Growing my newsletter to 100 subscribers in 1 month, sharing my learnings & growth channels
Hey everyone!
previously, I shared on here about the growth of my newsletter indiegrow, and how it was nearing 100 subscribers. I got comments asking me to share strategies and learnings.
This week I finally reached the milestone of 100 subscribers and thought I could share a couple of growth channels that work for me. If you are running a newsletter or creating content for your business, maybe these could help.
For background, my newsletter is a free newsletter for entrepreneurs who want to grow their Twitter following. I send my subscribers three tweets daily to comment on (Engage through comments is the best way for small accounts to gain followers in the beginning). I mainly created this newsletter for myself and others: to make friends, have a community while working on our start-ups / growing on Twitter.
First 50 subscribers
My initial ~30 subscribers came mostly from Indiehackers and my Twitter account (a small account with less than 600 followers).
I announced my newsletter on Twitter first and created a post on Indiehackers sharing announcing the launch.
After seeing the interest, I felt more motivated and shared the newsletter around Reddit, on startupschool forum, and a few other slack groups. This gained ~10 additional subscribers.
After these initial outreach, I have been marketing the newsletter on Twitter through daily shares of what I sent out -- this usually consists of a Twitter thread with three tweets I sent out and a little plug at the end. I also try to promote my newsletter in comments under threads by large accounts. These tactics eventually got me to 50 before the first post.
Reaching 100 Subscribers
During the last couple of weeks, I prioritized consistency and not missing any day of the newsletter. I was also working on a launch with my co-founder, so I had less time to do marketing, but I try to promote whenever I can. I posted my newsletter on several newsletter directories and kept up with posting the threads on Twitter. I also posted my journey on indie hackers and a few other forums that I mentioned here. With time, it grew to 100.
Summing up the growth channels
channels I have tried so far
- Indiehackers
- startupschool forum
- Elpha
- my other newsletter FontDiscovery
channels I have yet to try but curious about
- fb groups
- product hunt discussion boards
- product hunt launch
- cross-promotions
- ads in other newsletters
That's about it. In conclusion, what helps the most is sharing the journey and being consistent (Setting up a really good system for writing and sharing helps a lot with that). The growth has slowed down a bit since the first two weeks, but I think there is a lot I can improve. For example, I feel there are better ways to do the daily twitter share, though I haven't figured out what or how. Setting up a referral system is another thing that's on the back of my mind. If you have any ideas, feel free to suggest them below. Also, if you are looking to grow on Twitter together, feel free to check out indiegrow.
