Growth In Reverse (Newsletter Growth & Email Marketing)

How He Turned a Free Google Doc into $1.2M + 18,000 Newsletter Subscribers

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May 21, 2025

Olly Richards, founder of Storylearning.com, transformed from a broke jazz musician into a multi-million dollar mentor, amassing over 18,000 subscribers via a viral Google Doc. He shares how he converted simple documents into powerful revenue streams, leveraging innovative email marketing and authentic content. Olly discusses the balance between meaningful engagement and virality, the transformative role of personal branding in an AI-driven world, and effective strategies for monetizing audience growth.

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ANECDOTE

The 118-Page Google Doc Story

Olly Richards shared a 118-page Google Doc revealing the inner workings of his multimillion-dollar business.
This unprecedented transparency attracted thousands of subscribers and significant revenue.

ADVICE

Send More Emails, Make More Money

Increase email frequency to boost revenue in online business.
Consistency and casual, raw emails outperform infrequent, heavily edited essays.

ADVICE

Efficient Email Writing Workflow

Use a kanban board to manage and prioritize newsletter email ideas efficiently.
Write multiple rough drafts quickly, then refine the best ones for quality content.

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"There is a strong, undeniable correlation between the number of emails you send and the amount of money you make." — Olly Richards

In 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 TAKEAWAYS

Olly’s transformation from language teacher to seven-figure business mentor
The origin and impact of his now-famous 118-page Google Doc
How that doc helped him attract 18,000 subscribers and generate $1.2M+
Why brand is the ultimate “cheat code” in an AI-driven world
His email newsletter philosophy — from long-form essays to raw, daily thoughts
The tools and cadence he uses to stay consistent (and inspired)
How he structures mentorship, masterminds, and digital products into a scalable business
The 60/20/20 revenue breakdown that funds his growth flywheel
Why most creators are missing the fundamentals of internet marketing
The one skill Olly believes every creator must learn to build a sustainable business

LINKS MENTIONED

Get 30 proven strategies to grow and optimize your email list FREE >>
OllyRichards.co
Olly's Newsletter
Olly's 118-page Case Study (Google Doc)
Olly's Courses (incl. 7 Figure Marketing Stack)
Chenell's Growth Lever featuring Olly
StoryLearning.com
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Dylan: LinkedIn | Bluesky

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Thanks to Tim Forkin for editing these episodes.