Newsletter for Business Growth

Generic, boring recruiting emails aren't cutting it anymore. Here's the reality: While 76.6% of outreach gets opened, only 22.6% get replies, and of those, around 50% are “thanks, but no thanks”—which means they’re not interested. So, we analyzed over 4 million outreach sequences sent through Gem to uncover what actually drives engagement. 💡 Here are 8 factors that move the needle: 1. Strategic timing The best send times are… - 8 am (68.0% open rate) - 4 pm (67.3% open rate) - 10 am (67.0% open rate) 2. Weekend advantage Few recruiters send weekend outreach, but these messages perform exceptionally well (≥66% open rates). 3. Message length Keep initial messages between 101 to 150 words. You can deliver the essentials in fewer than 10 sentences. 4. Deep personalization Highly personalized messages see a 73% engagement rate. Using tokens like first name or company name can increase open rates by up to 5%. 5. Subject line optimization The sweet spot is between 3 to 9 words… …though some subject lines as lengthy as 11 words still see good open rates if they’re catchy. Pro tip: Include company names and job titles for higher open rates. 6. The 5-stage sequence When you follow up strategically with 5 messages, you'll see 2x more replies and achieve nearly 68% higher "interested" rates than one-off emails. After stage 5, engagement flattens completely. 7. Leadership involvement Having your hiring manager or executive send one of the follow-ups improves reply rates by over 50% (yet only 22% of recruiters are using this tactic!). 8. Role-specific timing For technical roles, 3 out of the top 4 send times fall on weekends. For non-tech roles, stick to typical business hours. Want to see more best practices from top TA teams like Robinhood, Yext, Anthropic, Zapier, and Roblox? Download our full guide here: https://lnkd.in/gRDfiamg

We grew an email list from 0 to 500K subscribers in just 10 months. If I were starting from scratch today, here's exactly how I'd do it again: 1) Nail the Lead Magnet: The fastest way to grow your email list is by offering something valuable in exchange for an email. Think of it like this: people won't give up their email for nothing. Create something they can't ignore: a discount, exclusive content, or a tool they can’t find elsewhere. For us, offering free travel guides was a game-changer. 2) Optimize for Opt-Ins Everywhere: Your website, blog, and even social media accounts should work like opt-in machines. For example: - Add pop-ups and fly outs on key pages. - Place CTAs above the fold. - Use scroll-triggered modals when visitors are engaged. We tested endlessly, and this attention to detail paid off big. 3) Tap Into Paid Growth Early: Ads get a bad rep, but when done right, they’re a growth accelerant. We launched targeted ads promoting our lead magnet and built a funnel that turned traffic into email signups. Paid campaigns helped us scale fast while testing which offers resonated with our audience. 4) Partner with the Right People: Collaborations can grow your list faster than any single effort. Whether it’s co-branded giveaways, email swaps, or shoutouts, find brands or creators that share your target audience. A well-executed partnership will unlock exponential growth. One really unique thing we did: We bought a bunch of viral social accounts and rebranded them for our business. This was huge in kickstarting massive and sustainable growth. And we fast-tracked the social proof we needed to build trust and scale quickly. 5) Focus on Quality, Not Just Quantity: A big list is meaningless without engagement. From Day 1, we focused on high-value emails to ensure subscribers opened, clicked, and stayed. Here’s a pro tip: Consistency wins. Sending emails weekly or bi-weekly keeps your list warm and engaged. 6) Build a Content Machine: Pair email growth with an organic content strategy that feeds your funnel. Blog posts, social media, and SEO aren’t just good for traffic—they create trust. The more valuable content you share, the more people will want to hear from you. 7) Leverage Cheap Marketing Channels in Ways Others Haven’t: This is going to ruffle some feathers but we absolutely dominated cold email for user acquisition. To the tune of 6 figure subscriber acquisition. No one was doing cold email for B2C the way we did it. This proved to be the most scalable yet cheapest acquisition channel we had. — To recap: - Offer something valuable for free to grow your list. - Use every channel—paid and organic—to drive opt-ins. - Build relationships with partners who already have your audience. The result? A system that scales. Your list is the one asset you fully own—start building it ASAP!

How to build an off-platform newsletter audience through LinkedIn. The Carta Data Minute (great newsletter, check it out) is officially 100 weeks old! Every Thursday, 24,386 subscribers receive a drop of Carta insights in their inbox. Short, sweet, thought-provoking (I hope). We don't do much promotion for it outside of this feed. So it's a pretty clean example of how to move folks from followers here to subscribers over there. So why create a company insights newsletter at all? Three reasons: 1. Great place to speak to your target customers (and hear from them) without selling, which they will appreciate.     2. Conversion from newsletter to event attendee is 8-10x a cold email. Worthwhile.     3. Moving a rented audience from social to an owned audience on a newsletter allows for all sorts of education and awareness opportunities for your products. I'll dig into some key points along the timeline and drop some tactics at the end. 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝘂𝘁 - 𝗟𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗝𝘂𝗹𝘆, 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟮 • Hooray we started! • Quickly turns to "damn this kinda sucks". Multiple weeks of single-digits new subscribers. Didn't have my writing or my promotion dialed in. 𝗝𝗮𝗻 𝟮𝟵, 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟯 • Over 1,100 new subs that week off of a single viral LinkedIn post. 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵-𝗦𝗲𝗽𝘁, 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟯 • Clear NMF (newsletter-market fit). 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰 • Steady, if unspectacular, growth. Probably need to try some new strategies. 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗡𝗲𝘄𝘀𝗹𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵 𝗧𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝘀 • Start a waitlist that folks can join before you send the first newsletter - much better to send to at least a few real people on week 1.    • Newsletter 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱𝘀 to be weekly. Monthly or even every two weeks just is not enough habit formation. Another reason why Insights is a useful function, given it creates things to talk about.    • Include a link (not clickable) in every graphic you post on LinkedIn. Include a link (actually clickable) in the body of 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲 of your posts. Which ones? That's the nuance. I'd say maybe 30%, including some that you think will get large reach. Links do limit reach so this is a delicate balance.    • QR codes at the beginning or end of presentations you give in the wider world generate solid new subscribers!    • Open rates: 50% okay, 55% good, 60%+ great    • Unsubscribes: Should hover between 0.1%-0.4% every send    • 25% of our subs came from the top 10 weeks. You can't predict the spikes!    • Write as a human not a worker. If you're excited about the content the audience will be as well.

Lessons from running a newsletter for over a year (and a bit) 📰 Well, that was fast. A little over 13 months ago, I launched Video Games Industry Memo (VGIM) with a vague hope of getting...someone to read it. Fast-forward to the present day and it is fair to say that things have gone quite a bit better than expected. VGIM has gone from nothing to 3,500 subscribers in a year: spawning two spin-off events (including the birthday party pictured below), landing me coverage in places like The New York Times and The Rest is Entertainment and chucking in some very welcome revenue towards my business's bottom line. But what have I learned about running a newsletter in that time? I'd say there are six quick lessons that come to mind. 🗓️ Consistency is key: The easiest way to grow a newsletter is to deliver it consistently. Keep to a schedule to both engage your readers and hold yourself to maintaining it (including putting work in a drawer or finding guest writers for when you have tricky work travel weeks/holidays to contend with). 🗒️ Get your format right: Consistency is easier when you know what you're putting out each week. Designing a great, repeatable format from the outset is the best way to keep on top of your work. 😂 Be entertaining: A friend at Politico told me "news isn't just news; it's entertainment too." Trading the dull or dry for a respectful lightness of touch is a great way to make your newsletter the 'must read' that week. 🗣️ Get your voice heard: Whether it is your own work or written on behalf of a business, make sure your voice can be heard. If you read out your copy and can't hear the tone you're gunning for, that's your cue to edit. 💡 Put interesting ideas out there: Always advance your thoughts out into the world. When you're on the money, you bump your reputation. And when you're wrong? Well, that's great content for your next newsletter isn't it! ⏳ Take your time: Give your newsletter time to grow. Too many falter because it doesn't do "numbers" immediately. But if you really want to see returns, think about what one year of newslettering looks like. That'll keep you focused on popping pancakes on the stack rather than obsessing over metrics when the data isn't there yet. Of course, there's LOADS I'm still not getting right. I have questions about whether the Big Read is a little too big. I am wondering whether my breadth of interests in games is maybe a touch incoherent for the audience. And I know I need to do more to transform my readership into a community, something that'll be the focus of year two of the newsletter. But overall, I think the plan I've kept to has been pretty successful so far. And I think that if you follow the tips listed above when running your own newsletter, you can deliver a great service to your readers and put yourself on a handy growth trajectory 📈 P.S. If you are inspired by this post to read Video Games Industry Memo, you can sign up to it via my LinkedIn profile

Two founders. Same niche. Same audience size. Very different results. One struggles to convert leads. The other closes conversations faster without pushing. The difference wasn’t ads. It wasn’t content volume. And it definitely wasn’t talent. It was how clearly their message was positioned. Here’s what I observed 👇 Founder A Explained everything Shared multiple offers Used smart but generic language Expected the audience to “connect the dots” Result: Good engagement. Slow decisions. Long sales cycles. Founder B One clear problem One sharp promise One repeated message Same language everywhere posts, bio, conversations Result: Shorter conversations. Faster trust. Higher conversions. The second founder didn’t say more. They said the same thing clearly, again and again. That’s the part most people underestimate. When your message is clear: people know when to reach out conversations start warmer objections reduce automatically selling feels lighter Not because you’re persuasive but because you’re understandable. Here’s the real lesson: Consistency without clarity creates noise. Clarity with consistency creates momentum. If growth feels slow despite effort, don’t change the strategy yet. First, simplify the message people hear when they find you. That alone can change outcomes. #FounderGrowth #BrandPositioning #MessagingStrategy #BusinessClarity #SalesPsychology #StrategicCommunication #ContentThatConverts #AakritiOnLinkedIn

I grew to 10k+ newsletter subscribers in 1 year. Here are the 6 biggest pieces of advice I'd give to ANYBODY growing their newsletter: 1. Focus on organic growth This is the single most important thing to do. I wasted so much time to "hack" the growth. There's no "hack". Pick a niche problem, find a target audience, identify the value your content can provide, and ship it consistently. Growth will happen organically if your content truly adds value to readers. 2. Pick a growth channel Unlike social media, newsletter has no default distribution, so you need to find the best channel to promote your newsletter. For me, LinkedIn is my growth channel to promote my newsletter. Just pick ONE channel to start. Focus is everything. 3. Content-Market Fit is EVERYTHING You achieve CMF once you've hit 5,000+ subscribers organically with good engagement (>45% open rate). For me, I hit my CMF in Oct 2024 when I hit 5,089 subs with pure organic growth. If you couldn't hit that after 1 year, maybe it's time to change your niche or audience or both. 4. Be relentlessly consistent Writing newsletter is easy. But writing newsletter consistently week after week, month after month — that's tough, very tough. Most people will give up after a few months. If you can keep showing up, keep shipping, your time will come (I guarantee that). 5. Use pre-CTA and post-CTA This is a game changer. Before your newsletter is published, post on LinkedIn as a teaser to your issue with a CTA link. After the newsletter is published, post again on LinkedIn to direct more traffic to your article (remember to gate the article + collect emails for access). I got 3,000+ new susbcribers after using this approach. It works. 6. Use Meta ads to scale Only run ads after you've hit CMF (point 3). Go to Facebook Ad Library, identify the best-performing ads that other newsletters (in your space) are running, refer to their ads creative + modify the copy based on your niche. Run and keep optimising your ads to reduce the CPA to $1 - $2. Start with Step 1-5, use Step 6 cautiously. If Step 6 works, you're unstoppable. Have any questions about growing newsletter? AMA anything in comments 👇🏻

Here are the six things I’ve found to be most effective in growing a newsletter audience…📧 📈 1️⃣ Putting out quality, differentiated content consistently. It’s incredibly competitive to build a newsletter. The top ones literally have teams of people on them. Good content that people can’t get anywhere else will eventually rise to the top and find an audience. It’s not a sexy “growth hack” answer but it’s by far the most important factor. 2️⃣ 1-1 personalized out reach at scale. Another answer people don’t want to here and advice they don’t want to follow. Yes it takes a ton of time. Yes it would be way easier to just blast 100 people on bcc. But it’s hard and because everyone else does the easy thing that it works. Just go email people you know and ask them to sign up. Time consuming but effective. 3️⃣ Putting a CTA/link every single place possible on the channels you own (eg your email signature, front page of your website, Twitter bio, QR on your business card, etc. Leave no stone or corner of your “owned” properties unturned. 4️⃣ Cross promotion with other newsletters - you promote them, they promote you. This is the first “growth hack-y” answer most people are probably looking for. We’ve seen good success with this using Lettergrowth but I’m sure there are others. 5️⃣ Running ads on other newsletters - advertising in channel is always going to be more effective. You know people read them and they’re already in the mindset/context of email. We used Paved for a while but ended up prioritizing other objectives for our (limited) paid spend 6️⃣ Asking current reads to share/refer new readers. If you have a big audience already then this would move up in the order of priority. But I’m guessing most people reading this are trying to go from small to big, but big to bigger! It can still work but it’s not the home run you might think it would be. You can also incentivize this (eg we experimented with SparkLoop a while back) but with an early stage newsletter/community I’ve found this disincentivizes people. They want to feel like they’re part of something special, not that they’re being monetized. Those are the big ones for me. I wouldn’t say I’m an expert, but we’ve had some decent success here at Rival (5k+ subs to Zag), also at 11:FS, with some clients, and watching many others. Would love to hear your learnings and tips on how to grow a newsletter audience as well! Please do comment below. 👇 #marketing #emailmarketing #emailmarketingtips

Your newsletter sign-up page is not just a gateway; It’s the first handshake with your audience. Yet, many fail to optimize this critical touchpoint. Asking the right questions about your page can elevate sign-ups. And set the tone for long-term subscriber engagement. Here are a few key questions to audit your newsletter sign-up page: 1. Who is your audience? → Clearly define your ideal subscriber. → Tailor the messaging to resonate with their needs & interests. 2. What value are you offering? → Why should someone subscribe? → Highlight benefits like exclusive insights, free resources, or actionable advice. 3. Is your call-to-action clear? → Use compelling, straightforward CTAs like “Get Weekly Insights” or “Join 10,000+ Readers.” → Avoid vague phrases like “Sign Up.” 4. Do you showcase social proof? → Numbers & testimonials matter. → Mention how many others have joined or share a quote from a happy reader. 5. How simple is the process? → Fewer form fields = more sign-ups. → Stick to essentials like name & email. 6. Is the page visually engaging? → A clean layout with eye-catching design elements ensures users stay and sign up. 7. Are you addressing concerns? → Reassure users by emphasizing privacy & how often they’ll receive emails. 8. Have you tested for mobile? → Most users browse on mobile. → Ensure your page is responsive & loads quickly. But here’s why it matters: A well-optimized sign-up page does more than grow your list— It attracts the *right* subscribers, builds trust & strengthens engagement. Take a moment to revisit your newsletter’s sign-up flow. The smallest tweaks can lead to big wins in capturing attention & turning visitors into loyal readers.

👉 Unlock the secrets of consumer psychology to enhance your email marketing effectiveness 📧 In the crowded space of email marketing, understanding and applying behavioral economics can significantly improve the effectiveness of your campaigns. By tapping into how consumers think and make decisions, you can craft emails that not only get opened but also convert. ▪️ The Scarcity Principle ⏰ : Utilize the Scarcity Principle in your email campaigns to create urgency. Informing recipients that a deal is limited-time only or that only a few items are left can significantly increase the likelihood of immediate action. For example, "Only 3 hours left to claim your offer!" or "Just 5 items remaining at this price!" ▪️ The Paradox of Choice ✅ : Simplify consumer decision-making by limiting the number of options. The Paradox of Choice teaches us that too many options can overwhelm and deter decision-making. Optimize your emails by providing one clear call to action or focusing on a single product or service rather than multiple. ▪️ Personalization and the Liking Bias 🙋♂️ : Leverage the Liking Bias by personalizing your emails. People are more likely to engage with content that appears tailored to them. Use data to address recipients by name, reference past purchases, or suggest items based on browsing history. This not only captures attention but also enhances the feeling of intimacy and relevance. ▪️ Loss Aversion 🔚 : Capitalize on Loss Aversion by highlighting what your customers stand to lose if they don’t take action. Phrasing like, "Don’t miss out on this opportunity!" can be more effective than simply presenting the benefits of an offer. 𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐓𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲: Review your current email marketing strategies. How can you implement these behavioral insights to increase open rates and conversions? Test different approaches in your campaigns to see what works best with your audience. #BehavioralEconomics #EmailMarketing #DigitalMarketing #ConsumerPsychology #ServingMarketing #SirviendoMarketing

Retention Isn’t Sexy - Until You’re Broke Brands chase growth. But when the faucet turns off and the market tightens, email becomes your backbone. So why do we treat it as a short-term fix rather than a long-term asset? I hear this conversation replayed to me all the time from CRM and Brand Managers: Their Manager: Targets are down. Budget’s gone. Just send more emails. CRM: We already sent one this week with a promo. Manager: Send another. Bigger discount. CRM: Unsubscribes were high last time… Manager: Send to everyone — even non-engagers. Add urgency. And so it begins. 📉 Deliverability drops. 📉 Clicks tank. 📉 Unsubscribes rise. 📉 The database - your only owned audience - starts eroding. But the revenue target stays the same. This is what happens when you treat email like a faucet you can turn on and off — instead of a system you build and respect. 💡 Want to break the cycle? Here’s how smart brands avoid the spiral: 1. Build an acquisition engine, even when times are good. Don’t just chase sales. Chase subscribers, on all channels, not just site pop-ups. If 2% of traffic buys, aim for 20% to subscribe. That’s your future revenue. 2. Agree on discounting guardrails. Not every campaign needs a percentage off, even if times are tough. Consider other conversion tools like: - loyalty perks - free gifts - tiered basket incentives - competitions - outlet-style categories 3. Treat non-converters as humans, not dead weight. Reduce frequency, but stay visible. Try to understand why they’re lapsing e.g gift buyers? Promo-only? Seasonal? 4. Use peak trading to re-acquire, not just sell. Black Friday can re-engage lapsed customers. But the follow-up can’t be more noise. Build a new journey. Reset the relationship. 5. Track long-term metrics. Not just revenue-per-send. Show your management week on week how these are growing: -LTV - Repeat purchase rate - AOV - Site visit frequency from consumers on your database 6. Invest in content, not just campaigns. Nurture a community. Give them reasons to stay subscribed. Boost engagement before you ask for a sale. Remember nobkdy going to buy daily and weekly, you need more to keep them engage. Think weekly style tips, news Roundup, podcast drops, games, polls etc Email can be your safety net — but only if you protect the list, grow it intentionally, and stop burning it out with knee-jerk sends. Want to find out our playbook for growing your subscriber base rapidly. (like how we grew out base to 17m). DM me. Build it right. Because when things get tough, it’s your email list that keeps the lights on.