paid content." — Nathan May, The Feed MediaIn this episode, we interview Nathan May, founder of The Feed Media. Nathan shares how he turned a small, private newsletter into a $1M ARR business in under a year, and how his agency helps some of the biggest creators and media companies scale their audiences with paid growth. We dig into the playbooks behind The Feed Media, the experiments that worked (and the ones that didn’t), and why even a small but mighty list can generate outsized revenue. Whether you’re looking to monetize a niche newsletter or scale a larger media brand, Nathan’s story offers a unique perspective on growth and revenue. >>Get 30+ video lessons and ideas for optimizing your newsletter: https://growthinreverse.com/vaultKEY TAKEAWAYSThe surprising first step Nathan took before writing a single newsletter issueWhy building around a niche community gave him an unfair advantageThe revenue model he used before sponsors ever came knockingHow The Feed Media structured its first monetization funnelThe newsletter flywheel Nathan swears by for compounding growthThe counterintuitive move that actually boosted subscriber trustWhy his first 1,000 subs mattered the mostThe overlooked channel that drove some of his fastest growthHow Nathan would start & scale a B2B newsletter todayThe single most important metric he tracks inside The Feed MediaLINKS MENTIONEDTheFeedMedia.comNathan May on LinkedInAsk us a question or submit a podcast topic idea: growthinreverse.com/questionsGet Chenell's brand-new course: The Growth Vault — newsletter templates, growth strategies, and real examples you can implement at your own pace.Growth In Reverse PRO CommunityWant your newsletter roasted? Submit it here. Check out past Growth In Reverse Deep Dives: https://growthinreverse.com/archive/FOLLOW ON SOCIALChenell: Twitter | LinkedIn | SubstackDylan: LinkedIn | BlueskyOUR NEWSLETTERSgrowthinreverse.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!Thanks to Tim Forkin for editing these episodes.

We're launching 30 Days of Growth on April 20th! Sign up at 30daysofgrowth.co for free. Get 30 ways to grow and optimize your email list, from creators who have successfully done it. >> Join the 30-Days of Growth Social Challenge: https://growthinreverse.com/social--------------------------------------“The first 6 months taught me that consistency beats everything — even if you’re not perfect."In this episode of the Growth In Reverse podcast, Dylan and Chenell rewind the clock to when Chenell was just starting her newsletter. She breaks down the two strategies that fueled her early growth to 11,000 subscribers in six months: creating insanely valuable content and consistently engaging on Twitter. PLUS: We're launching a new challenge to boost your content's visibility on social media—just like Chenell did to reach her first 11k subscribers: https://growthinreverse.com/socialKEY TAKEAWAYSThe simple posting strategy Chenell used to get her first subscribersHow one Twitter comment brought subscribers instantlyThe role of curiosity and passion in standing out with your contentWhy treating your social profile like a landing page mattersHow early replies and comments built relationships with influential peopleThe burnout risk of trying to post every day (and what Chenell would do differently)How a newsletter & podcast shoutouts boosted early credibilityLINKS MENTIONEDThe GIR Social Growth Challenge Ask us a question or submit a podcast topic idea: growthinreverse.com/questionsGet Chenell's brand-new course: The Growth Vault — newsletter templates, growth strategies, and real examples you can implement at your own pace.Growth In Reverse PRO CommunityWant your newsletter roasted? Submit it here. Check out past Growth In Reverse Deep Dives: https://growthinreverse.com/archive/FOLLOW ON SOCIALChenell: Twitter | LinkedIn | SubstackDylan: LinkedIn | BlueskyOUR NEWSLETTERSgrowthinreverse.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!Thanks to Tim Forkin for editing these episodes.

We're launching 30 Days of Growth on April 20th! Sign up at 30daysofgrowth.co for free. Get 30 ways to grow and optimize your email list, from creators who have successfully done it. “If you spend 80% of your time making incredibly good content, you probably only have to spend 20% marketing it." In this special episode, we’re bringing you Chenell’s conversation with Darrell Vesterfelt, VP of Growth at Mighty Networks, for a recent Creator Summit. In the chat, Chenell talks about why she started a newsletter — and why she chose a newsletter — way back in December 2022. Chenell and Darrell also dive into the art and science of growing a newsletter from scratch — from picking a topic you’ll never get bored of, to building relationships that fuel growth, to deciding when and how to monetize. If you’re looking for a behind-the-scenes look at how one of the most well-known newsletter growth strategists thinks about audience building, this episode is loaded with ideas you can apply immediately.>>Get 30+ video lessons and ideas for optimizing your newsletter: https://growthinreverse.com/vaultKEY TAKEAWAYSWhy passion for your newsletter topic is a wildly underrated growth leverHow Chenell leveraged “content-led growth” to get early tractionThe commenting strategy that landed her first subscribersWhy treating your social profile like a landing page mattersThe balance between high-quality content and active marketingHow to use “cryptic teasers” to generate curiosity before publishingThe biggest mistake she made with social posting frequencyWhy she didn’t run Facebook ads for Growth In Reverse (and when she would)The simple poll that landed her first paid sponsorHow she would structure a paid newsletter if starting todayLINKS MENTIONEDMighty NetworksDarrell Vesterfelt on LinkedInChenell's first Deep Dive on Mario Gabriele @ The GeneralistAsk us a question or submit a podcast topic idea: growthinreverse.com/questionsGet Chenell's brand-new course: The Growth Vault — newsletter templates, growth strategies, and real examples you can implement at your own pace.Growth In Reverse PRO CommunityWant your newsletter roasted? Submit it here. Check out past Growth In Reverse Deep Dives: https://growthinreverse.com/archive/FOLLOW ON SOCIALChenell: Twitter | LinkedIn | SubstackDylan: LinkedIn | BlueskyOUR NEWSLETTERSgrowthinreverse.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!Thanks to Tim Forkin for editing these episodes.

We're launching 30 Days of Growth on April 20th! Sign up at 30daysofgrowth.co for free. Get 30 ways to grow and optimize your email list, from creators who have successfully done it. The Growth Vault is LIVE: https://growthinreverse.com/vault----------------------------------------------------------------“During my last year as a CFO, I made more money from my newsletter and podcast than my full-time job." — CJ Gustafson, Mostly MetricsWe sit down with CJ Gustafson, former tech CFO and now full-time creator of two newsletters—Mostly Metrics and Looking For Leverage—and a podcast called Run The Numbers. CJ is masterful at taking financial and business concepts and making them wildly entertaining. CJ shares how he went from consulting and private equity to running a high-revenue content business, why he thinks about content like product development, and the systems he’s built to keep ideas flowing. If you’ve ever wondered how to blend expertise, humor, and growth strategy into a newsletter people can’t stop sharing, this episode is packed with insights.PS - We recently hosted CJ in the GIR Pro community where he shared more BTS of his newsletter 👀🔥→ Take your newsletter to the next level with GIR Pro >>KEY TAKEAWAYSHow CJ built Mostly Metrics into a leading finance newsletter with personalityThe unusual career path that prepared him for creating content CFOs actually readHow CJ uses humor (and dog pics) to make complex topics approachableHow he's building out the “media mullet” business modelHow CJ replaced his CFO salary with newsletter and podcast revenue—and why it happened faster than expectedCJ's revenue streams that drive a multi‑six‑figure media revenue engineHow he uses AI and transcripts to mine hundreds of hours of interviews for writing ideasCJ's favorite—and most important—newsletter metricThe single biggest growth hack for his podcast audienceHis daily creative routine for producing high-value content without burning outLINKS MENTIONEDMostly Metrics newsletterRun The Numbers podcastLooking For Leverage newsletterCJ on LinkedInAsk us a question or submit a podcast topic idea: growthinreverse.com/questionsGet Chenell's brand-new course: The Growth Vault — newsletter templates, growth strategies, and real examples you can implement at your own pace.Growth In Reverse PRO CommunityWant your newsletter roasted? Submit it here. Check out past Growth In Reverse Deep Dives: https://growthinreverse.com/archive/FOLLOW ON SOCIALChenell: Twitter | LinkedIn | SubstackDylan: LinkedIn | BlueskyOUR NEWSLETTERSgrowthinreverse.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!Thanks to Tim Forkin for editing these episodes.

We're launching 30 Days of Growth on April 20th! Sign up at 30daysofgrowth.co for free. Get 30 ways to grow and optimize your email list, from creators who have successfully done it. The Growth Vault is LIVE: https://growthinreverse.com/vault----------------------------------------------------------------“You don’t need to create for everyone. You need to create for the people who value you most — and they’ll carry your newsletter further than you think." — Matt Johansen, Vulnu.comWe sat down with Matt Johansen, creator of the Vulnerable U newsletter (nearly 30,000 subscribers), to unpack how he’s grown a must-read in the cybersecurity space. Matt has successfully transitioned from working in the cybersecurity space to running a newsletter + content agency business. So we wanted to learn exactly how he's done it. Matt shares how he combines industry expertise with personal storytelling, why B2B creators can command a premium, and what’s working for him across newsletters, sponsorships, and short-form video. If you want to learn how to grow and monetize a niche newsletter, this one’s for you.PS - Matt is not only a brilliant video & newsletter creator, he's also a member of the GIR Pro community 🔥→ Take your newsletter to the next level with GIR Pro >>KEY TAKEAWAYSHow Matt grew to over 30,000 subscribers in under 2 yearsHow he's crushing short-form video content for his newsletterHow he monetized through sponsorships and built an agency alongside the newsletterThe strategy behind his short-form and long-form video contentHis approach to setting boundaries with sponsors while maintaining audience trustHow he leveraged industry presence & experience for early newsletter tractionWhy and how he’s adding a paid newsletter subscription tier Tips for avoiding burnout as a solo creator juggling multiple content platformsWhy platform-specific editing matters for short-form video successLINKS MENTIONEDVulnu.com (Matt's website)Matt's socials: Instagram || YouTube || Twitter || LinkedInBuy Back Your Time by Dan MartellAsk us a question or submit a podcast topic idea: growthinreverse.com/questionsGet Chenell's brand-new course: The Growth Vault — newsletter templates, growth strategies, and real examples you can implement at your own pace.Growth In Reverse PRO CommunityWant your newsletter roasted? Submit it here. Check out past Growth In Reverse Deep Dives: https://growthinreverse.com/archive/FOLLOW ON SOCIALChenell: Twitter | LinkedIn | SubstackDylan: LinkedIn | BlueskyOUR NEWSLETTERSgrowthinreverse.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!Thanks to Tim Forkin for editing these episodes.

We're launching 30 Days of Growth on April 20th! Sign up at 30daysofgrowth.co for free. Get 30 ways to grow and optimize your email list, from creators who have successfully done it. The Growth Vault is LIVE: https://growthinreverse.com/vault----------------------------------------------------------------“This is the underrated growth strategy every newsletter should be using.” What if every subscriber could turn into 10 more?In this episode of the Growth In Reverse podcast, Dylan and Chenell unpack one of the most underrated newsletter growth levers: referrals.They explore how to turn one subscriber into ten, without even needing a full-blown referral platform. From embedding share prompts into your welcome sequence to clever ways to incentivize email forwarding, this episode is packed with low-lift, high-impact strategies that help creators build a referral flywheel — even without a tech stack.No matter our ESP, get some new ideas and actionable tactics to boost growth using your most valuable asset: your existing subscribers.→ Take your newsletter to the next level with GIR Pro >>KEY TAKEAWAYSThe absolute best time to ask subscribers for referrals (and why most miss it)A surprising strategy a deliverability expert recommends to get more sharesHow one subtle tweak in your welcome email can 10x word-of-mouth growthThe low-effort email trick that gets people to forward your newsletter“Send this to your plant bestie” — why hyper-specific asks perform betterWhy sharing via social might outperform traditional email referralsThe hidden moment after a lead magnet download you should be capitalizing onA single click that triggers a referral follow-up (without any tech stack)The tiny line at the bottom of your email that can quietly drive growthA one-referral incentive so clever, readers feel compelled to shareLINKS MENTIONED Get The Growth Vault — a vault of newsletter growth strategies with templates and real examples you can implement at your own pace.Tyler Cook (Email Deliverability)Dan Oshinsky's Growth LeverThe ShareLinkGenerator (Dan Oshinsky's "mailto" tool of choice) Aakash Gupta's GIR InterviewAli Abouelatta's GIR Deep DiveShaan Puri's Viral Post FrameworkAsk us a question or submit a podcast topic idea: growthinreverse.com/questionsCheck out the 30 Days of Growth FREE >>Growth In Reverse PRO CommunityWant your newsletter roasted? Submit it here. Check out past Growth In Reverse Deep Dives: https://growthinreverse.com/archive/FOLLOW ON SOCIALChenell: Twitter | LinkedIn | SubstackDylan: LinkedIn | BlueskyOUR NEWSLETTERSgrowthinreverse.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!Thanks to Tim Forkin for editing these episodes.

We're launching 30 Days of Growth on April 20th! Sign up at 30daysofgrowth.co for free. Get 30 ways to grow and optimize your email list, from creators who have successfully done it. “I waited to launch my paid newsletter until I had a solid strategy and felt like I’d earned it.” — Tom Orbach, Marketing IdeasTom Orbach of MarketingIdeas.com — which recently crossed 44,000 free subscribers and over 500 paid subscribers in just the first few days after launching his paid tier — joins Chenell & Dylan to share the exact playbook he used to grow his newsletter and launch the paid version. He became a Substack bestseller within a day of his paid launch! And he did this all while working a full-time job.You'll learn how he engineered a wildly successful Product Hunt launch, and why he delayed monetization for nearly two years. We also dive into the tools he uses, the psychology behind his launch strategy, and how Substack's built-in network helped supercharge his growth after turning on his paid tier. Whether you're at 500 subscribers or 50,000, this episode is a tactical goldmine.PS - Tom is not only smart marketer & newsletter creator, he's also a member of the GIR Pro community 🔥→ Take your newsletter to the next level with GIR Pro >>KEY TAKEAWAYSTom shares how he started the newsletter and bought the domain marketingideas.com after selling a viral tool.He explains why he invested in a ".com" domain instead of going with a cheaper optionWhat publishing his first newsletter edition to a waitlist of 1,000+ felt like—and why publishing early and often matters.Balancing a full-time job with weekly publishing.How his job fuels his content.His top growth levers (including one that helped him gain over 7,000 subscribers).Why he waited nearly two years to launch a paid tier.How he designed the offer to feel premium and "non-calculable."Behind the scenes of Tom’s nine-day email launch strategy that brought in 500+ paid subscribers.How Tom reinvests revenue into experiments, gear, and ads to continue scaling.The emotional pressure of going paid—and how he maintains quality content and subscriber trust.Building community and micro-launches as the next phase of his newsletter growth.LINKS MENTIONEDMarketingIdeas.comTom on LinkedInAsk us a question or submit a podcast topic idea: growthinreverse.com/questionsCheck out the 30 Days of Growth FREE >>Get Chenell's brand-new course: The Growth Vault — newsletter templates, growth strategies, and real examples you can implement at your own pace.Growth In Reverse PRO CommunityWant your newsletter roasted? Submit it here. Check out past Growth In Reverse Deep Dives: https://growthinreverse.com/archive/FOLLOW ON SOCIALChenell: Twitter | LinkedIn | SubstackDylan: LinkedIn | BlueskyOUR NEWSLETTERSgrowthinreverse.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!Thanks to Tim Forkin for editing these episodes.

We're launching 30 Days of Growth on April 20th! Sign up at 30daysofgrowth.co for free. Get 30 ways to grow and optimize your email list, from creators who have successfully done it. “$250k is when growth changes. It’s when you need systems. You usually can’t do it solo.” — Matt Gira, The QuarterMatt Gira joins Chenell & Dylan — in person — to share how he went from building underwater drones to launching The Quarter: a newsletter that deep dives into how founders grow bootstrapped businesses to $250K. This is an interview, but also an impromptu coaching session with Matt as we help him figure out how he can grow his newsletter faster and get it in front of the right audience.We talk content strategy, growth experiments, and the surprising data he's uncovering along the way.PS - Matt is not only an up-and-coming newsletter creator, he's also a member of the GIR Pro community 🔥→ Take your newsletter to the next level with GIR Pro >>KEY TAKEAWAYSWhy $250k is the key milestone for bootstrapped foundersHow Matt turned a niche data set into a powerful newsletter growth leverHow he grew his newsletter to 1,200+ subscribers without chasing viralityCollaborations, events, and the tour that could 10x his reachThe power of being early, scrappy, and generous in your creator journeyHow Matt reverse engineers founder journeys from YouTube to written contentThe role of YouTube, LinkedIn, and in-person meetups in his growth flywheelStrategies he’s testing now: content swaps, data licensing, servicesLINKS MENTIONEDThe Quarter (Matt's newsletter)The Bootstrapped ReportMatt on LinkedInKit's Craft + Commerce conferenceChenell's Deep Dive on CJ Gustafson of Mostly MetricsAsk us a question or submit a podcast topic idea: growthinreverse.com/questionsCheck out the 30 Days of Growth FREE >>30 Days of Growth Course Pre-launchGrowth In Reverse PRO CommunityWant your newsletter roasted? Submit it here. Check out past Growth In Reverse Deep Dives: https://growthinreverse.com/archive/FOLLOW ON SOCIALChenell: Twitter | LinkedIn | SubstackDylan: LinkedIn | BlueskyOUR NEWSLETTERSgrowthinreverse.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!Thanks to Tim Forkin for editing these episodes.

We're launching 30 Days of Growth on April 20th! Sign up at 30daysofgrowth.co for free. Get 30 ways to grow and optimize your email list, from creators who have successfully done it. “I love unsubscribes. Don’t be here if you don’t want to be here.”It is insanely easy to subscribe to a newsletter—and even MULTIPLE newsletters all at once.But is that a good thing? Should newsletter creators be more choosy when determining who signs up? We're diving into one of the most overlooked and under-discussed aspects of newsletter growth: friction. Specifically, how adding friction—rather than eliminating it—can actually improve subscriber quality, open rates, and monetization.This one’s a must-listen if you’re growing via referrals, recommendations, or paid ads—or if you’re cleaning your list and still not seeing better open rates.→ Take your newsletter to the next level with GIR Pro >>KEY TAKEAWAYSWhy the "low friction" mindset can lead to worse subscribersWhat happened when Chenell got aggressive about cleaning her listBackend vs. frontend friction: which is better and whenBuilding a false double opt-in to retain more good subscribersWhy double opt-in purgatory can kill 20–40% of your growthHow paid ads can inflate list size but tank your qualityForm fields, first names, and checkbox tactics that workThe danger of creating “unsubscribe friction” (and why you shouldn’t use it)What Dylan includes in every single broadcast to improve list healthCreative ideas like gated quizzes, segmenting checkboxes, and engagement-driven welcomesLINKS MENTIONEDWorkweekbeehiiv Creator NetworkKit Creator NetworkChris Hutchins → AllTheHacks.comAsk us a question or submit a podcast topic idea: growthinreverse.com/questionsCheck out the 30 Days of Growth FREE >>30 Days of Growth Course Pre-launchGrowth In Reverse PRO CommunityWant your newsletter roasted? Submit it here. Check out past Growth In Reverse Deep Dives: https://growthinreverse.com/archive/FOLLOW ON SOCIALChenell: Twitter | LinkedIn | SubstackDylan: LinkedIn | BlueskyOUR NEWSLETTERSgrowthinreverse.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!Thanks to Tim Forkin for editing these episodes.

We're launching 30 Days of Growth on April 20th! Sign up at 30daysofgrowth.co for free. Get 30 ways to grow and optimize your email list, from creators who have successfully done it. “The real value wasn’t in the keynotes—it was the dinners, the hikes, the casual connections.” – Dylan Redekop, first-time C+C attendeeDylan and Chenell reflect on their time at Kit's Craft + Commerce email newsletter conference for creators in Boise. But this episode isn’t just a recap — it’s a deep dive into what made the conference unforgettable: the people, the ideas, and the big shifts in how creators are building authentic businesses. From mastermind dinners with Pat Flynn to keynote takeaways on AI, content strategy, public speaking, and creator community, they unpack what creators should actually focus on in 2025.→ Take your newsletter to the next level with GIR Pro >>KEY TAKEAWAYSThe irreplaceable power of in-person connectionThe difference between “insanely valuable” vs “insanely frequent” contentWhy mastermind-style events create outsized ROIHow to use AI without burning outThe importance of crafting your personal “what do you do” introCreator identity and the fight with impostor syndromeContent strategy lessons from Sam Vander Wielen and Amanda GoetzPat Flynn’s “lean learning” growth loop from 0 to millions of YouTube subsHow to run better meetups and create serendipitous opportunitiesWhat Craft & Commerce nailed — and why you might want to go next yearLINKS MENTIONEDKit's Craft + Commerce creator conferencePat Flynn's Deep Pocket Monster YT ChannelSam Vander Wielen's websiteAmanda Goetz's websiteUltraspeaking (Tristan de Montebello & Michael Gendler)Ask us a question or submit a podcast topic idea: growthinreverse.com/questionsCheck out the 30 Days of Growth FREE >>30 Days of Growth Course Pre-launchGrowth In Reverse PRO CommunityWant your newsletter roasted? Submit it here. Check out past Growth In Reverse Deep Dives: https://growthinreverse.com/archive/FOLLOW ON SOCIALChenell: Twitter | LinkedIn | SubstackDylan: LinkedIn | BlueskyOUR NEWSLETTERSgrowthinreverse.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!Thanks to Tim Forkin for editing these episodes.

We're launching 30 Days of Growth on April 20th! Sign up at 30daysofgrowth.co for free. Get 30 ways to grow and optimize your email list, from creators who have successfully done it. "Every time I try to be an expert, I lose readers. When I’m just me, they stick around." – Jesse J. Anderson, Extra Focus newsletterFor the first time ever, Chenell & Dylan have recorded LIVE, in-person podcast episodes! Coming at you in-person from Kit Studios in Boise ID, Chenell & Dylan connect with Jesse J. Anderson—better known online as ADHD Jesse—to uncover the evolution of his successful newsletter, Extra Focus. Jesse's grown Extra Focus to over 70,000 subscribers and a combined social following in the hundreds of thousands. Jesse shares the real, raw, and often hilarious truth about building a brand and business around ADHD while balancing a full-time job and raising three kids.We talk through the early days of posting atomic essays in Ship 30 For 30, stumbling into virality, learning what content resonated (and what didn’t), and how he’s navigated massive growth across platforms like Substack, Instagram, and YouTube. Whether you're managing life with ADHD or not our chat with Jesse is full of valuable insight into newsletter growth, business, and some brutal honesty.→ Take your newsletter to the next level with GIR Pro >>KEY TAKEAWAYSJesse’s unexpected entry into content creation through Ship 30 for 30The signal pointing him towards doubling down on ADHD contentHow he built a massive newsletter while working full-time and raising a familyLessons learned from running paid newsletters, courses, and planning a thriving ADHD communityWhat led to his viral Instagram and Twitter growth, and Jesse's simple content repurposing strategyThe emotional rollercoaster of getting laid off and turning that moment into a creative breakthroughWhy authenticity matters now more than ever in a post-AI content worldLINKS MENTIONEDAsk us a question or submit a podcast topic idea: growthinreverse.com/questionsJesse’s Newsletter: ExtraFocus.comJesse on: Instagram | Twitter | BlueskyShip30For30.com (←affiliate link)Recorded in Kit Studios, Boise IDCheck out the 30 Days of Growth FREE >>30 Days of Growth Course Pre-launchGrowth In Reverse PRO CommunityWant your newsletter roasted? Submit it here. Check out past Growth In Reverse Deep Dives: https://growthinreverse.com/archive/FOLLOW ON SOCIALChenell: Twitter | LinkedIn | SubstackDylan: LinkedIn | BlueskyOUR NEWSLETTERSgrowthinreverse.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!Thanks to Tim Forkin for editing these episodes.

We're launching 30 Days of Growth on April 20th! Sign up at 30daysofgrowth.co for free. Get 30 ways to grow and optimize your email list, from creators who have successfully done it. "Podcasting isn’t a shortcut to growth—but it’s a hell of a way to deepen relationships." – Chenell BasilioWhat can happen when you commit to a weekly podcast for six straight months? You're about to find out. Chenell & Dylan pull back the curtain on the Growth In Reverse podcast—sharing the behind-the-scenes of what’s worked, what hasn’t, and what we’ve learned along the way.We get real about the numbers: subscribers, downloads, YouTube stats, and more. Plus, we chat through the very real question—should newsletter writers even start a podcast? You’ll hear our honest take on the ROI (or lack thereof), and the surprising benefits that go beyond metrics.→ Take your newsletter to the next level with GIR Pro >>KEY TAKEAWAYSReflecting on 6 months of consistent podcasting and what kept us goingWhy podcasting isn’t a fast-track to newsletter growth—and what it is great forThe powerful trust-building impact of being in your audience’s earsOur top-performing content and what formats resonated mostHow YouTube fits into our podcast strategy and where Shorts fell flatLessons from other creators like Jay Clouse, Lenny Rachitsky, and Aakash GuptaEasy ways for newsletter creators to test podcasting without going "all in"LINKS MENTIONEDAsk us a question or submit a topic idea: growthinreverse.com/questionsThe Pour Over podcast (on Spotify)Riverside.fmMatt Giovanisci (MoneyLab)Jay Clouse's YT ChannelLenny Reaches 1M Subscribers (past GIR episode)Lenny Podcast (YT Channel) Check out the 30 Days of Growth FREE >>30 Days of Growth Course Pre-launchGrowth In Reverse PRO CommunityWant your newsletter roasted? Submit it here. Check out past Growth In Reverse Deep Dives: https://growthinreverse.com/archive/FOLLOW ON SOCIALChenell: Twitter | LinkedIn | SubstackDylan: LinkedIn | BlueskyOUR NEWSLETTERSgrowthinreverse.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!Thanks to Tim Forkin for editing these episodes.

We're launching 30 Days of Growth on April 20th! Sign up at 30daysofgrowth.co for free. Get 30 ways to grow and optimize your email list, from creators who have successfully done it. “You can pretty much do anything on Substack—which is good and also makes me nervous.” – Chenell BasilioWe've seen a wave of creators flocking to Substack over the last month and couldn’t help but wonder... what’s really going on here? In this episode, Chenell & Dylan unpack the why we believe this migration is happening. Are creators just chasing the next shiny thing, or is Substack genuinely offering something new and powerful?We dive into the benefits, red flags, and the not-so-obvious consequences of going all in on the platform. We cover how Substack is evolving from a newsletter tool into a full-blown creator ecosystem, and whether that’s a blessing or curse—or a bit of both? If you've been thinking about launching (or leaving) a Substack, this episode is your guide to making an informed decision—minus the hype.→ Take your newsletter to the next level with GIR Pro >>KEY TAKEAWAYSWhy big-name creators like Justin Welsh, Dan Koe, and Jay Clouse are experimenting with paid Substack newslettersSubstack’s Creator Fund and how it might be influencing the migrationWhat makes Substack’s all-in-one platform appealing—and the tradeoffs you make using itOur concerns about data control, platform dependency, and reachHow recommendations and native distribution can supercharge growth (but also create subscriber quality issues)Whether Substack’s 10% revenue cut is worth it for smaller vs. larger creatorsSubstack’s limitations when it comes to API access, segmentation, automation, and list hygieneHow we personally use Substack (or don’t), and what we’d do differently if we started newsletters there todayLINKS MENTIONEDChenell on SubstackDylan on SubstackSubstack's Creator Fund announcementCheck out the 30 Days of Growth FREE >>30 Days of Growth Course Pre-launchGrowth In Reverse PRO CommunityWant your newsletter roasted? Submit it here. Check out past Growth In Reverse Deep Dives: https://growthinreverse.com/archive/FOLLOW ON SOCIALChenell: Twitter | LinkedIn | SubstackDylan: LinkedIn | BlueskyOUR NEWSLETTERSgrowthinreverse.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!Thanks to Tim Forkin for editing these episodes.

We're launching 30 Days of Growth on April 20th! Sign up at 30daysofgrowth.co for free. Get 30 ways to grow and optimize your email list, from creators who have successfully done it. "I thought this would grow my list. It did—but the real win was something else entirely." — Chenell Basilio on her 30 Days of Growth experiment.In this special episode of Growth In Reverse, Chenell & Dylan break down the whirlwind that was Chenell's 30 Days of Growth experiment. What started as a simple idea to improve my cross-promotions quickly snowballed into a full-fledged daily popup newsletter, complete with giveaways, podcast episodes, and a ton of valuable insights.We dive into the gritty details—from the unexpected chaos of daily publishing and coordinating with 30 creators to the strategic plays that made the campaign a success. I also share the raw numbers, what I’d do differently, and how this experience has reshaped my approach to newsletter growth and content creation.→ Take your newsletter to the next level with GIR Pro >>KEY TAKEAWAYSWhy Chenell launched a 30-day pop-up newsletter to improve cross-promotion tactics—and how she pulled it off in just two weeksThe exact structure and format she used to keep each daily edition short, tactical, and engagingThe referral system that brought in 20% of new subscribers and why the private podcast feed became a surprisingly powerful incentiveWhat worked and didn’t work with cross-promotion strategies, Substack distribution, and leveraging LinkedIn newslettersHow Chenell handled massive reader engagement, including 200+ thoughtful replies to a single welcome emailLessons learned about launching under pressure, collaborating with other creators, and building a flywheel from contentThe future of the 30 Days of Growth content—and how others can repurpose similar efforts for their own growth campaignsLINKS MENTIONEDCheck out the 30 Days of Growth FREE >>30 Days of Growth Course Pre-launchTools mentioned: Senja, Tella, Viral Loops RightMessage (via Brennan Dunn)Growth In Reverse PRO CommunityWant your newsletter roasted? Submit it here. Check out past Growth In Reverse Deep Dives: https://growthinreverse.com/archive/FOLLOW ON SOCIALChenell: Twitter | LinkedIn | SubstackDylan: LinkedIn | BlueskyOUR NEWSLETTERSgrowthinreverse.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!Thanks to Tim Forkin for editing these episodes.

We're launching 30 Days of Growth on April 20th! Sign up at 30daysofgrowth.co for free. Get 30 ways to grow and optimize your email list, from creators who have successfully done it. Get 30 proven newsletter strategies to grow and optimize your email list FREE >>"There is a strong, undeniable correlation between the number of emails you send and the amount of money you make." — Olly RichardsIn this episode, Chenell & Dylan chat with Olly Richards — the founder of Storylearning.com and now a fast-growing personal brand — about exactly how he grew his personal brand from $0 and 0 audience to $1.2m and over 18,000 subscribers in 18 months. From his early days as a broke jazz musician to building a multi-million dollar language learning business, Olly walks us through the evolution of his business brain, the intentional pivot into mentorship, and the role of his newsletter in scaling it all.We go deep into his email strategy, the content philosophies behind his newsletter, and how he leveraged high-leverage, low-effort marketing techniques to build a loyal audience — and then turn that audience into over $1.2m in revenue. If you’re building a business around your newsletter or thinking about launching a premium offer, you’ll want to hear how Olly layered mentorship, digital products, and events to create a flywheel that fuels itself.→ Take your newsletter to the next level with GIR Pro >>KEY TAKEAWAYSOlly’s transformation from language teacher to seven-figure business mentorThe origin and impact of his now-famous 118-page Google DocHow that doc helped him attract 18,000 subscribers and generate $1.2M+Why brand is the ultimate “cheat code” in an AI-driven worldHis email newsletter philosophy — from long-form essays to raw, daily thoughtsThe tools and cadence he uses to stay consistent (and inspired)How he structures mentorship, masterminds, and digital products into a scalable businessThe 60/20/20 revenue breakdown that funds his growth flywheelWhy most creators are missing the fundamentals of internet marketingThe one skill Olly believes every creator must learn to build a sustainable businessLINKS MENTIONEDGet 30 proven strategies to grow and optimize your email list FREE >>OllyRichards.coOlly's NewsletterOlly's 118-page Case Study (Google Doc)Olly's Courses (incl. 7 Figure Marketing Stack)Chenell's Growth Lever featuring Olly StoryLearning.comWant your newsletter roasted? Submit it here. Growth In Reverse PRO CommunityCheck out past Growth In Reverse Deep Dives: https://growthinreverse.com/archive/FOLLOW ON SOCIALChenell: Twitter | LinkedIn | BlueskyDylan: LinkedIn | BlueskyOUR NEWSLETTERSgrowthinreverse.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!Thanks to Tim Forkin for editing these episodes.

We're launching 30 Days of Growth on April 20th! Sign up at 30daysofgrowth.co for free. Get 30 ways to grow and optimize your email list, from creators who have successfully done it. Get 30 proven newsletter strategies to grow and optimize your email list FREE >>"Faceless brands are forgettable. Put your name on it. Make it human."In this episode, Dylan and Chenell are back for another Newsletter Roast! Get out your marshmallows 🔥 This week we're roasting a newsletter all about podcast discovery. The Find That Pod newsletter promises to help readers uncover the best shows out there, but does it actually do that? We go deep into what’s working and what’s not. We share actionable insights for creators looking to grow and monetize newsletters. Especially those targeting broad or interest-diverse audiences. Whether you're a newsletter writer, a podcaster, or someone just trying to better connect with your audience, this roast is packed with lessons on simplicity, specificity, and the power of personalization.→ Take your newsletter to the next level with GIR Pro >>KEY TAKEAWAYSThe challenge of curating content when the niche is too broad—and how to fix itWhy segmentation is essential for better subscriber engagement and ad relevanceHow the thank-you page is an overlooked goldmine for audience dataHow to think about ad placement and user experience in email designIdeas to improve personalization with surveys and click-based taggingWhy humanizing the brand with a face and story makes a differenceInspiration drawn from other successful content platformsHow to evolve a side project into something scalable and sponsor-friendlyLINKS MENTIONEDGet 30 proven strategies to grow and optimize your email list FREE >>Find That Pod newsletterPodcastNotes.orgRaycastRightMessage.comWant your newsletter roasted? Submit it here. Growth In Reverse PRO CommunityCheck out past Growth In Reverse Deep Dives: https://growthinreverse.com/archive/FOLLOW ON SOCIALChenell: Twitter | LinkedIn | BlueskyDylan: LinkedIn | BlueskyOUR NEWSLETTERSgrowthinreverse.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!Thanks to Tim Forkin for editing these episodes.

We're launching 30 Days of Growth on April 20th! Sign up at 30daysofgrowth.co for free. Get 30 ways to grow and optimize your email list, from creators who have successfully done it. Get 30 proven strategies to grow and optimize your email list FREE >>"This might be the most fun I've had growing my newsletter." — ChenellAnd here's how Chenell's doing it.We're giving you a behind-the-scenes look at how 30 Days of Growth is going—and how we’re planning to make the most of the final stretch! With over 2,600 signups already and a massive giveaway in motion, this mini-launch is becoming more than expected… but can it be even bigger?In this episode, Chenell & Dylan break down what’s working, what could be better, and where we’re focusing our energy in the back half of the campaign. We get into the growth levers we’ve pulled so far—like cross-promotions, private podcast feeds, and Substack experiments—and brainstorm ways to maximize reach and increase referrals. It’s a total fly-on-the-wall session, so you’ll hear the real-time ideas, dilemmas, and strategies we’re exploring to keep this momentum going.→ Take your newsletter to the next level with GIR Pro >>KEY TAKEAWAYSWhat 30 Days of Growth "pop-up" newsletter is and how the idea took shapeThe $8,000+ prize giveaway and how it’s fueling referralsWhat’s working so far: referral stats, private podcast feed, and community responseThe LinkedIn engagement slump and what we’re testing to fix itRe-engaging on Substack and using it as a second distribution channelOptimizing the welcome email and sharing page for better conversionsIdeas for bonus incentives: mini audits, workshop invites, and shoutoutsUsing testimonials, carousels, and short experiments as additional contentDiscussing the future: paid product potential and post-campaign plansLINKS MENTIONEDGet 30 proven strategies to grow and optimize your email list FREE >>Senja.ioTella​RightMessage​HelloAudioJustin Moore’s ​Brand Deal Wizard course​ 'Antisocial' Newsletter Growth Course waitlistWant your newsletter roasted? Submit it here. Growth In Reverse PRO CommunityCheck out past Growth In Reverse Deep Dives: https://growthinreverse.com/archive/FOLLOW ON SOCIALChenell: Twitter | LinkedIn | BlueskyDylan: LinkedIn | BlueskyOUR NEWSLETTERSgrowthinreverse.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!Thanks to Tim Forkin for editing these episodes.

We're launching 30 Days of Growth on April 20th! Sign up at 30daysofgrowth.co for free. Get 30 ways to grow and optimize your email list, from creators who have successfully done it. Get 30 proven strategies to grow and optimize your email list FREE >>In this episode, we’re unpacking five high-performing newsletter growth levers that creators are using right now to grow smarter—not harder.Each tactic comes straight from Chenell's 30 Days of Growth series, where creators shared the exact strategies that helped them attract thousands of new subscribers, improve engagement, and build more loyal audiences. From a clever “four-hour follow-up email” to a Google Doc that helped generate over $1.2 million in revenue, we’re dissecting what made these plays work—and how you can apply them to your own newsletter strategy today. If you're looking for real-world examples, simple execution, and no-fluff tactics that get results, this one’s for you.→ Take your newsletter to the next level with GIR Pro >>KEY TAKEAWAYSWhat 30 Days of Growth is and WHY Chenell launched it as a daily pop-up newsletter and podcastJason Resnick’s “4-hour email” strategy that boosted his engaged subscriber rate by 40%Eddie Shleyner's social proof avalanche: how powerful testimonials alone drove conversionsThe comment-to-growth hack that helped Tom Orbach gain over 650 subscribers from one postThe $1.2M Google Doc: How Olly Richards turned a free resource into a massive growth and revenue machineAmy Nelson’s “speaking circuit strategy” and how she gained 1,000+ subscribers from a single virtual eventGROWTH LEVERS & LINKS MENTIONEDGet 30 proven strategies to grow and optimize your email list FREE >>Jason Resnick's 30 Days of Growth LeverTom Orbach's 30 Days of Growth LeverOlly Richards' 30 Days of Growth LeverAmy Nelson's 30 Days of Growth Lever'Antisocial' Newsletter Growth Course waitlistWant your newsletter roasted? Submit it here. Growth In Reverse PRO CommunityCheck out past Growth In Reverse Deep Dives: https://growthinreverse.com/archive/FOLLOW ON SOCIALChenell: Twitter | LinkedIn | BlueskyDylan: LinkedIn | BlueskyOUR NEWSLETTERSgrowthinreverse.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!Thanks to Tim Forkin for editing these episodes.

We're launching 30 Days of Growth on April 20th! Sign up at 30daysofgrowth.co for free. Get 30 ways to grow and optimize your email list, from creators who have successfully done it. Get 30 proven strategies to grow and optimize your email list FREE >>We're diving into one of the most underrated growth strategies out there: collaborations and cross-promotions. Whether you're building a newsletter, launching a podcast, or growing a YouTube channel, collabs are one of the most high-leverage plays you can run — and we break down exactly how to do them right.We get into real-life examples, from simple newsletter swaps to co-created content that drives thousands of subscribers (even when you're the smaller creator). We also talk through common mistakes we’ve made, what to watch out for, and how to build a repeatable system that makes these partnerships easy and effective. If you're feeling burned out by social algorithms or just want more control over your growth, this one’s for you.→ Take your newsletter to the next level with GIR Pro >>KEY TAKEAWAYSWhy social platforms aren't cutting it anymore—and why we're bullish on collaborationsThe basic newsletter swap (and why it's still effective)Creative cross-promo formats beyond the typical swap—articles, email courses, and moreThe Alex Garcia x Pat Walls YouTube/article collab that brought in thousands of subscribersWhy adjacent audiences are the sweet spotThe myth of audience size: why alignment > numbersChenell's horror story: zero subscribers from a 4K list cross-promoCo-created content: The powerhouse play that helped Maja Voje go from 3K to 15K subsCJ Gustafson’s “quadruple stack” strategy that gets him paid + subscribersHow to keep collab partners happy (especially if things don’t go as planned)The no-BS guide to tracking your collab resultsTools, systems, and blurb templates that’ll save you time and headaches DEEP DIVES & LINKS MENTIONEDCJ Gustafson's Mostly Metrics Deep DiveMaja Voje websitePat Walls Deep DiveAlex Garcia Deep Dive'Antisocial' Newsletter Growth Course waitlistWant your newsletter roasted? Submit it here. Growth In Reverse PRO CommunityCheck out past Growth In Reverse Deep Dives: https://growthinreverse.com/archive/FOLLOW ON SOCIALChenell: Twitter | LinkedIn | BlueskyDylan: LinkedIn | BlueskyOUR NEWSLETTERSgrowthinreverse.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!Thanks to Tim Forkin for editing these episodes.