Starting a newsletter is, hands down, one of the best side hustles for beginners. It’s free to start and has the potential to grow into a multi-million-dollar business.

Most people don’t start a newsletter because they think they can’t grow without money or an existing audience… they’re wrong.

In the last 9 months, I grew this newsletter from 0 to 60k subscribers. During that time, I’ve tried and tested 25+ growth strategies…

Here are 3 of the most effective strategies to grow your list. For free. Without an audience.

Strategy 1: Message people on Twitter

This is the most effective and reliable strategy for anyone who has less than 100 subscribers. It’s a grind, but damn is it effective.

• Step 1 (Find influencers): Find all the most influential creators on Twitter (I refuse to call it X) in your niche and add them to a “List”.
• Step 2 (Find people to message): Go to the most recent posts from the influencers on your List. Open up the comments on their Tweets, and message everyone who has commented.
• Step 3 (Make a connection): Your mission is to make this person your friend. That means your first goal is to have a normal (and dare I say it, fun) chat. Spark a conversation, and even try to organize a call with them. Check out this full article for template messages you can send.
• Step 4 (Shoot your shot): After you’ve built a rapport with the person (minimum of 3-4 days after your first conversation) ask them if they would consider subscribing to your newsletter.

   

Strategy 2: Reddit

The quickest way to get your first 500 subscribers is on Reddit.

On Reddit, good content rises to the top. The amount of followers you have is irrelevant… which makes it your best shot of going viral quickly.

My first post on Reddit got over 600 upvotes, 100k views and culminated in around 100 new subscribers for my email list. Here’s how to do it:

• Step 1 (Find relevant subreddits): Find subreddits about your desired topic. To do that, search your niche and go to the communities tab.
• Step 2 (Read the subreddit’s rules): Read their rules to check whether you’re allowed to post a link promoting your newsletter.
• Step 3 (Create high-value content): You’ll only go viral on Reddit if your content is good. So put some time into making content that shares tips, tricks, or a breakdown of recent news in the industry.
• Step 4 (Plug your newsletter, subtly): After dropping your almighty value bombs, add a subtle plug for your newsletter.

For examples of successful posts and templates you can copy and paste, check out the full article.

Strategy 3: Recommendations

When you’re growing by around 10-20 subs per day, this strategy is a no-brainer. We’re going to use Beehiiv’s ‘Recommendations’ tool (that’s an affiliate link btw).

On Beehiiv, when someone subscribes to your newsletter, a pop-up appears on their screen immediately after subscribing. That pop-up contains a list of all your ‘Recommendations’.

If you can convince other popular newsletters to recommend your newsletter, you’ll get LOTS of new subscribers for free. Here’s how to do that.

• Step 1 (Find other newsletters): Find other newsletters in your niche with a similar amount of subscribers. Use LetterGrowth to find them.
• Step 2 (Reach out to other newsletters): Use LetterGrowth to find the email addresses of popular newsletters. Send them a persuasive email to convince them to recommend you. Check out the full article for a template email you can send.
• Step 3 (Set up Recommendations): Add your Recommendations in Beehiiv.
• Step 4 (Monitor): Regularly check how the recommendations are performing. If you’re giving a lot more subs than you’re receiving, find a more suitable partner.
  
  

I want to learn more about growing a newsletter for free

If you’re interested in learning more about growing a newsletter, head over to the full article.

I dive much deeper into each particular strategy. I even share one bonus strategy that I used to get over 30,000 subscribers.