😳 The newsletter battles escalate

👋 Hey!

Big moves are happening in newsletter land this week. Platform competition is heating up, creators are cracking insane growth codes, and the tools getting launched are game-changers.

From €0.57 subscriber costs to 705K followers in months, plus the automation tricks saving creators hours every week—we've got the intel you need. Let's dive in! 👇

🔥 This Week's Hot Takes

2025's 5 non-negotiable newsletter features revealed. Shareable links, branded homepages, and consistent visual identity boost discoverability and open rates—basic moves every creator needs this year.

Beehiiv launches drag-and-drop website templates. Build professional, on-brand sites in minutes without coding—perfect for creating compelling subscriber experiences and faster launches.

Buttondown debuts public editor playground. Test new features and workflows instantly before sending—ideal for onboarding teams and preventing costly mistakes.

Food52 founder hits 705K Substack subscribers in months. Amanda Hesser's explosive growth proves that star creators can still build massive audiences fast on the right platform.

CAN-SPAM compliance easier than you think. Most reputable platforms handle the heavy lifting—creators just need honest practices and quick unsubscribe responses.

Medium's new subscribe flow drives 7x email growth. Frictionless signups boost opt-ins dramatically—streamline your own subscription process to capture way more readers, faster.

💡 Growth Hack of the Week

Facebook Lead Ads for Ultra-Cheap Subscribers

How: Launch Facebook lead form ads driving users to newsletter lead magnets. Use single opt-in for minimal friction, test multiple creatives, and immediately upsell a sub-$5 digital product to recover ad spend.

Why: Lead ads eliminate signup friction while immediate upselling offsets acquisition costs. Dedicated landing pages help filter out lower-quality, less engaged subscribers.

Expected Result: €0.57 ($0.65) per subscriber, 600+ signups in three weeks, 25-40% open rates for regular emails.

📨 Newsletter Dissection

Spotlight: 30 Days of Growth by Chenell Basilio

What Works:

• Pop-up daily newsletter format kept content fresh and built anticipation

• Smart cross-promotions with 30 creators massively boosted reach

• Referral giveaway with brand-sponsored prizes drove approximately 10% of signups

• Limited-time format created urgency and FOMO that converted browsers into subscribers

Creator Quote:
"My '30 Days of Growth' pop-up newsletter generated 3,714 subscribers in just 30 days, with 1,757 being completely new to my audience."

Want to build your own pop-up newsletter? Grab templates and workflows in Chenell's companion course.

🧰 Tool of the Week

MailerLite's Native File Hosting

Why You'll Love It: Host lead magnet files directly in MailerLite—no more external links or broken downloads. Deliver PDFs and ePUBs seamlessly for a smoother, more professional subscriber experience.
Best For: Newsletter creators who want to eliminate friction in their lead magnet delivery and create a more polished, trustworthy signup process.

Try it here!

🧪 A/B Test of the Week

Learn how A/B testing works, what mistakes to avoid while conducting an A/B test, and how to analyze the results for optimal outcomes — all answered here.

Deep dive into a thorough guide for achieving the best results!

⚙️ Automation Deep Dive

Mailchimp + Integrations: Customer Journey Builder Workflows

Before: Newsletter operators juggled manual follow-ups and generic email blasts, struggling to engage readers at the right moment.

After: With Mailchimp's Customer Journey Builder, you visually map automated sequences triggered by subscriber actions—like welcome series, re-engagement, or post-purchase flows—across email and SMS. Seamless integrations let you tap into app and web data for hyper-relevant, multi-channel messaging.

Result: Up to 127% higher click rates and 4x more orders versus bulk emails.

Create your first journey or try a pre-built workflow—see Mailchimp's guide.

😂 Meme of the Week

When you pretend that you are supporting other newsletter operators’ growth, but you’re actually biting your nails with your 28 subscribers.

🔗 Quick Links

• Automate your newsletter easily with HeyNews.

• Best Substack alternatives in 2025: Platform comparison guide

• AI Newsletter Starter Pack: Plug-and-play prompts and frameworks

• Build Media Brands, Not Just Newsletters: Scale beyond the inbox

• Buttondown CLI: Automate newsletter workflows from the command line

Thanks for reading,

— Eren Daskesen & Cagri Sarigoz