Newsletter & Email Growth: Growth In Reverse
Growth In Reverse is the must-listen podcast for anyone serious about growing an email list and turning a newsletter into a thriving business. Hosted by Chenell Basilio and Dylan Redekop, two leading voices in the newsletter space, this show pulls back the curtain on how today’s top newsletter operators actually grow and make money. Episodes include deep-dive teardowns of the strategies behind the most successful newsletters. You’ll hear how creators like Justin Welsh, Codie Sanchez, Sahil Bloom, and other creator founders are building loyal audiences and turning subscribers into revenue. Learn how they attract traffic, increase conversions, boost retention, and scale without burning out. Whether you're launching your first newsletter or refining your growth engine, Growth In Reverse gives you proven tactics you can use right away. From onboarding systems and referral programs to sponsorships and paid products, this podcast helps you grow faster and smarter. If you’re ready to stop guessing and start applying what works, tune in and learn how the best are building newsletters that last.
Episodes
Join our September Social Growth Challenge: https://growthinreverse.com/social
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“You have to be first—or you have to be best. That's how you win at paid content." — Nathan May, The Feed Media
In this episode, we interview Nathan May, founder of The Feed Media.
Nathan shares how he turned a small, private newsletter into a $1M ARR business in under a year, and how his agency helps some of the...
>> Join the 30-Days of Growth Social Challenge: https://growthinreverse.com/social
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“The first 6 months taught me that consistency beats everything — even if you’re not perfect."
In this episode of the Growth In Reverse podcast, Dylan and Chenell rewind the clock to when Chenell was just starting her newsletter. She breaks down the two strategies that fueled her early growth to 11,0...
“If you spend 80% of your time making incredibly good content, you probably only have to spend 20% marketing it."
In this special episode, we’re bringing you Chenell’s conversation with Darrell Vesterfelt, VP of Growth at Mighty Networks, for a recent Creator Summit.
In the chat, Chenell talks about why she started a newsletter — and why she chose a newsletter — way back in December 2022.
Chenell and Darrell also dive into...
The Growth Vault is LIVE: https://growthinreverse.com/vault
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“During my last year as a CFO, I made more money from my newsletter and podcast than my full-time job." — CJ Gustafson, Mostly Metrics
We sit down with CJ Gustafson, former tech CFO and now full-time creator of two newsletters—Mostly Metrics and Looking For Leverage—and a podcast called Run The Numbers...
The Growth Vault is LIVE: https://growthinreverse.com/vault
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“You don’t need to create for everyone. You need to create for the people who value you most — and they’ll carry your newsletter further than you think." — Matt Johansen, Vulnu.com
We sat down with Matt Johansen, creator of the Vulnerable U newsletter (nearly 30,000 subscribers), to unpack how he’s gro...
The Growth Vault is LIVE: https://growthinreverse.com/vault
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“This is the underrated growth strategy every newsletter should be using.”
What if every subscriber could turn into 10 more?
In this episode of the Growth In Reverse podcast, Dylan and Chenell unpack one of the most underrated newsletter growth levers: referrals.
They explore how to turn one subscriber i...
“I waited to launch my paid newsletter until I had a solid strategy and felt like I’d earned it.” — Tom Orbach, Marketing Ideas
Tom Orbach of MarketingIdeas.com — which recently crossed 44,000 free subscribers and over 500 paid subscribers in just the first few days after launching his paid tier — joins Chenell & Dylan to share the exact playbook he used to grow his newsletter and launch the paid version. He became a S...
“$250k is when growth changes. It’s when you need systems. You usually can’t do it solo.” — Matt Gira, The Quarter
Matt Gira joins Chenell & Dylan — in person — to share how he went from building underwater drones to launching The Quarter: a newsletter that deep dives into how founders grow bootstrapped businesses to $250K. This is an interview, but also an impromptu coaching session with Matt as we help him figure out...
“I love unsubscribes. Don’t be here if you don’t want to be here.”
It is insanely easy to subscribe to a newsletter—and even MULTIPLE newsletters all at once.
But is that a good thing? Should newsletter creators be more choosy when determining who signs up? We're diving into one of the most overlooked and under-discussed aspects of newsletter growth: friction.
Specifically, how adding friction—rather than eliminating it—can ...
“The real value wasn’t in the keynotes—it was the dinners, the hikes, the casual connections.” – Dylan Redekop, first-time C+C attendee
Dylan and Chenell reflect on their time at Kit's Craft + Commerce email newsletter conference for creators in Boise.
But this episode isn’t just a recap — it’s a deep dive into what made the conference unforgettable: the people, the ideas, and the big shifts in how creators are buil...
"Every time I try to be an expert, I lose readers. When I’m just me, they stick around." – Jesse J. Anderson, Extra Focus newsletter
For the first time ever, Chenell & Dylan have recorded LIVE, in-person podcast episodes!
Coming at you in-person from Kit Studios in Boise ID, Chenell & Dylan connect with Jesse J. Anderson—better known online as ADHD Jesse—to uncover the evolution of his successful newsletter, Extra ...
"Podcasting isn’t a shortcut to growth—but it’s a hell of a way to deepen relationships." – Chenell Basilio
What can happen when you commit to a weekly podcast for six straight months?
You're about to find out. Chenell & Dylan pull back the curtain on the Growth In Reverse podcast—sharing the behind-the-scenes of what’s worked, what hasn’t, and what we’ve learned along the way.
We get real about the numbers: subs...
“You can pretty much do anything on Substack—which is good and also makes me nervous.” – Chenell Basilio
We've seen a wave of creators flocking to Substack over the last month and couldn’t help but wonder... what’s really going on here?
In this episode, Chenell & Dylan unpack the why we believe this migration is happening. Are creators just chasing the next shiny thing, or is Substack genuinely offering something new an...
"I thought this would grow my list. It did—but the real win was something else entirely." — Chenell Basilio on her 30 Days of Growth experiment.
In this special episode of Growth In Reverse, Chenell & Dylan break down the whirlwind that was Chenell's 30 Days of Growth experiment.
What started as a simple idea to improve my cross-promotions quickly snowballed into a full-fledged daily popup newsletter, complete with give...
Get 30 proven newsletter strategies to grow and optimize your email list FREE >>
"There is a strong, undeniable correlation between the number of emails you send and the amount of money you make." — Olly Richards
In this episode, Chenell & Dylan chat with Olly Richards — the founder of Storylearning.com and now a fast-growing personal brand — about exactly how he grew his personal brand from $0 and 0 audience to $1...
Get 30 proven newsletter strategies to grow and optimize your email list FREE >>
"Faceless brands are forgettable. Put your name on it. Make it human."
In this episode, Dylan and Chenell are back for another Newsletter Roast! Get out your marshmallows 🔥
This week we're roasting a newsletter all about podcast discovery. The Find That Pod newsletter promises to help readers uncover the best shows out there, but does it ...
Get 30 proven strategies to grow and optimize your email list FREE >>
"This might be the most fun I've had growing my newsletter." — Chenell
And here's how Chenell's doing it.
We're giving you a behind-the-scenes look at how 30 Days of Growth is going—and how we’re planning to make the most of the final stretch! With over 2,600 signups already and a massive giveaway in motion, this mini-launch is becoming more t...
Get 30 proven strategies to grow and optimize your email list FREE >>
In this episode, we’re unpacking five high-performing newsletter growth levers that creators are using right now to grow smarter—not harder.
Each tactic comes straight from Chenell's 30 Days of Growth series, where creators shared the exact strategies that helped them attract thousands of new subscribers, improve engagement, and build more loyal audi...
Get 30 proven strategies to grow and optimize your email list FREE >>
We're diving into one of the most underrated growth strategies out there: collaborations and cross-promotions.
Whether you're building a newsletter, launching a podcast, or growing a YouTube channel, collabs are one of the most high-leverage plays you can run — and we break down exactly how to do them right.
We get into real-life examples, from simpl...
Get 30 proven strategies to grow and optimize your email list FREE >>
Three roasts are better than one!
Our first Newsletter Roast was last month, and we only roasted ONE newsletter.
Today we're bringing back the heat—but roasting THREE newsletters instead of just one.
These newsletters are all in different phases of their journey but all share one common problem (you'll have to listen to find out). In this episode...
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