Podcast
Growth In Reverse: Newsletter & Email Growth
Hosted by Chenell Basilio and Dylan Redekop · EN
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.
82episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
How to Build a Successful Paid Community with Jay Clouse
2d ago00:51:23Summary readyGet free access to Jay Clouse's Memberships Teardown including how he built The Lab: creatorscience.com/teardown***And you can take YOUR newsletter to the next level by joining our private community — GIR Pro >>***Jay Clouse, founder of Creator Science and The Lab, joined us live from Kit Studios in Boise. Jay pulls back the curtain on 4+ years of building one of the most enduring creator communities out there — from its origins as the Creative Companion Club to a 340-member operation with tiered access, mastermind groups, and a wait list. Jay shares what's worked, what's backfired (including the scarcity campaign that became his worst churn month ever), and what he's actively redesigning right now.KEY TAKEAWAYSWhy their highest-ever membership revenue month was followed by their worst churn monthThe difference between marketing levers that convert and the ones that serve your membersHow The Lab evolved from a 200-member cap to a tiered application modelThe "mid-boarding" gap that kills retention in most membershipsThe troubling paradox of community-led mastermind groupsThe two onboarding secrets Jay considers his unfair advantagesWhy offline events are a retention tool, not a growth toolWhat to think through before launching a membershipThe unexpected risk in scaling a community too quicklyLINKS MENTIONEDCreatorScience.com/teardownChenell on Jay's podcast: 1st Appearance || 2nd AppearanceFOLLOW ON SOCIALChenell: Twitter | LinkedInDylan: LinkedIn | Substack | InstagramOUR NEWSLETTERSgrowthinreverse.comgrowthcurrency.netSubscribe & Leave a Review:Love what you’re hearing? Make sure to subscribe, and if you found this episode helpful, leave us a rating & review on your favorite podcast platform.
SummaryFrom 78 Emails to 4.7 Million Subscribers: The 1440 Story with Tim Huelskamp
1w ago00:31:29Summary readyStop losing subscribers with your onboarding — get Chenell's Subscriber Onboarding Course included in The Growth Vault: growthinreverse.com/vault This episode is a live recording from the 2026 Newsletter Conference in New York City where Chenell sat down onstage with Tim Huelskamp, co-founder of 1440 — the daily digest for more than 4.7 million curious readers. Tim shares the full arc of 1440's growth: from 78 subscribers to a media company generating roughly $1M in revenue per employee, including the unconventional early tactics, the Facebook ad playbook that still runs today, and the ambitious new "Topics" platform they're building to become the Pinterest for knowledge. KEY TAKEAWAYSWhy Tim spent the first 7–8 months focused entirely on product before touching growth The counterintuitive decision to remove images from 1440 entirely The discovery that 3x'd sponsor revenue without adding a single new advertiserThe bet on their "Topics" platform: what "Pinterest for knowledge" actually looks like LINKS MENTIONED1440 Newsletter — 1440's daily digest (join1440.com)1440 Topics — 1440's new knowledge platform (1440.io/topics)WhoSponsorStuff — Newsletter sponsorship intelligence tool mentioned by Tim ("Ryan and Jesse's" tool)FOLLOW ON SOCIALChenell: Twitter | LinkedInDylan: LinkedIn | Substack | InstagramOUR NEWSLETTERSgrowthinreverse.comgrowthcurrency.netSubscribe & Leave a Review:Love what you’re hearing? Make sure to subscribe, and if you found this episode helpful, leave us a rating & review on your favorite podcast platform.
SummaryThe PACT Formula for Starting Over with Steve Kamb
2w ago00:53:35Summary readySteve Kamb bought the domain for NerdFitness.com in 2007 and grew it into a 45-person, SEO-driven coaching company. But then he burned out. Badly. He demoted himself twice, and eventually stepped away from running the business entirely — all so he could do the one thing he actually loved: write. In this episode, Steve joins us to talk about his new book How to Try Again, the hard lessons from 17+ years of building Nerd Fitness, and why starting over isn't a failure — it's a skill. His PACT framework (Pause, Accept, Change, Try) offers a practical roadmap for any creator who's ever felt stuck, burned out, or tempted to quit.KEY TAKEAWAYSHow Steve built Nerd Fitness from a blog into a 45-person companyWhy he demoted himself out of his own CEO roleThe brutal reality of pandemic-era burnout and what it taught him about chasing the wrong thingsWhy "all or nothing" thinking almost always failsHis four-step PACT framework for starting over after burnout or failureThe question he asked that changed everythingWhy writing two articles a week for 10 years was the real engine behind Nerd FitnessThe danger of modeling celebrity success over relatable successHow Steve separated his personal brand from Nerd FitnessWhat success actually looks like for Steve nowLINKS MENTIONEDSteveKamb.comHow To Try Again (Steve's Book)NerdFitness.comKit — email platform used by Steve and the hostsLLOW ON SOCIALChenell: Twitter | LinkedInDylan: LinkedIn | Substack | InstagramOUR NEWSLETTERSgrowthinreverse.comgrowthcurrency.netSubscribe & Leave a Review:Love what you’re hearing? Make sure to subscribe, and if you found this episode helpful, leave us a rating & review on your favorite podcast platform.
SummaryThe Deliverability Mistakes Killing Your Newsletter Open Rates with Alyssa Dulin
3w ago00:52:39Summary readyCheck out the 30 Days of Growth: 30daysofgrowth.co/Get the Growth Vault: growthinreverse.com/vault***Alyssa Dulin is Kit's deliverability expert. She joined us to pull back the curtain on one of the most misunderstood forces shaping newsletter success: deliverability. We sat down with her to unpack why emails land in spam, what the big Gmail and Yahoo changes really mean for individual creators, and how to build a sending reputation that lasts. From domain warmups to fake opens to bot clicks, this episode covers the stuff most newsletter creators won't learn until something goes wrong.KEY TAKEAWAYSThe custom domain mistake tanking open rates — and how to make the switchWhy your sender reputation works like a credit score, and what "starting at zero" actually means for deliverabilityThe top 3 subscriber engagement signals ranked by impactHow long you should wait before removing inactive subscribersWhat actually happens to your sender reputation if you take a break from sending Alyssa's deliverability checklist for newsletter creatorsHow to onboard Creator Network and "recommendation" subscribers without hurting deliverabilityThe uncomfortable truth about whether your open rates and click rates are even realHow AI inbox summaries are becoming the new gatekeeper between your email and your readerHow to safely increase your send frequency without triggering spam filtersLINKS MENTIONEDKit — email platform used by Alyssa and the hostsGoogle Postmaster Tools — monitor your domain reputation and complaint rates with GmailSendGauge — Alyssa's new deliverability intelligence platform (beta)Deliverability Defined Podcast — Alyssa's podcast with the deliverability back catalogKit deliverability support: deliverability@kit.comFOLLOW ON SOCIALChenell: Twitter | LinkedInDylan: LinkedIn | Substack | InstagramOUR NEWSLETTERSgrowthinreverse.comgrowthcurrency.netSubscribe & Leave a Review:Love what you’re hearing? Make sure to subscribe, and if you found this episode helpful, leave us a rating & review on your favorite podcast platform.
Summary30 Days. 30 Emails. Was it a Mistake?
Jun 300:32:58Summary readyCheck out the 30 Days of Growth: 30daysofgrowth.co/Get the Growth Vault: growthinreverse.com/vault***Chenell and Dylan break down everything that happened with the second annual 30 Days of Growth — 30 cross-promotions with 30 different newsletter creators, published as a daily email series over 30 consecutive days. They cover what worked, what flopped, why Chenell wishes she'd done opt-ins instead of opt-outs, how 2,086 new subscribers came in (beating last year's 1,757), and which tips from the series they found most compelling — from AI-powered subject line analysis to a 5x landing page conversion boost from changing one button.KEY TAKEAWAYSWhy Chenell decided to run 30 Days of Growth for a second time The biggest mistake they made with subscriber onboarding this year Why daily newsletters can quietly hurt engagement and deliverability The surprising ROI of referral incentives and private podcast feeds Why collaborations create long-term relationship leverage beyond subscriber growth The operational reality of coordinating 30 creators in 30 days Whether 30 Days of Growth will return again next year LINKS MENTIONED:30DaysofGrowth.cohttps://helloaudio.fm/The Growth VaultThe GIR Pro CommunityFOLLOW ON SOCIALChenell: Twitter | LinkedInDylan: LinkedIn | Substack | InstagramOUR NEWSLETTERSgrowthinreverse.comgrowthcurrency.netSubscribe & Leave a Review:Love what you’re hearing? Make sure to subscribe, and if you found this episode helpful, leave us a rating & review on your favorite podcast platform.
SummaryShe made $500k with one launch. Here's how.
May 2800:55:25Summary readyGet Sam's FREE $500K Launch Breakdown >> growthinreverse.com/500kGet Instant Access to Chenell's Growth Vault >> growthinreverse.com/vault***What does a $500,000 digital product launch actually look like behind the scenes?In this episode, we welcome back Sam Vander Wielen to the show. She's breaking down the exact strategy behind her recent 4-day launch that generated over $500,000 in revenue — with only about $24,000 in Meta ad spend.Sam walks us through the entire launch machine: how she generated 11,000 webinar registrations, why she treats Meta ads like a social media channel, the psychology behind her webinar structure, and the surprising role personalized VideoAsk responses played in boosting attendance and conversions.KEY TAKEAWAYS:The exact webinar strategy behind a $500k launch in 4 days Why Sam treats Meta ads like a social media content channel The personalized VideoAsk tactic that boosted webinar attendance How she generated 11,000 webinar registrations The subtle webinar psychology most creators completely miss Why she believes creators should focus on ONE flagship product The “Olive Garden Effect” philosophy for customer retention and referrals Her secret trick to sending webinar replays that dramatically increased replay consumption The biggest mistakes creators make with launches and digital products LINKS MENTIONED:The FREE $500K Launch Breakdown >> growthinreverse.com/500kSam Vander Wielen Official WebsiteSam’s Sidebar NewsletterOn Your Terms PodcastWhen I Start My Business, I’ll Be HappyVideoAskFOLLOW ON SOCIALChenell: Twitter | LinkedInDylan: LinkedIn | Substack | InstagramOUR NEWSLETTERSgrowthinreverse.comgrowthcurrency.netSubscribe & Leave a Review:Love what you’re hearing? Make sure to subscribe, and if you found this episode helpful, leave us a rating & review on your favorite podcast platform.
SummaryThis Adds 50 Subscribers a Day
May 2000:05:21Summary readyCheck out Jillian & Jordan's Growth Lever here: https://growthinreverse.com/loveleigh-popups/Join 30 Days of Growth here: 30daysofgrowth.co
SummaryThe Seven Emails That Keep You Out of the Promotions Folder
May 1300:07:37Summary readyCheck out Tyler's Growth Lever here: https://growthinreverse.com/tyler-welcome-flow/Join 30 Days of Growth here: 30daysofgrowth.co
SummaryThe One Question That Increased His Open Rate by 10% (Justin Welsh)
May 600:07:25Summary readyCheck out Justin's Growth Lever here: https://growthinreverse.com/justin-welsh-question/ Join 30 Days of Growth here: 30daysofgrowth.co
SummaryThis 1 Change Doubled Katelyn's Digital Product Sales
Apr 2200:09:15Summary readyJoin 30 Days of Growth here: 30daysofgrowth.co
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