Resources → The Newsletter • 6 min read

🌱 Grasping your growth

Growth isn't just about the big number at the end, it's about taking what you learned along the way and applying it to everything in your business. To reach your publishing goals, you have to know both the value of your readers and the value of your content. Once you've nailed it, subscriber expansion can be endless. Whether you're just getting started with your first 100 followers or you're experiencing a subscriber stall, it's time to grow. Let's go!

In this week's issue 📨

Tapping into the newsletter growth loop
Ideas and tactics for more subscribers
The power of landing pages

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Step on the scale

When it comes to growing your newsletter subscriber count, is doing the most always the best? If you're in the publishing business to make a living, a high number of subscribers doesn't always equal revenue. To truly grow, you have to know what your subscribers are actually worth. Genuine scale comes from focus, not guesswork, so we're here to help lay out all the facts.

Jen Levisen, copywriter at storyarb, breaks down the newsletter growth loop that can boost your business.

Subscriber economics

Knowing the value of each of your subscribers is everything. Before you set your sights on getting your subscriber count in the thousands, how can you maximize revenue with the subscribers you already have? A bigger following isn't always better if it doesn't help keep the lights on.
What is your current audience responding to? Ads, products, paid subscriptions? Use your smaller audience to experiment with different monetization methods so you can see what's working and what's not before you move on to growing your reader base. Always build a solid foundation first.

Discoverability

When you're ready to nab more subscribers, go where they all hang out, like social media or search engines. You can publish on your site all day long, but if you're not popping up in Google or increasing your social media presence, new readers won't be able to find you.
Consistency is key to discoverability. You need to publicly post often in the right places so your quality content is seen by those most interested. This is an incredibly quick way to gather feedback from the masses, which leads readers to want your content in their inboxes instead.

Use this loop to **tackle subscriber growth** step by step.

Distribution

Now that you've been discovered, what channel is working the best for your content? You don't need to expand to every social media platform and spread yourself too thin. Identify one channel that's doingx well and go full throttle. Once you've mastered one outlet, the others get easier.
A more focused approach allows you to better track content performance and control your costs. Always lean back on your subscriber value to help you decide which methods to invest in. You never want to spend money on four things at once just to find out that three of them weren't worth it.

Infrastructure

As your growth accelerates, your publication should be able to keep up. Your valuable audience deserves a harmonious infrastructure so they can get the best out of your quality content. Choosing a reliable email platform, building strong landing pages, and providing clear onboarding is the way.
You also want to keep an eye on the quality of your subscriber list. High reader engagement drives results, so if you've got lots of subscribers who have fallen out of love with your content, that's ok. Your audience size will fluctuate, and it's your job to gather feedback and keep people happy.

Interesting stories & ideas 📚

Thrive in obscurity – Jeet Mehta
Why people aren't buying – Creator Science
Being nice to your chatbot – Platformer
Email is dead, long live email – Ann Handley
Leaning into specificity – The Creative Independent

Miracle grow

Harnessing subscriber growth is all about experimentation. Getting creative with your tactics, the same way you get creative with your content, is a must if you want your publication to become a staple in your niche. You don't need a perfectly designed website, and you don't have to spend hours churning out long-form newsletters. You just need to believe.

Tom Orbach from Marketing Ideas shares how he grew his newsletter to 18k subscribers in just a year.

#1 Get aggressive about growth early and start experimenting with different channels, partnerships, and tactics to gain traction. You can't always wait for organic momentum, and starting right away will give you more leverage.

#2 Target people who already read newsletters using guest posts, paid sponsorships, and networking with other publications. Referrals can drive hundreds of new subscribers your way.

#3 Consider launching on platforms like Product Hunt to make your newsletter more visible to others in the biz. This may not generate incremental gains, but it can spike your growth when you need it.

#4 Build a waitlist and promote your publication all over social media. You don't have to wait for things to be perfect to start promoting. Getting the word out as quickly as possible will create momentum from the very beginning.

#5 Get creative with your distribution, like using Reddit or LinkedIn to answer questions within your niche. You can't always rely on the standard SEO channels. You've got to make an impact even before you have hundreds of subscribers.

#6 Make a good first impression so you can easily convert site visitors into subscribers. What's your mission, and how are you communicating it? How are you keeping subscribers engaged and wanting more?

Clear for landing

You can't gain new subscribers if you don't give them an enjoyable onboarding experience. Ever been to a site ready to give someone your money, but couldn't figure out how, so you gave up and went outside instead? Nobody wants that! (jk please touch grass occasionally) If you want to increase your chances of maximum subscriber growth, a strong landing page can be your gateway.

Let's examine the key ingredients for building an enticing landing page that convinces readers to subscribe.

‣ Above all else, your landing page should focus on getting site visitors to subscribe. The last thing you want is for someone to click away, so be sure to remove any distractions and place your sign-up form front and center. Readers should immediately understand the steps to subscribe.

‣ Use engaging language to catch people's attention so they feel excited to join. Rather than just the plain ol' "Sign up" or "Subscribe" button, change it to something bolder, like "Let's go!" or "Unlock the latest." A small change like this can make a huge impact on conversions.

‣ If you've got something to brag about, there's no shame in including it in your landing page copy. Boast about your current subscriber count, include a quote from a beloved expert in your niche, or highlight testimonials from your most loyal followers. Readers love subscribing to respected publications.

Build **better landing pages** using Ghost, no coding required.

‣ Include a screenshot example of your newsletter in your landing page to give site visitors a little preview of what they can expect in their inbox. We live in a visual world, after all. People want to see the actual product before they commit. This will give them more confidence in joining your fray.

‣ Simply explain why someone should subscribe to your newsletter. What are you here to do? What kind of problems are you here to solve? Your mission statement should be loud and clear. A site visitor should know exactly why they need your content and how it will benefit them.

‣ No matter what you include in your landing page, make sure it matches your whole vibe. What is your niche and your writing style? Are you serious or funny? Concrete or abstract? Readers should get an instant taste of what you're all about so they know what they're getting themselves into.