🤩 Booming your engagement!

👋 Hey!

Ready for your weekly dose of newsletter growth tactics? We've packed this issue with welcome sequence secrets, audience-building strategies, and tools that move the needle. Let's dive in!

AI-generated images boost newsletter engagement. Custom AI visuals make your emails memorable, drive shares, and set your brand apart—way more impact than boring stock images.

New media model: ditch platforms, own your audience. Building direct audience relationships lets you control growth, monetize smarter, and future-proof your newsletter—way less risk than relying on platforms.

AI summaries drive Civic Sunlight's local newsletter boom. Shows how AI boosts efficiency for hyperlocal newsletters and opens doors for partnerships with legacy media orgs.

Tops Club opens newsletter to ads for the first time ever. Even legacy nonprofits now see newsletters as prime monetization channels—proof that ads can unlock new revenue for niche communities.

The 'Everywhere You Look' Sign-Up Strategy

How: Place your newsletter sign-up form above the fold on your homepage, embed forms in blog posts, add a sign-up link to your email signature, and include CTAs in all your social profiles. 

Why: Increasing the number and visibility of sign-up options dramatically reduces friction—readers are more likely to subscribe when it's quick, obvious, and consistent across every touchpoint.

Expected Result: Creators moving forms to the top of the page or adding them everywhere often see a 30%+ lift in subscriptions within weeks.

See all tactics in AWeber's guide.

Spotlight: The Bored Millennial by Marie Vandoorne

What Works:

Creator Quote:
"I had no idea what would happen... In my visualization exercise, I saw myself celebrating 52 weeks of writing, many subscribers, paid subscribers, and a thriving online business. Spoiler alert: this is not how it all went down."

Want honest inspiration and real-life growth lessons? Check Marie's full review.

Hooksy

Why You'll Love It: Instantly generates 10 catchy newsletter headlines or subject lines based on your topic—no fluff, just usable ideas. 

Best For: Fast headline brainstorming to boost open rates and save creative time.

Try it here.

Test: Email text alignment (centered vs. left-justified)

Result: Centered text emails outperformed left-justified versions with significantly higher click rates.

Takeaway: Sometimes conventional wisdom (left-alignment is more readable) doesn't apply to all contexts—test your assumptions before overhauling your email designs.

Read the complete analysis here.

ChatGPT Custom GPT + Google Sheets: AI-Powered Content Curation

Before: Manually reviewing dozens of articles to find newsletter-worthy content was a huge time sink.

After: Use a custom ChatGPT with an uploaded Google Sheet listing articles (title, publication, author, summary). GPT summarizes each and crafts reader-focused blurbs instantly. 

Result: Curators save hours each week spotting high-value, reader-relevant links for their newsletter.

Deep dive into the details here for your own AI-powered curation workflow!

When memes get more clicks than your in-depth insights. Because let's be honest—sometimes a good meme outperforms all your research!

Thanks for reading,

— Eren Daskesen & Cagri Sarigoz