QUICK POLL

THE MAIN THING

 📈 How to Get More Growth With Less Work

If you're a solo newsletter operator, you'll relate to this.

Most newsletter growth advice feels like a second job: post on 5 platforms, chase every trend, run ads. But all this promotion and marketing takes a ton of time (and sometimes money). 

How could you change what you're doing to make it more scalable? If you want more growth with less work, you need a few simple systems.

Try these tips to start:

1. Repurpose every issue

Each newsletter you publish is content waiting to be repurposed.

Slice it into 3–5 LinkedIn posts, a quick X thread, or a carousel. Save these in a content bank, so your future promotion is practically on autopilot. There are plenty of tools available to help you with this.

2. Evergreen assets

Create a “best of” resource, guide, or a mini-course that links back to your newsletter. Share it repeatedly, not just once.

You could also create an evergreen welcome sequence that encourages new subscribers to share.

3. Add a referral loop

Make your subscribers your growth engine. Tools like SparkLoop, Beehiiv Boosts, or Kit’s referral program make it easy. Even small rewards like an exclusive resource, a template, or a shout-out will give readers a reason to share. 

Note: Don't make the mistake of asking for 5 or more referrals before you give back. Ask people to share with ONE person to get a small reward.

4. Build partnerships

Find other creators with overlapping audiences. Swap mentions, co-write issues, or guest on their podcasts. One good partnership can bring in more subs than weeks of posting.

Start with just one of these next week and you’ll see the difference.

What tactics have you used to make your growth more scalable?

Hit reply and let me know. I'll choose some to publish in a future newsletter.

BROUGHT TO YOU BY

That Startup Guy

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THINGS IN BRIEF

1. A video for every creative person 

Yes, it's about drawing a cat, but the lessons on procrastination, imposter syndrome, and being a creator are priceless. 

Take 5 minutes and enjoy this message from my favorite (and funny) Australian.

2. Who's reading your newsletter?

You might be surprised to find out which influential people are already on your list.

You can check who's reading on any email platform, but here's how to do it on Kit:

• Log in to your Kit account.

• Go to Grow > Recommendations to activate Creator Network.

• Scroll to “Creators who subscribe to you.”

• Click into each profile to see their content, socials, and more.

It's that easy to find out who's following your work.

Don't stop there, though.

Reach out, recommend them, send a quick DM, or suggest a newsletter swap. Since they’re already subscribed, they’re more likely to say yes.

This little move can unlock collaborations and growth opportunities hiding in plain sight.

Have you done this?

3. Google owns your reader's inbox

Google continues to make changes to the visibility and filtering of your emails in Gmail.

Back in July, you probably noticed that Gmail allowed users to unsubscribe with one click. Now, they've made changes to the promotional tab.

Instead of just showing emails in chronological order, Gmail will soon let users sort promotions by “most relevant.” This means the brands and offers people engage with most will surface to the top.

To top it all off, a quiet, but important update just occurred in Gmail Postmaster Tools.

You can check all the updates for Gmail, Apple, and Microsoft/Office, and how they affect your newsletter in this article.

CLASSIFIEDS

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🐝 Beehiiv - Get 20% off your first 3 months on any plan + a 30-day trial on one of the best mailing tools out there. Get started now!

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ONE LAST THING

☝️ How to buy and run newsletter ads (and make your money back)

This is kind of meta, but have you bought ads in other newsletters to advertise your newsletter?

There are two obvious benefits here:

1. You (hopefully) gain new subscribers to your newsletter

2. You support another newsletter creator

This step-by-step guide from The Side Blogger is based on real-life experience and not theory. You can tell they've experimented and put the effort in to find out what works.

Check out Step 4, which discusses how to monetize your new subscribers straightaway and make back what you spent on your ad.