Lessons From Building a $100M Newsletter Empire—with Sean Griffey of Industry Dive
The Growth Vault is LIVE: Chenell's brand-new offer for newsletter creators is here—filled with newsletter templates, growth strategies, and real examples you can implement at your own pace.--------------------------------------“Organic needs to be your biggest channel if you want a real audience that feels connected to you.” — Sean Griffey, Industry DiveYou might not have aspirations of building a $100m newsletter empire. Neither did Sean Griffey.But 10 years after cofounding Industry Dive with two peers, Sean and his cofounders sold their newsletter media business for a reported $500 million. We sat down with Sean Griffey, to understand what it took to build a behemoth like they did with Industry Dive, and whether or not Sean is still bullish on the newsletter business model.In our chat, Sean breaks down exactly how they grew Industry Dive—from buying LinkedIn groups to mastering first-party data—and shares what today’s newsletter operators can learn from Industry Dive’s playbook.KEY TAKEAWAYSThe real reason Industry Dive launched with five newsletters on day one (and why Sean says they all “sucked” at first).How a bad story accidentally proved their newsletter finally “mattered.”The exact growth levers they pulled early on — including buying LinkedIn groups.Why Sean believes “organic audience growth beats paid growth every time” for long-term brand value.How they turned a small B2B news business into a 500-person company operating globally.The virtuous cycle of investing revenue back into better content.What their content studio does—and how it now drives ~40 % of total revenue.What Sean believes is the most valuable data point in newsletters.How Industry Dive decided which metrics actually mattered. The lessons creators today can steal from a company that built 9 figures in newsletter revenue.LINKS MENTIONEDIndustry DiveSean Griffey on LinkedInInforma (the company that bought Industry Dive)Join a community for newsletter creators: Growth In Reverse Pro Get The Growth Vault — newsletter templates, growth strategies, and real examples you can implement at your own pace.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 | 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!
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How To Save Time While Doing More: Automations with Joe Casabona
The Growth Vault is LIVE: Chenell's brand-new offer for newsletter creators is here—filled with newsletter templates, growth strategies, and real examples you can implement at your own pace.--------------------------------------“People think automation sounds hard. But If you do automatic bill pay, direct deposit, an email autoresponder, you're automating.” — Joe Casabona, casabona.orgChances are all of us writing newsletters could benefit from some more automation. It can save us time and energy so we can focus on creating Insanely Valuable Content™️. But what should we automate—and how? So we brought on our favorite automation expert, Joe Casabona, to break down simple, creator-friendly automations that save time, reduce mental load, and make newsletters and online businesses run smoother. Joe shares the automations he uses in his own business, why you don’t need to be “techy” to build them, and how small workflow tweaks can free hours every week.KEY TAKEAWAYSWhy automating parts of your newsletter doesn’t have to be complicatedThe simple automation Joe uses to welcome new members with a personal touch (and a dopamine hit).The 3-step checklist to figure out if something should be automated.The four building blocks every automation is made of—and how to combine them for powerful systems.A sneaky automation cheat sheet Zapier page no one talks about.How to automate personalized follow-ups for subscribers—without being creepy.The underrated platform Joe’s doubling down on for audience growth.How automation can actually increase your human connection with subscribers.Why creators should start small: Joe’s rule of thumb for the “one automation everyone should build first.”LINKS MENTIONEDCasabona.org/growthJoe on LinkedInJoe's YT ChannelJoe's podcastZapier.comZapier AppsMake.comBonjoro.comJoin a community for newsletter creators: Growth In Reverse Pro Get The Growth Vault — newsletter templates, growth strategies, and real examples you can implement at your own pace.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 | 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!
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14k+ Followers in 30 Days: Recapping the GIR Growth Challenge
The Growth Vault is LIVE: Chenell's brand-new offer for newsletter creators is here—filled with newsletter templates, growth strategies, and real examples you can implement at your own pace.Quick note: We ran a 30-day Social Growth Challenge that we opened to the public for a $100 fee to join. But all purchasers of The Growth Vault were able to join for FREE ;) --------------------------------------“I love the concept of a challenge—I just don’t know that social media is the goal anymore.” — Chenell BasilioWe ran a "public" 30-Day Social Growth Challenge. But was it worth it?This episode breaks down the fallout and lessons learned from the GIR 30-Day Social Growth Challenge. We dive into whether or not we thought the challenge was a success—and whether it was worth it for each of us. We also share some pretty epic wins from several of our challengers. KEY TAKEAWAYSWhat can happen when you post 30 days straight.Whether or not a challenge like this is worth it.The hidden ROI of consistency—even when follower growth looks small.How one participant landed $2M in investor interest from a single post.Is daily posting “an exercise in futility”—and what you could do instead.How a 12-week Content Flywheel became the ultimate anti-burnout system.The channel appears to be the best long-term growth play for newsletters.How to design a challenge that actually moves your business forward.The surprising power of small wins and how to build momentum fast.LINKS MENTIONEDOur Challenge Winners: 🥇 Tom Orbach || 🥈 Danny Naz || 🥉 Alejandra RojasAdam Schaeuble's 12-Week Content FlywheelJoin a community for newsletter creators: Growth In Reverse Pro Get The Growth Vault — newsletter templates, growth strategies, and real examples you can implement at your own pace.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 | 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!
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This Newsletter Sold For $150m (And Why It Matters)
The Growth Vault is LIVE: Chenell's brand-new offer for newsletter creators is here—filled with newsletter templates, growth strategies, and real examples you can implement at your own pace.--------------------------------------“If you’re not exceptional at one of the Big 3 — it’s impossible to build a content business.” — Dylan quoting Matt McGarry We're sharing the biggest stories, trends, and lessons from the newsletter space over the past few weeks. From Bari Weiss’s $150M Substack newsletter sale to gamified engagement strategies and the rise of YouTube as the new discovery channel, we're unpacking what these moves mean for creators and operators running newsletters today.KEY TAKEAWAYSWhat the $150M acquisition of Bari Weiss's The Free Press proves about newsletters.How creators can reverse-engineer their dream roles or acquisition partners.The game that The Assist launched to boost engagement & reader affinity.What LinkedIn’s games can teach creators about streaks, competition, and retention loops.A referral program so smart it practically funds itself.The "Big 3 Media Strategy” that should reshape your content marketing.The #1 fear that's holding back most newsletter creators.LINKS MENTIONEDThe Free Press by Barri WeissNews: CBS parent company Paramount Skydance buys The Free PressWorkle by The Assist newsletterThe Dink Deep Dive (via GIR)The "Big 3 Media Platforms" article via Matt McGarry Get Chenell's brand-new offering for newsletter creators: The Growth Vault — newsletter templates, growth strategies, and real examples you can implement at your own pace.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 | 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!
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9 Things Beginners Should Ignore When Starting a Newsletter
The Growth Vault is LIVE: Chenell's brand-new offer for newsletter creators is here—filled with newsletter templates, growth strategies, and real examples you can implement at your own pace.--------------------------------------“Stop wasting time picking the ‘perfect’ newsletter tool. Just start publishing. You can always switch later." — DylanWe're breaking down the most common mistakes newsletter creators make in the early days — from obsessing over tools and automations to focusing on viral growth too soon.We are challenging the conventional “how to start a newsletter” checklists floating around online (and even ChatGPT’s advice), showing how little you actually need to start. And why over-planning, over-designing, and over-automating are the real growth killers.If you’ve been “getting ready” to launch for months, this episode will hopefully convince you to just start.KEY TAKEAWAYSWhy most creators waste weeks setting up automations they don’t even needWhy you don't need a welcome sequence at first How Chenell recommends for getting your first 10 subscribers without a landing pageThe one tool mistake that can cost you hundreds of dollars—and zero new readersWhether or not you should invest in paid ads for early growthWhy planning your “perfect” newsletter launch might actually be procrastination in disguiseWhy tracking analytics in the beginning doesn't matter (and what to track instead)Why chasing virality before you’re ready can backfire hardHow to use early replies and feedback to shape your newsletter directionThe mindset shift that separates stuck creators from those who actually hit sendLINKS MENTIONEDTom Alder's GIR Deep Dive The Obvious Choice by Jonathan GoodmanDylan's 'Resend To Unopens' Experiment & ArticleGet Chenell's brand-new offering for newsletter creators: The Growth Vault — newsletter templates, growth strategies, and real examples you can implement at your own pace.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 | 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!
Growth In Reverse is the must-listen podcast for anyone serious about growing an email list and turning a newsletter into a thriving business. Hosted by Chenell Basilio and Dylan Redekop, two leading voices in the newsletter space, this show pulls back the curtain on how today’s top newsletter operators actually grow and make money.
Episodes include deep-dive teardowns of the strategies behind the most successful newsletters. You’ll hear how creators like Justin Welsh, Codie Sanchez, Sahil Bloom, and other creator founders are building loyal audiences and turning subscribers into revenue. Learn how they attract traffic, increase conversions, boost retention, and scale without burning out.
Whether you're launching your first newsletter or refining your growth engine, Growth In Reverse gives you proven tactics you can use right away. From onboarding systems and referral programs to sponsorships and paid products, this podcast helps you grow faster and smarter. If you’re ready to stop guessing and start applying what works, tune in and learn how the best are building newsletters that last.
Słuchaj Newsletter & Email Growth: Growth In Reverse, Maciej Wieczorek - Expert w Bentleyu i wielu innych podcastów z całego świata dzięki aplikacji radio.pl
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