Growth In Reverse: Newsletter & Email Growth

We're launching 30 Days of Growth on April 20th! Sign up at 30daysofgrowth.co for free. Get 30 ways to grow and optimize your email list, from creators who have successfully done it. [This is a replay from our conversation with Sam Vander Wielen from September 2025]“All roads point to the email list." — Sam Vander Wielen, Sam's SidebarIn this episode, we interview Sam Vander Wielen—a lawyer-turned-creator who has sold over $9M in legal templates with a 50k-subscriber newsletter. Sam shares how her motto of "All roads point to the email list" has helped her earn over $9M in total revenue since starting her business in 2017. And she's done it with a small team and a replicable funnel strategy most creators could copy. KEY TAKEAWAYSWhy she decided to walk away from strategies that “should” work — and what happened afterThe $100k turning point that reshaped how she runs her businessHow she blends storytelling with practical education to keep readers engagedHow her newsletter fuels her entire content ecosystemWhat creators misunderstand about legal protections (and how to fix it)Why she believes the boring stuff is actually the growth engineThe platform she almost abandoned — and why she came back strongerHer advice for creators chasing growth but ignoring long-term sustainabilityLINKS MENTIONEDSam's websiteSam's book: When I Start My Business I'll Be HappySam's Socials: LinkedIn | Instagram | YouTubeAsk us a question or submit a podcast topic idea: growthinreverse.com/questionsGet Chenell's brand-new course: The Growth Vault — newsletter templates, growth strategies, and real examples you can implement at your own pace.Growth In Reverse PRO CommunityWant your newsletter roasted? Submit it here. Check out past Growth In Reverse Deep Dives: https://growthinreverse.com/archive/FOLLOW ON SOCIALChenell: Twitter | LinkedIn | SubstackDylan: LinkedIn | BlueskyOUR NEWSLETTERSgrowthinreverse.comgrowthcurrency.netSubscribe & Leave a Review:If you found this episode valuable, take a second to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify! It helps more newsletter creators find the show. Plus, if you submit a review, you’ll get priority for your own newsletter roast!

We're launching 30 Days of Growth on April 20th! Sign up at 30daysofgrowth.co for free. Get 30 ways to grow and optimize your email list, from creators who have successfully done it. If 30 top creators handed you their best newsletter growth tactic, for free, would you take it? Of course you would! I'm excited to share that we are launching 30 Days of Growth (Part 2!) on April 20th. If you missed last year's event, you don't want to miss it again. Each day I'll be sending you 1 tip you can use to improve or grow your newsletter.In this episode, I break down why cross-promotions are one of the most underrated newsletter growth strategies, share the real numbers from last year's 30 Days of Growth (3,714 signups, 1,757 new subscribers, 77% open rates), and announce what's coming for year 2 - including the creators, the prizes, and how to get in.Sign up for free at 30daysofgrowth.coCreators featured this year include Dave Gerhardt, Katelyn Bourgoin, Justin Welsh, Sam Vander Wielen, Daniel Bustamante, and many more.Sign up: 30daysofgrowth.coGrowth In Reverse newsletter: growthinreverse.comGrowth In Reverse Pro community: growthinreverse.com/pro/

We're launching 30 Days of Growth on April 20th! Sign up at 30daysofgrowth.co for free. Get 30 ways to grow and optimize your email list, from creators who have successfully done it. NOTE: This is a rerun of an episode we published in September 2025. But just because it's a rerun doesn't mean it ain't still a banger 💥--------------------------------------“One of the worst things you can do is send new subscribers to a dead-end thank you page. That kills engagement immediately." — ChenellWe're breaking down the most overlooked (yet critical) part of growing a newsletter: onboarding new subscribers. We'll take you through Chenell's 3-step onboarding process every newsletter creator should have in place—and show how to optimize each for higher engagement, deliverability, and long-term retention. We also tease an advanced 5-step version and share examples from top creators like Katelyn Bourgoin, Tom Alder, and Eddie Shleyner. Whether you’re just starting out or already running a large newsletter, you’ll learn how to avoid common pitfalls and set up onboarding that actually works.KEY TAKEAWAYSThe 3 Cs of a high-converting landing pageWhy default Thank-you pages kill engagement (and what to do instead)How "sniper links" can push new subscribers directly into their inbox to find your emailThe #1 mistake welcome emails makeThe most important job your welcome email hasA simple incentive trick to encourage repliesThe difference between a “true” and “false” double opt-inHow (and why) to include surveys in your onboardingWhat top creators do with their “almost there” pages to hook new subscribersLINKS MENTIONEDThe Growth Vault →Katelyn Bourgoin's Why We Buy landing page →Eddie Shleyner's 'Social Proof Avalanche' →Tom Alder's Strategy Breakdowns → Growth.Design →Senja →RightMessage →Growth In Reverse PRO Community →Want your newsletter roasted? Submit it here. Ask us a question or submit a podcast topic idea: growthinreverse.com/questionsCheck out past Growth In Reverse Deep Dives: https://growthinreverse.com/archive/FOLLOW ON SOCIALChenell: Twitter | LinkedIn | SubstackDylan: LinkedIn | Substack | Bluesky OUR NEWSLETTERSgrowthinreverse.comgrowthcurrency.netSubscribe & Leave a Review:If you found this episode valuable, take a second to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify! It helps more newsletter creators find the show. Plus, if you submit a review, you’ll get priority for your own newsletter roast!

We're launching 30 Days of Growth on April 20th! Sign up at 30daysofgrowth.co for free. Get 30 ways to grow and optimize your email list, from creators who have successfully done it. Get the Growth Levers Library FREE >> growthinreverse.com/growth-levers-library

We're launching 30 Days of Growth on April 20th! Sign up at 30daysofgrowth.co for free. Get 30 ways to grow and optimize your email list, from creators who have successfully done it. Get Chenell's step-by-step breakdown of Jonathan Goodman's Lead Magnet Strategy: https://growthinreverse.com/jon-content-loops/We start the next round of 30 Days of Growth on April 20th, you can join to get access when it's live here: https://30daysofgrowth.co/?source=youtube ***Lead Magnet Episode (Part 1) >>