“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.
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KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Why the "low friction" mindset can lead to worse subscribers
- What happened when Chenell got aggressive about cleaning her list
- Backend vs. frontend friction: which is better and when
- Building a false double opt-in to retain more good subscribers
- Why double opt-in purgatory can kill 20–40% of your growth
- How paid ads can inflate list size but tank your quality
- Form fields, first names, and checkbox tactics that work
- The danger of creating “unsubscribe friction” (and why you shouldn’t use it)
- What Dylan includes in every single broadcast to improve list health
- Creative ideas like gated quizzes, segmenting checkboxes, and engagement-driven welcomes
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Thanks to Tim Forkin for editing these episodes.
