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This is GC⚡ #80 — your secret weapon for newsletter growth ⚔️

A special welcome to the 39 newest members of the Growth Currency⚡ newsletter community!

Thank you for giving me space in your inbox. 🙏

Did someone forward you this newsletter? Subscribe here »​
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[GC News & Announcements]

What you need to know

🚀 Substack announces new product improvements​
​Recent improvements include Welcome Page blurbs, polls, and a Recommendations email digest where Substack will include your publication & podcast recommendations in their curated email to your readers.
​

📢 Advanced Content Marketing Course with Brian Dean [FREE]​
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​

[GC Editorial]​
​Newsletters ≠ Email Marketing

“They’re the same thing.” No. They’re not.

I’m writing this because I see it way too often.

An email newsletter is not the same thing as email marketing. Semantics? Maybe. But they both can mean many things.

And the distinction is really important for anyone in a marketing role who’s been tasked with coming up with a “email marketing strategy” or starting a “company newsletter”.

TL;DR — learn how...

• Newsletters can be standalone media businesses (like a podcast, YouTube channel, or TV show)
• Newsletters can be part of a content marketing strategy
• Newsletters can leverage email marketing tactics & strategies (or not)

Newsletters As Media

Let’s add ‘Newsletters’ to the other popular forms of media distribution.

Consider podcasts and YouTube channels.

Both can be standalone distribution platforms generating revenue in the traditional media business model — via ads & sponsorships.

Examples:

• Joe Rogan
• Call Her Daddy
• Armchair Expert
• Fantasy Footballers Podcast (must be draft season lol)

The podcast is the product. The YouTube channel is the product. They are media businesses.

Some newsletters operate similarly:

• ​The Hustle​
• ​James Clear’s 1–2–3 Newsletter​
• ​Milk Road​
• ​The Profile​
• ​Lenny’s Newsletter​

These are media businesses delivered via email (we call them “newsletters” because we haven’t figured out a better name).

They make all or most of their revenue by publishing the newsletter — either from paid subscriptions (Netflix model) or with free content containing ads & sponsors.

A customer consuming these products are — most often — at the bottom of the marketing funnel.

Newsletters as Content Marketing

No, most newsletters do not operate as media entities like previously discussed.

And that’s okay!

Instead, business’s commonly leverage email newsletters within their marketing strategy. But to just call it “email marketing” is problematic.

Email marketing is a marketing & sales strategy.
​More on that shortly.

Let’s go back to the podcast & YouTube comparison.

Most leverage podcasts & YouTube videos to gain awareness or interest: top- or middle-of-funnel strategies.

But…

​Read the Article »​
​

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[GC Curated Resources: Start + Grow + Improve + Monetize your newsletter]​
Your Growth Currency ⚡ This Week

"Knowledge is the currency of growth."

​

START

⚡ How I Curate my Newsletter by Rishikesh Hari

I admire Rishikesh's newsletter journey: he's proof that you can grow a weekly newsletter to over 1k readers without any niche whatsoever. He just curates really interesting links. Read how he does it—and how you can do the same.

​

​

GROW

⚡ How James Clear Built A 1.5M Subscriber Newsletter by Alex Garcia

James Clear has a massive email list. That should surprise nobody—he wrote a best-seller. But how did he grow his newsletter to hundreds of thousands BEFORE he published Atomic Habits?

​

​

IMPROVE

⚡ The Key Ingredient Behind High Newsletter Open Rates via Circuit.ooo

Circuit.ooo found a few key factors made some significant differences with their open rates. Here are a few:

→ Avoid Long Subject Lines
→ Include an Emotional Hook
→ Use Shortened Words

(🔗 via InboxReads)

​

​

MONETIZE

⚡ 12 pricing psychology tips to help you sell more stuff by Katelyn Bourgoin [🧵]

Whether you're selling a product in your newsletter, or ad spots to potential sponsors—you need to know some basic pricing psychology. Learn from one of the best in the business. Katelyn is a wealth of knowledge.

​

​

(Newsletter Of The Week)​
The GC NOTW 🤘

⚡ Microns by Ilya Novohatskyi

Micro Startups For Sale.
​Zero Commission.

Join 3,000+ entrepreneurs and investors looking for their next deal in our weekly newsletter.

​​Get Microns »​

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​

Thanks for making it to the end—I try and save some gold for this space.

Sometimes coming up with a name for your newsletter is the thing that holds you back from starting.

So use Namelix.

Their AI will come up with business names based on your keywords & industry. OH—and they even give you a logo design.

It's pretty damn handy. And free.

​

How would you rate this edition?​
⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡ Electrifying!​
⚡⚡⚡ A decent jolt.​
⚡ Just static...

Hit reply and let me know why — I answer every one :) Or DM me on Twitter!

​

And in case you missed it, here are last week's TWO most popular links:

#1: What’s the point of a newsletter? It's this. by Growth Currency⚡
#2: Your newsletter design matters by Brett Dashevsky [🧵]
​

​
Other Growth Currency⚡ Resources:
​
→ The 1KS Roadmap: A Free Course To Your First 1,000 Subscribers​
→ The Ultimate Creator Database of Awesomeness​
→ How To Start, Grow, and Optimize a Substack Newsletter​
→ Advertise in this newsletter​
→ Book a Newsletter Consult With Me: 30 Mins | 60 Mins​

Peace and platonic love,

Dylan

​Twitter | Medium | Instagram | TikTok​