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 $1.2m and over 18,000 subscribers in 18 months.
From his early days as a broke jazz musician to building a multi-million dollar language learning business, Olly walks us through the evolution of his business brain, the intentional pivot into mentorship, and the role of his newsletter in scaling it all.
We go deep into his email strategy, the content philosophies behind his newsletter, and how he leveraged high-leverage, low-effort marketing techniques to build a loyal audience — and then turn that audience into over $1.2m in revenue. If you’re building a business around your newsletter or thinking about launching a premium offer, you’ll want to hear how Olly layered mentorship, digital products, and events to create a flywheel that fuels itself.
→ Take your newsletter to the next level with GIR Pro >>
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Olly’s transformation from language teacher to seven-figure business mentor
- The origin and impact of his now-famous 118-page Google Doc
- How that doc helped him attract 18,000 subscribers and generate $1.2M+
- Why brand is the ultimate “cheat code” in an AI-driven world
- His email newsletter philosophy — from long-form essays to raw, daily thoughts
- The tools and cadence he uses to stay consistent (and inspired)
- How he structures mentorship, masterminds, and digital products into a scalable business
- The 60/20/20 revenue breakdown that funds his growth flywheel
- Why most creators are missing the fundamentals of internet marketing
- The one skill Olly believes every creator must learn to build a sustainable business
LINKS MENTIONED
- Get 30 proven strategies to grow and optimize your email list FREE >>
- OllyRichards.co
- Olly's Newsletter
- Olly's 118-page Case Study (Google Doc)
- Olly's Courses (incl. 7 Figure Marketing Stack)
- Chenell's Growth Lever featuring Olly
- StoryLearning.com
- Want your newsletter roasted? Submit it here.
- Growth In Reverse PRO Community
- Check out past Growth In Reverse Deep Dives: https://growthinreverse.com/archive/
FOLLOW ON SOCIAL
OUR NEWSLETTERS
Subscribe & Leave a Review:
If you found this episode valuable, take a second to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify! It helps more newsletter creators find the show. Plus, if you submit a review, you’ll get priority for your own newsletter roast!
Thanks to Tim Forkin for editing these episodes.
Popular Podcasts
Law & Order: Criminal Justice System - Season 1 & Season 2
Season Two Out Now! Law & Order: Criminal Justice System tells the real stories behind the landmark cases that have shaped how the most dangerous and influential criminals in America are prosecuted. In its second season, the series tackles the threat of terrorism in the United States. From the rise of extremist political groups in the 60s to domestic lone wolves in the modern day, we explore how organizations like the FBI and Joint Terrorism Take Force have evolved to fight back against a multitude of terrorist threats.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
NFL Daily with Gregg Rosenthal
Gregg Rosenthal and a rotating crew of elite NFL Media co-hosts, including Patrick Claybon, Colleen Wolfe, Steve Wyche, Nick Shook and Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic get you caught up daily on all the NFL news and analysis you need to be smarter and funnier than your friends.