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👋 Hey!
This week's packed with platform moves: Both Kit and Buttondown keep rolling out new features to make newsletter operators sure that they have solid alternatives. Plus, legacy media is still doubling down on newsletters.
Let's dive in! 👇
🔥 This Week's Hot Takes
Kit integrates with Wix for automated purchase tracking. Wix sales and form submissions now sync instantly with Kit, triggering purchase-based automations without Zapier, cutting manual work, and boosting customer segmentation.
Kit adds version history for broadcasts. Creator and Pro users can now restore previous drafts, track changes, and recover from mistakes, making team collaboration safer.
Buttondown adds editor-preview scroll sync. Preview follows your cursor as you edit, reducing formatting guesswork and shaving minutes off every revision cycle.
Buttondown revamps subscriber filters. Faster segmentation and search let you find subscribers and launch targeted sends in half the time.
Consumer Reports relaunches Bread & Butter on Substack. Legacy media brands can reach younger audiences and build trust-driven monetization quickly by leveraging Substack's built-in community features.
💡 Growth Hack of the Week
Turn Small Lists Into Real Money With beehiiv Boosts
The System:
Create a Boost: Set CPA at $1.50–$1.70 with a $300 starter budget.
Write tight copy: A clear newsletter description sets expectations upfront.
Vet publishers carefully: Approve only newsletters with 35%+ open rates and 2%+ CTR, always sample their content first.
Monitor weekly: Track 30/60/90-day retention, pause underperformers, adjust CPA in $0.20 increments.
Earn while you grow: Add 2–3 Boost recommendations in your issues to earn commissions and offset spend.
Why It Works: Boosts charge only for verified, engaged signups, no bots or fake emails. You're buying quality subscribers, not just clicks, which dramatically improves retention and attribution versus traditional ads.
Expected Result: Pay $1.50–$2 per verified subscriber with ~65% retention at 3 months. A $300–$600 test can yield hundreds of engaged signups plus recurring revenue from referrals.
Spotlight: Send & Grow by SparkLoop
What Works:
Clear 5-minute structure: Distinct sections (podcast, meme, reader questions) make it scannable and shareable.
Platform-to-list playbook: Features Tom Alder's strategy leveraging 75,000 LinkedIn followers to drive thousands of newsletter signups.
Low-friction referral system: Single referral link and prominent CTA reduce sharing friction and boost word-of-mouth growth.
Creator Quote: "LinkedIn isn't a traffic hack—it's a relationship engine that turns followers into paying subscribers when you deliver consistent, useful content."
🛠️ Tool of the Week
Why You'll Love It: Centralized newsletter intelligence: subscriber counts, open/click rates, launch dates, topic filters, submission analytics, unlimited messaging/search, and exportable datasets. Speeds up research, partnership outreach, and saves hours on prospecting.
Best For: Newsletter creators, growth leads, and sponsorship sellers who need fast competitor research and scalable outreach workflows.
🧪 A/B Test of the Week
Test: Single CTA button vs. multiple competing CTAs (Subscribe Free, Get Weekly Updates, Join Community)
Result: every.org split their donation form into separate pages with one clear CTA each and saw a 26.5% increase in conversions by eliminating "rage clicks" caused by competing buttons.
Takeaway: Choice paralysis kills conversions. Give newsletter visitors one compelling action at a time, even if that means splitting your signup flow across multiple steps.
⚙️ Automation Deep Dive
Kit + Wix Integration: Instant Purchase-Based Automations
Before: Manual CSV exports or fragile Zapier connections to sync Wix form submissions and sales into your email stack, leads lived in silos and automations lagged.
After: Kit connects directly to your Wix site, so every form submission and purchase syncs instantly, triggering the right email automation without Zapier middleware.
Result: See which subscribers are customers, track revenue in one dashboard, and run purchase-triggered sequences immediately, cutting manual data work and Zapier maintenance while saving hours weekly for active stores.
How to Set It Up: Connect Wix to Kit and enable purchase-based automations in your account settings.
😂 Meme of the Week
Newsletter creator at 5:59 AM: "Triple-checked everything. Subject line is perfect. All links work. Let's hit send!"
Newsletter creator at 6:01 AM: notices typo in the first sentence 😱
Also newsletter creator at 6:01 AM: "Maybe no one will notice..."
First subscriber reply at 6:02 AM: "Hey, just wanted to let you know there's a typo..."
The typo always finds you. Always. 💀
🔗 Quick Links
Questions? Just write a comment below. I read all the comments and respond to them.
Thanks for reading,
Eren Daskesen
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