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Hey, Reader!

(Forgive this preamble. I swear I'll get to regular programming shortly, but wanted to get this off my chest.)

Last week was the New Media Summit in Austin TX. I had the honor of being the event's MC.

If you were there, you know how epic it was (not my MC'ing, but the event itself).

If you weren't there, good news: you can buy the recordings and slide decks from all the speakers.

But you know what was more valuable than all the talks and slides?

The intros made.
The hands shaken.
The bonds forged.
The numbers exchanged.

Is that kinda cheesy? Maybe. But I give zero shits. Because it's true. Bring on the cheese!

These live, in-person events are underrated. They are powerful.

For example.

When Sam-freaking-Parr calls out in-person events as a huge focus + difference-maker for his business—while at an in-person event—you know this kind of thing desperately matters.

While chatting with Matt McGarry on stage, Sam shouted out a hat he saw at the summit. The hat simply said "IRL > URL" (kudos to Rae Lambert rocking said hat).

Sam's take: IRL matters more than ever.

I think we're starved for human interaction. Even more since 2020. And don't come at me with "but Zoom!"

Zoom for human connection is a sip from a desert oasis. We need more. At least I do.

A conference like NMS is Niagara Falls. I'm still filled up from the new friends I made and old friends I got to reconnect with.

In short: humans (mostly) rock.
And humans at events like this can change lives.

Still sounding cheesy? Good! Because it happened to Matt McGarry.

A tiny piece of advice he got from the Traffic & Conversion Summit 10 years ago changed his life. Dickie Bush started writing online because of one piece of advice he got from Khe Hy—at an in-person event!

And many others have met their best client, best friend, business partner, or future spouse at a live event.

Straight up: meeting people is leverage.

In this age of endless AI knowledge right at our fingertips, there's an old adage that keeps reverberating around my skull like a clanging cymbal:

"It's not what you know, it's who you know."

The value of these IRL events is the "who", not the "what".

So here's my challenge you to: attend ONE live event per year—conference, summit, camp, "fest", whatever—and let it change your business. And your life.

Here's what's percolating in today's edition:

→The underrated growth strategy most newsletters are ignoring
→ Advanced List Growth & Monetization Strategies
→ 6 Lessons from NMS 2026
→ How he made millions from teaching sponsor deals
→ 3 Mindset Shifts to help you ship your work

Let's do it.

The Underrated Growth Strategy
​Most Newsletters Are Ignoring

The word "hack" is gross.

You "hack up a lung".
You "hack" through nasty, overgrown brush with a machete.
You "hack" an algorithm for questionable leads.

Growth hacks can work. But most hacks sacrifice integrity.

And that's gross.

Growing a list at the cost of integrity is a bad recipe. You end up with...

→ Readers who don't buy.
→ Subscribers who don't open.
→ Free users who never upgrade.

So in the latest episode of the Growth In Reverse Podcast, Chenell and I cover one of the best ways to grow a newsletter without sacrificing integrity.

PS - We also share a free playbook in the episode with all the juicy details. Just check the show notes ;)

LISTEN NOW

​WATCH || LISTEN​

Can I ask a small favor?

These episodes are free to watch but cost us time & money to create.

It would go a LONG way if you could like or comment on the LinkedIn post so we can get them in front of more people!
(It's the post below 😁🙏)

Newsletter Hits
Of The Week ⚡

Curated links from others I think you'll enjoy.

⚡ The 3 shifts that help you finally ship your work →

⚡ Advanced List Growth and Monetization Strategies—from a $50M newsletter founder →

⚡ 6 lessons from New Media Summit: what it takes to build a business from content →

⚡ He's Made Millions from Teaching Others How to Land Sponsorships. Here's how →​

The most-clicked link from last edition 👇👇

⚡ The one email marketing sequence EVERY business needs in 2026 →

Growing a newsletter
​can be slow & lonely.

So build your newsletter faster.
With our help.

Come hang out with me & Chenell.

Join us Newsletter Nerds in the Growth In Reverse PRO Community →​

GIR Pro is a private online community for newsletter creators and operators like you and me.

A few reasons why GIR Pro kicks ass:

→ Learn from experts with our live Creator Sessions.
→ Hop on a Hot Seat with Chenell to solve newsletter & business challenges.
→ Get instant, free access to all of Chenell's products and courses—including The Growth Vault.
→ Get quick feedback on landing pages, posts, newsletter issues, from me, Chenell, and our members.
→ Hang out with us IRL at exclusive Pro meetups (like we're doing in Austin at the New Media Summit)

​Join GIR Pro →​

(if you join and it's not for you, just let us know and get a 100% refund)

Need more newsletter support?

Here are a few ways I can help:

1. Get clear on your newsletter strategy. Book a 1:1 Strategy Call With Me (30 mins || 1 Hour)
   ​
2. Improve your newsletter engagement & reducing unsubscribes starts with how you onboard your new subscribers.
   Book a Newsletter Onboarding Audit >>​
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3. Get daily newsletter support in a private setting from myself, Chenell Basilio, and dozens of other newsletter creators. Join the Growth In Reverse Pro Community today >>​

See you in the inbox,

Dylan

​LinkedIn | Twitter | Substack | IG

PS - A few more photos from NMS because why not!?

* indicates affiliate links. I get paid a small commission if you use these links to purchase a product or service.

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