The Wildest Newsletter Growth Strategies From 3,000 Hours of Research (#001)
Dec 4, 2024
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Dive into the unconventional strategies for newsletter growth, uncovering Codie Sanchez's playbook on acquiring existing newsletters for audience expansion. Discover how an anonymous car dealership guru built a massive following using insider knowledge. Explore daily growth tactics and the significance of social proof in converting engagement into subscriptions. Learn from successful creators like Ali and Justin Welsh about leveraging platforms like LinkedIn and video collaborations to enhance audience engagement and monetizing unique processes.
Cody Sanchez demonstrates how buying existing newsletters and leveraging sponsorships can drive audience growth while enhancing newsletter value.
Yossi Levi showcases the power of anonymity and insider knowledge in achieving rapid follower growth through consistent, engaging content in niche markets.
Deep dives
Innovative Newsletter Growth Strategies
Cody Sanchez employs a unique approach to grow her newsletter, Contrarian Thinking, by purchasing existing newsletters and integrating her brand without revealing her ownership. Rather than merely transferring subscriber lists, she writes guest posts and leverages her position as a sponsor to attract new subscribers to her own newsletter. This strategy not only expands her audience but also increases the value of the newsletters she eventually sells. By treating this process like a private equity play, Sanchez showcases an unconventional yet effective method of audience growth that most people would shy away from discussing publicly.
Anonymity and Audience Engagement
Yossi Levi, who built an anonymous car dealership account, successfully garnered over 450,000 followers by sharing insider information about the auto industry that is typically kept confidential. His anonymity allowed him to speak freely and share insights that would typically remain unspoken, cultivating a dedicated and engaged audience eager to learn more. By employing a consistent posting strategy with a mix of valuable content, he was able to quickly grow his follower count and subsequently reveal his identity through a well-crafted documentary. This intriguing approach highlights how insider knowledge and consistent engagement can be leveraged to build a substantial following, especially in niche markets.
Tactical Growth Planning
Ali from First 1000 implemented a meticulous growth strategy aiming to reach 1,000 subscribers in six months by targeting just six new subscribers a day. His approach involved detailed tracking of 39 tactics he employed, emphasizing the importance of analytics to gauge what strategies were effective. A crucial part of his success came from multiple product launches on platforms like Product Hunt, where he learned from failures to optimize his outcomes, finally achieving over 4,500 subscribers from a successful launch. This disciplined and incremental approach serves as a model for anyone looking to grow their audience by breaking larger goals into manageable daily targets.
#001 - Welcome to the Growth In Reverse podcast — in this episode, Chenell & Dylan dig into some of the wildest ways to grow your newsletter after looking back on over 3,000 hours of research into creators.
Codie Sanchez’s Playbook: How buying and growing newsletters helped her build a massive audience.
Yossi Levi (Car Dealership Guy): Building a powerful brand—100% anonymously.
Ali from First 1000: Breaking down intentional, daily growth strategies.
Tom Alder’s Prelaunch Strategy: Using social media to validate your newsletter idea to the tune of 5k subscribers.
Justin Welsh’s Content OS: A behind-the-scenes look at the system that powers Justin’s consistent content creation—and how it's earned him over 7 figures.
Cross-Promotion Tactics: How creators like Alex Garcia used newsletter-video swaps to grow their lists by thousands.