😍 The toolbox of your dreams!

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Ready to supercharge your newsletter this week? We've got cash incentives flying left and right! This week brought major creator migrations, new monetization opportunities, and tools that'll make your workflow smoother than ever.

Plus, we're seeing some wild acquisition moves that signal big changes ahead. Let's dig into the chaos! 👇

🔥 This Week's Hot Takes

Substack is paying creators to migrate from other platforms. Platform wars are getting expensive—expect fierce competition and major audience shifts as creators chase better deals and features.

Substack launches 'Study Hall' for creator strategy sharing. Direct tips from top creators and Substack insiders help you skip guesswork and fast-track your newsletter growth—no matter your stage.

Beehiiv launches fully customizable subscribe forms. Newsletter operators can now embed on-brand forms anywhere and capture richer subscriber data with zero coding required.

LinkedIn newsletters now reach 1.2 billion members. LinkedIn newsletters are a massive B2B opportunity—audience building and thought leadership just got easier inside a trusted professional network.

Digital products outpace paid subscriptions for monetization. Selling one-off digital products gives newsletters a faster, more reliable income than paid subscriptions, especially for small or new audiences.

Likewise acquired by Watchlist Inc. for newsletter-first entertainment. Major media talent and investment signal newsletters are the hotbed for the next wave of entertainment discovery and personalized content.

📨 Newsletter Dissection

Spotlight: Things I Buy As A Civilian

What Works:

• Smart monetization—affiliate links account for 50% of newsletter revenue

• Instagram Stories promotions and regular giveaways to drive subscribers

• Clear distinction between free/paid content (more personal insights for paid readers)

Creator Quote:
"My ShopMy and Amazon links account for about 50% of my Substack income."

Dive into Amber Katz's strategy for blending affiliate income and paid subscriptions—read the full interview for tips!

💡 Growth Hack of the Week

Turn Your Social Followers into Loyal Newsletter Readers

How: Make Substack your only link-in-bio and promote with direct-to-camera videos on platforms like Instagram, TikTok, X, and Facebook. Regularly post clear calls-to-action, use Instagram Stories Highlights, pin launch promos on TikTok and X, and ask fellow creators to share your newsletter. On X, put your Substack link in a thread reply, not the main post.

Why: Eliminating link choices cuts decision fatigue, video builds trust, and repetition boosts exposure. Peer collaboration amplifies your message across new audiences.

Expected Result: Creators consistently see higher subscriber conversion rates—sometimes 2–3x more—by focusing on one link, authentic video, and cross-promotion.

You want a deep dive? Full guide here.

🧰 Tool of the Week

HeyNews Newsletter Toolbox (Free)

Why You'll Love It: The toolbox includes over 200 (and growing) battle-tested tools and covers the most essential ones needed to run a successful newsletter.

Best For: Newsletter creators who want to grow their publications and become world-class operators.

Get it for free!

🧪 A/B Test of the Week

Test: A/B testing sender names: Company vs Person

Result: Using "Deb at Zapier" as the sender name yielded higher open rates than using "Zapier" alone. Personal sender names consistently outperform company-only names across multiple tests.

Takeaway: Readers prefer emails from people, not brands. Test variations like "First Name at Company," "First Name (Company)," or "First Name, Title" to find what resonates with your audience.

⚙️ Automation Deep Dive

Buttondown's Test Mode: Never Accidentally Email Your List Again

Before: Testing automations and integrations meant risking accidental emails to your real subscribers, like when Buttondown's founder accidentally spammed his list with a dozen UUID test emails in 2019.

After: Buttondown's new test mode lets you safely test every feature while redirecting all outbound emails to your account. Perfect for testing Zapier integrations, API calls, or automation sequences.

Result: Zero risk of subscriber spam, faster iteration on complex workflows, and peace of mind when developing newsletter automations.

See how it works: Check out the complete test mode documentation.

😂 Meme of the Week

When your newsletter has over 60% open rates and 25% CTR, and you are expecting platforms to offer you money to migrate, while hoping they don’t notice you only have 78 subscribers.

🔗 Quick Links

• Automate your newsletter easily with HeyNews.

• How to 10x Your Newsletter Growth Using AI

• Email Trumps Social for Brand Communication

• Sky News Launches Money Newsletter

Thanks for reading,

— Eren Daskesen & Cagri Sarigoz