⚡ Started with 78 subscribers. Now they have 4.7M


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"Why am I getting this email?"

Quick reminder:

You signed up on my homepage or you got my 10x Newsletter Replies Free Guide.


Hey Reader!

Here's what's happening in this edition.

→ The 5-Day Challenge to get more leads
→ From 78 subs to 4.7M: The 1440 Growth Story
→ Kit's 2026 Product Launch (spoiler: it's their best yet)
→ 14 Newsletter Landing Pages w/ 50%+ Conversion
→ Selling the right thing to the right person [Claude + IG Tutorial]

But before we get into it...


Newsletter PSA: Don't Do This

I have a PSA for anyone with an email list or newsletter.

Please. For the love of Jeebus. Don't do this:

I was pretty pumped to sign up for this newsletter from a best-selling author & speaker.

So I filled out their newsletter signup form and hit "Submit".

Welp.

Turns out just b/c you speak good don't mean you newsletter good. 🤷‍♂️

Q: What should this speaker have done instead of letting me know that my submission was successful?

I'll reward a $25 Starbucks GC to the first person who replies to this email with what's wrong here. (Why aren't you hitting reply right this second??)

Not sure?

Well, if you were at me & Chenell's Craft + Commerce workshop in Boise—you obviously rock and we appreciate you—but you also know damn well what's wrong here.

(And hopefully you grabbed Chenell's Subscriber Onboarding Course for FREE just for showing up to the workshop.)

If you weren't there...

You should know there are 3 key parts to a new subscriber onboarding setup.

1- The Landing Page (he got this one right ✅)

2- ???? (I'm not giving away the answer here)

3- The Welcome Email (he never sent one...🤦‍♂️)

And each of these onboarding components matter in their own right. They can be the difference between a raving fan and a cold subscriber.

Don't make the same mistake this speaker/best-seller made.

Make sure you check out the Subscriber Onboarding Course —OR— get it included in the Growth Vault, along with 30 other newsletter growth & optimization tips 💪

Resource Of The Week ⚡

Get more leads with this 5-Day Challenge.

I told you last week about Leadsology's 5-Day Challenge. (They asked me to do a resource swap a few months back.)

So I'm sharing their 5-Day Challenge with you here.

Why? Because I think most of us are building a business based on leads—and we're using newsletters to drive leads.

Right? RIGHT.

I don't know about you, but there's nothing like a challenge (ie. constraint) to shoot me into action.

Here's what the Leadsology 5-Day Challenge looks like:

Day 1: Your Magic (what's the ONE thing you'll be marketing)

Day 2: Your Market (who you'll be marketing to and how you'll reach them)

Day 3: Your Message (what they'll be reading or hearing that will make them want to know more)

Day 4: Your Medium (how you'll get the Message about your Magic out to the Market)

Day 5: Your Marketing (where, when, who, and how)

You can join me if you want: → leadsology.guru/five-day-challenge/

PS - I do not affiliate with many products. The ones I am an affiliate for are the ones I trust, have tested, and/or continue to use and enjoy.

From 78 subs to 4.7M:
How 1440 Built a Newsletter Behemoth

I met Tim Huelskamp (the CEO of 1440) at the New Media Summit in February.

Just before I announced Tim onstage, I (shamelessly) asked him to come on our podcast.

He obliged — and seemed genuinely stoked to do it.

3 months later...

Chenell sat down with Tim at The Newsletter Conference in NYC. That's right — Chenell did a live interview in front of an audience — with the guy who started one of the biggest newsletters in the world.

(I was unable to attend the conference, unfortunately)

Tim shared 1440's growth journey from 78 subscribers with their first email send to over 4.7M subscribers today.

He also shared...

→ Why they stopped including images in their emails
→ The "Washing Machine" growth strategy
→ Their original FB ads strategy that they still use today
→ A discovery that 3x'd sponsorship revenue
→ Their new "Topics" platform and the future of 1440

This one is audio-only and now available!

Listen now >>

Sponsor of the Week ⚡

Newsletter Hits Of The Week ⚡

Curated links from others that I think you'll enjoy.

⚡How I Used a Lead Magnet to Grow My Email List By 22% →

⚡Everything Kit announced at their 2026 Product Launch →

⚡ How to sell the right thing to the right audience member with Claude + Instagram Automation [Full tutorial] →

14 Landing Pages with a 50%+ Conversion Rate →

⚡ I studied 131 LinkedIn hooks from creators who are actually growing →

⚡ Substack launched Newsletter Sponsorships

The most-clicked link from our last edition 👇

⚡ She accidentally built the the format LinkedIn's algo is rewarding right now (including the algo data behind 2,000+ saves) →

Need more newsletter support?

Here are a few ways I'd love to help you:

  1. Get clear on your newsletter strategy.
    Book a 1:1 Strategy Call With Me
    (30 mins || 1 Hour)
  2. Improving your newsletter engagement & reducing unsubscribes starts with how you onboard your new subscribers. Book a Newsletter Onboarding Audit >>
  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

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

PS - A few more shots from C+C in Boise a few weeks ago:

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