The No. 1 question I get asked?

“How do I get more subscribers to my newsletter?”

I hate to break it to you, but there’s not a black and white answer. It depends on your niche, your audience size, your newsletter content etc. But there are some things that have worked for me, my clients, and others in the industry.

So today I wanted to share some of them with you.

A few years ago almost every newsletter you signed up for was doing “milestone referral programs”.

The way they worked is that depending on the number of subscribers you referred to someone else’s newsletter, you could earn rewards or “prizes”. A great example of how well these used to work is Morning Brew — a daily business and finance newsletter that got acquired for $75M after only 5 years.

They created a referral program called “Share the Brew”.

Launched in 2017, it became a MASSIVE growth engine for their newsletter, taking them from 100,000 subscribers to over 4.5 million! In fact when it first launched, it accounted for 80% of their growth and it was 100% organic (ie. no paid acquisition). Today it’s estimated it still accounts for almost 30% of their annual subscriber growth.

Essentially, it looks like this:

Now you’re probably thinking, “But Charlie, you said these types of referrals DON’T work as well anymore. Seems to me like it’s still going strong!”

And both statements are correct. Let me explain…

These types of programs still work for the few newsletters that pioneered them. But if you’re just starting out, or don’t have a massive social audience already built up, these types of referrals have become overly saturated and don’t work as well.

The reality is, most people aren’t going to get 1-5 referrals, they become frustrated that they’re not earning the rewards and they stop promoting your newsletter altogether.

Not saying you can’t give it a go. Just telling you what the data shows, and what I’ve heard from dozens of other newsletter founders in my network.

So what is working?

I’m so glad you asked...

These work by giving away 1 digital product in exchange for 1 newsletter referral.

Using this strategy, one of my newsletter mentors, Matt McGarry, was able to grow the crypto newsletter Milk Road, by more than 26K+ subscribers in just 6 months!

The major benefit of this strategy is that they are 100% automated and drive more high-quality subscribers. That’s because the subscribers you’re getting are from your own readers recommending your newsletter to others.

What works the best are good ole’ fashioned lead magnets. If you already have a lead magnet that works - use that! If you don’t, here’s how you can create one:

If you want to check out my video training lead magnet: From 0-to-Launch: The Ultimate Personal Founder Newsletter Blueprint, click HERE.

Here’s a few other examples for you to take inspiration from:

Milk Road - drove 26K+ subscribers (3-page industry insider report)

Ben’s Bites Newsletter - drove 30K+ subscribers (AirTable database of links he loves)

These are just a few examples. There’s literally thousands of different ways you could do this depending on what your audience finds valuable.

A few tips on how to do this in the least amount of time, with the best possible results.

It’s super easy to set up, native within the email service providers (ESPs) themselves, and drives consistent growth and monetization in just a few clicks.

My personal preference, and where you’re reading this newsletter from is Beehiiv. I’ve taken a screenshot directly from their website so you can see a side-by-side comparison of features and pricing models to decide which one is best for you.

We all get immune to seeing the same words and pictures thrown at us from ads over and over again. After awhile you start to become numb to it and tune it out.

Switching up the copy and image you use on your lead magnet helps keep things fresh and new for potential new readers.

Again, it’s all about keeping things interesting. “Variety is the spice of life” and all that.

I’ve got 2 more really potent pro tips for these, but I save those just for the attendees of my Rural Writer Workshops. Make sure you’re registered👇

Using referral strategies like this you can grow your email list to 10K-100K in a short amount of time, depending on how well you tailor your lead magnet to your audience’s pain points and the quality of content in your newsletter.

I encourage you to get creative with it - that’s half the fun!

When in doubt, poll your audience or reach out personally to a few subscribers and ask them what they would find most helpful. Whenever I do this I’m always amazed at how much clarity it brings to my business and future newsletter topics. Plus, I love talking to you and building more genuine connections!

If you have a lead magnet already and want me to take a look at it, or you’re struggling with ideas on what to create, hit “Reply” and I’m happy to help!

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