📈 3 Newsletter Hacks Not Enough People Are Using

Short and actionable again today. Three underutilized strategies (especially #3).

These are long-term. Implement one and it could be a game changer.

Helpful Links 🔗 

• 📈 How to use ChatGPT to increase your open rates (link)

• 🎨 The GOAT of newsletter design (link)

• 👀 ICYMI: The Ultimate Tool for Newsletter Operators (link)

• 🛠️ Our favorite newsletter tools: beehiiv (ESP), Descript (video editing), Sparkloop (growth & monetization), Typedream (custom landing pages), ElevenLabs (AI voiceovers)*

_{*These are affiliate links}

3 Newsletter Strategies People are Sleeping On 👀 

Let’s get right into it.

1/ Double Dipping 🍦🍦

Do you own multiple newsletters?

If so, you can make your paid growth budget go farther and drastically reduce your effective cost per acquisition with this strategy.

How it works:

• You acquire a new subscriber to Newsletter A with Meta ads for $2

• Using beehiiv’s recommendation widget or the Sparkloop upscribe widget, you recommend Newsletter B

When someone opts into Newsletter B, you just got 2 subscribers for the price of one.

Which means you just cut your payback period in half.

Do this for 6 months and you just created a sizeable growth channel from thin air that requires zero ongoing effort.

Want to use this strategy but stretch your budget as far as possible?

Run ads to the newsletter with the lowest acquisition costs. Use that as the “front door” and route people to the other newsletters from there.

2/ Newsletter + Podcast Combo 📧🎙️

Newsletters and podcasts are a killer combination.

Newsletters give you a direct line to your audience’s inbox.

Podcasts allow you to spend time with them when they’re driving or doing dishes.

Both build trust. Especially when utilized together.

3 years ago, I drove > $200k in high-ticket revenue through a weekly podcast I did solo. And I only had ~200 downloads per episode.

People would spend 30 minutes a week for 3 months listening to the podcast.

And they showed up to sales calls saying:

“I already know I want to hire you because I feel like I already know what it would be like to work with you.”

Because they had spent 6 hours alone with me.

That’s the power podcasts have to build trust.

But there’s a problem.

Running paid social ads to acquire new podcast listeners is difficult.

Attribution is nearly impossible, so Meta doesn’t know how to optimize properly.

And people don’t want to stop scrolling so they can listen to a 30 minute podcast episode.

BUT they will sign up for a newsletter.

Because that lets them keep doing what they’re doing, while giving them what they want when they’re ready to consume it (aka later).

Interruption marketing works far better for newsletters than podcasts.

So?

Here’s how to drive more revenue:

1. Grow your email list

2. Deliver value

3. Lead people to your podcast

Newsletters get people in the door.

The newsletter and podcast deliver value and build trust, preparing people to buy.

Newsletters make it easy for your audience to click the button and convert.

3/ Escape the Algorithm AND The Inbox 👀

In case you haven’t noticed, email is still king.

This is true for many reasons, but one is huge: Email lets you escape the algorithm.

No more social platforms and black box algorithms between you and your audience’s attention.

But there’s more competition than ever in the inbox.

And Apple Mail updates could continue to make it harder to land in people’s Primary inbox.

Enter the next generation: escaping the inbox 👀 

A few months ago beehiiv made it possible to escape the inbox.

They quietly launched a feature where you can have your newsletter live on people's smartphone home screen as a free web app.

Which means you can send them push notifications.

Imagine the benefits of text messaging (98% open rates) without the cost (sending texts at scale gets expensive) or the character limitations (160 characters).

As email continues to become more competitive (and is still heavily influenced by massive companies like Apple and gmail), this might become the next frontier.

And right now, nobody besides Tyler Denk seems to be doing it.

I don’t think email is going anywhere, but the bar will only be raised in order to keep attention in the inbox.

So if you want to earn a spot on people’s home screen, you’ll likely need to become their #1 newsletter.

..Or maybe using this strategy is how you become their #1 newsletter.

Either way, those who build a robust relationship with people via podcasts + push notifications in addition to their newsletters will see unique benefits: more engagement and more revenue.

There you have it - 3 underutilized strategies:

1. Double Dip

2. Newsletter + Podcast combo

3. Escape the inbox

Cheers,

Isaac + Kieran 🫡 

P.S. When I take my car to the mechanic, they do a 160-point inspection (a bit excessive IMO).

But you know what’s not excessive? An 8-point inspection for your newsletter..

We’ll tell you exactly how to improve your:

1. Value proposition

2. Ad metrics (Meta ads manager audit + ad performance)

3. Ad creative + copy

4. Landing page design + copy

5. Welcome survey

6. Thank-you page

7. Welcome sequence

8. Audience segmentation

P.P.S. If you’re ready to invest $4k+ per month on growth, book a call here with the two guys pictured above 🫡