Last week, I snuck an A/B test into the newsletter.

A longtime reader suggested the idea. They thought that in the bottom section of the newsletter, I should go without a headline. “By telling readers ‘In Case You Missed It...,’ ” they said, “you’re basically telling readers to ignore the content.”

I’m always up for a test, so last week, half of you got the newsletter with the “In Case You Missed It…” heading, and half got the same section but without the heading.

The results? The one with the heading drove 20% more clicks than the one without.

I mention it because I really appreciate the feedback from readers like you. If you’ve ever written to me, you know that I personally write back to every single email. I always love hearing what you think and what I can do to make this newsletter better. If you’ve got suggestions, even for a small A/B test, my inbox is always open!

—Dan (say 👋 via email or LinkedIn)

All of our newsletters this winter are presented by beehiiv, an all-in-one newsletter suite with built-in growth and monetization tools. Start your journey with beehiiv today, absolutely free — no credit card needed.

How the Toronto Star Grows Their Lists Fast

There are a lot of smart ways to quickly grow your email list, from on-site tactics to paid acquisition. But one of the most effective tactics also happens to be one of the simplest — and cheapest:

Promoting new newsletters to your existing readers.

The Toronto Star is a fantastic example of this. They’ve been building a massive email database for years, but it’s only in the past few years that they’ve started promoting new newsletter launches to those existing readers — many of whom are registered users or paying subscribers who aren’t yet on a newsletter list.

What they’ve built is an impressive growth lever — they can add 10,000 or more readers to a list, literally within hours, by sending a really good promotional email to the right readers.

So I asked David Topping, their newsletter director, to walk us through what his team’s learned about this growth tactic. Inside, he detailed:

Why their subscribe-with-a-click message works so well
How they frame each new pitch
What a great promo email should look like

If you’ve got multiple newsletters under one brand, make time for this — David’s just detailed your new favorite growth strategy. Read David’s story →

2024 is here. It’s time to transform your newsletter goals into reality with beehiiv.

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In case you missed it...

The Newsletter Conference is halfway to a sellout! If you’re a publisher thinking about sending a few members of your team, heads up: The conference is now offering a special discounted rate for a five-pack of tickets. Get your tickets here — there’s just 58 days to the conference!

I so enjoyed this interview with creator Tanmoy Goswami about building a newsletter from India — and particularly, about how he’s learned how to do more for himself by doing less. I found myself nodding along to a lot in this story, and I bet you will, too.

I mentioned an A/B test at the top of the email. If you’re looking for ideas for things to A/B test on your own newsletter, start with this list.

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📬 No. 25 | The Toronto Star’s secret growth hack

How the Toronto Star Grows Their Lists Fast

In case you missed it...

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📬 No. 24 | Introducing… The International Inbox

📬 No. 23 | Two Things Every Newsletter Needs to Know

📬 No. 22 | Let’s talk A/B testing

Announcing... The Newsletter Conference!

📬 No. 21 | Lessons From 30+ Years in Newsletters

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