⚡ Grow your newsletter with this lesser known tool

​[Read the browser version right here]​

I worked at SparkLoop for over a year.

I interviewed dozens of newsletter operators for the SparkLoop podcast. They shared in detail how they were growing and monetizing their newsletters.

I learned a TON.

And when it came to growth... most guests cited the common growth strategies:

• Facebook Ads
• SparkLoop
• Social media
• Cross-promos

But there was one lesser-known growth tool that a few guests swore by. I'm going to share it with you today.

And why were they loving it?

→ reasonably low CPAs (as low as $1 in some cases)
→ they only pay for engagement

So what is it?

It's called Refind Ads​

Refind started years ago as a personalized article aggregator. Their homepage says:

But it's evolved!

Now, Refind lets you both GROW and EARN as a newsletter operator.

​Grow your newsletter with Refind Ads >>​

How It Works

Here's a snippet of how the GROW & EARN features work, straight from their site (all the content between the divider lines):

How GROW works

1. You set your own CPA and daily budget.
2. We promote your newsletter on Refind (500k+ subscribers) and in matching partner newsletters.
3. People subscribe to your newsletter directly from within Refind.
4. We send them to your ESP (Beehiiv, ConvertKit, MailerLite, etc.).

You can pause and resume your ad at anytime.

Pricing models

We offer two pricing models:

1. Pay per subscriber: you pay for all subscribers
2. Pay per engaged subscriber (new, recommended): you only pay for subscribers who interact with your newsletter in their first 7 days

Who counts as engaged?

In the pay per engaged subscriber model, we classify subscribers based on their interaction in the first 7 days after subscribing. People who unsubscribe or don’t open any email count as unengaged and you don’t pay for them. Also, emails who bounce/complain get voided too.

(read more...)

How EARN works

Promote high-quality newsletters and earn with every send. Earnings of $1-2 are realistic.

We process mid-month for the previous month, after we’ve finalized all invoices.

Payout options

You have two options:

1. Stripe Credits
2. Transfer (Cash out)

You can set your preference under Earn > Publication > Settings. Note that amounts < $10 will be paid out as Stripe credits, regardless of your chosen option.

(read more...)

Okay back to me...

4 Things To Consider Before Starting

All of this sounds great on the surface! And it mostly is.

BUT (there's always a "but")

Success with paid growth relies heavily on a few things:

1. Alignment: are the *right* newsletters sharing your newsletter with the *right* audiences?
   ​
2. Onboarding: Do you have a special onboarding/welcome sequence for acquired subscribers?
   ​(Kieran Lenahan has a killer onboarding sequence to steal >>; Refind subscribers won't see your thank-you page, so make your welcome email dialed in!)​
   ​
3. Messaging: Do you remind new subscribers how your newsletter got in their inbox? (Example here >>)
   ​
4. Engagement screening: Are you screening for engagement and ruthlessly unsubscribing unengaged subscribers?

You could be doing all of this and still find many acquired subs aren't engaging.

That's okay.

Remember → you only pay for engaged subscribers.

Here's the TL;DR:

→ you get to "keep" 100% of subscribers acquired through Refind, but only pay for those that engage in the first 7 days.

For context: Refind's average engaged subscriber rate is currently ~49%, meaning you'll only pay for about 5 out of every 10 subscribers you acquire.

This dramatically de-risks your investment, making this an almost no-brainer to try.

(But it's also why you need to create a proper onboarding + cold-subscriber cleaning sequence)

Combining GROW + EARN

Another strategy to de-risk investment is to fund growth with the revenue you earn from making paid recommendations.

I saw smart newsletter operators doing this every day while working at SparkLoop. They would...

1. Make paid recommendations
2. Earn $$
3. Invest 100% of $$ back into paid growth

Many operators were also using Facebook ads flywheel to drive subscribers.

1. Acquire new subscribers via FB ads for $CPA
2. Re-coup a % of $CPA from paid recs
3. Re-invest earnings back into FB ads

Now you can do the same via Refind's GROW platform.

What newsletters can I recommend to EARN?

If you want to see the types of newsletters you can get paid to recommend, here's my list as an example >>​

(Yes, I get paid a small sum if you subscribe—and stay engaged—to any of those newsletters. That's how this works!)

To Sum It Up

Let me be clear: paid newsletter growth isn't for everyone.

Especially if you can't afford the risk of losing hard-earned capital.

But...

You can expedite newsletter growth through Refind. It's really a time vs. money situation: spend the time needed to grow organically, or spend the money to grow in way faster.

Or, just start earning from paid recommendations and put those earnings towards paid growth!

Dominik Grolimund has been building Refind for the past several years all by himself. There are now hundreds of newsletters using it to both grow + earn.

Have more questions about Refind? Reach out to Dominik >>​

​Check Out Refind Ads >>​

Work With Me

I'm also opening the door for more newsletter consulting clients.

My newsletter consultation is booked solid over the next few months, but I'm happy to do one-off newsletter consulting sessions 👇

​30-min newsletter consult →​
​60-min newsletter consult →

And/Or...

I'm considering a Newsletter Async Coaching/Consulting service. Instead of booking just a one-off consult (like above), you'd get ongoing support, feedback, audits—all asynchronously—but possibly with a monthly "live" session, all for a recurring monthly fee.

Does that sound useful and like something you'd be interested in?

Other resources to help you:

→ The 1KS Roadmap: A Free Course To Your First 1,000 Subscribers​
→ Advertise in this newsletter​
​

Peace and platonic love,

Dylan

​Twitter | Medium | Instagram | TikTok​