Podcast Summary: Growth In Reverse — The Underrated Growth Strategy That Beats Paid Ads (Better Quality Subscribers)
Date: March 4, 2026
Hosts: Chenell Basilio and Dylan Redekop

Episode Theme & Purpose

This episode of Growth In Reverse dives into the underrated — yet highly effective — strategy of cross-promotion and collaboration as a route to acquiring higher quality newsletter subscribers, often more effectively than paid ads. Chenell and Dylan break down multiple real-world examples, sharing actionable tactics for leveraging partnerships, guest posts, webinars, and event series. They highlight why these strategies provide long-term benefits by building relationships, repurposing content, and reaching new audiences with authenticity and impact.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Power of Guest Posts and Borrowed Audiences

• Case: Chiler Demiralp (Substack Newsletter, Guest Posts) [01:06 - 04:44]

  • Chiler wrote six guest posts targeted at overlapping or adjacent audiences and gained 700 organic subscribers.
    • “It's about 120 new subscribers per guest post...not too shabby at all for just writing six posts.” — Dylan [02:44]
  • Key moves:
    • Repurposed existing content/data for new audiences (no need to start from scratch).
    • Gained not just subscribers, but potential long-term collaborators and partners.
    • Highlights the intangibles: authority, visibility, and future opportunities beyond simple subscriber numbers.
  • Importance of establishing authentic collaborations, not just chasing vanity metrics.
    • “You might see a hundred subscribers from a post and think that's not worth it. But you're missing out on the long-term benefit...which is building those relationships.” — Chenell [03:10]

• Importance of Platform Recommendations [05:11]

  • Use Substack or Beehive built-in recommendations for extra subscriber gains when doing guest content.

2. Audience Access Trades & Co-Branded Educational Content

• Case: Avi Gandhi & Creator Logic (Audience Access Trades) [05:49 - 09:50]

  • Avi formed partnerships with brands (like Skillshare) to create joint content (webinars, blog posts), then obtained access to their audiences in return (e.g., the RSVP list from a co-hosted Skillshare webinar led to ~500 subscribers alone).
    • “He was able to say, ‘Hey, I'm Avi. I run the Creator Logic newsletter’...Skillshare then promoted the event and gave Avi the RSVP list.” — Chenell [07:01]
  • True partnerships, not pure sponsorships: creating win-win swaps where both parties gain visibility and value.
  • Encouraged listeners to actively seek out tools and platforms their ideal readers already use as potential partners.

• Case: Caitlin Burgoyne & SparkToro Webinar [08:16 - 09:07]

  • Hosting educational webinars with brands (now living on YouTube as evergreen content) to leverage the brand’s audience and legacy traffic.
    • “That is a sustaining video that anyone in the future could find...and she's just building off the brand equity of SparkToro.” — Chenell [08:58]

3. Virtual Speaking Circuit & Content Series Collaborations

• Case: Amy Nelson & The Riveter (Speaking Circuit) [09:50 - 11:38]

  • Hosted virtual event series in collaboration with creators/brands, leveraging shared promotion and attendee lists.
    • “She essentially said, hey, do you want to...put on this three part series...Invite my whole audience; would love for you to invite your whole audience, as well.” — Chenell [10:11]
  • Results: ~1,100 subscribers from a single event.
  • Layering in attendee freebies specific to the event topic as conversion incentives.

• Strategy: Repurposing Event Content [13:55 - 15:25]

  • Maximize ROI of collaborative events/content by slicing into blog posts, newsletter segments, and social media.
    • “You can repurpose it and use it for, depending on how much juice you can squeeze out of it, for weeks if not months afterwards.” — Dylan [14:13]
  • Make post-collab promotion easy for partners: package social/email assets so they’re frictionless to share.

4. Trusted Referral Flywheel & Systematized Cross-Promos

• Case: Amanda Goetz (Newsletter, Trusted Referral Flywheel) [18:01 - 21:53]
  • Used upfront paid ads (via Sparkloop/Facebook) to build list size, then systematically pursued recurring cross-promos with other newsletters.
  • Formalized cross-promo slots in the regular sponsor section, focusing on relationships over short-term revenue.
    • “She was like, no, I'm going to take these and put them even in my sponsor spot in the newsletter...Let’s do it again in six months.” — Chenell [20:09]
  • Use tools like Kit’s Creator Network or Substack/ Beehiive databases to find aligned partners.
  • Keep a spreadsheet for outreach and scheduling to run ongoing swaps with best-performing collaborators.

5. Meta-Example: The “30 Days of Growth” Pop-Up Newsletter [22:45 - 26:59]

• Chenell’s Experiment: A 30-Day Sprint of Collaborations
  • Ran a new pop-up newsletter featuring 30 cross-promos with 29 different creators (one per day).
  • Result: 3,700 signups, ~1,700 new to Chenell’s main list.
  • Key takeaways:
    • “The quality of those subscribers was off the charts. I can't even tell you the number of CEOs at large companies that came up to me and were like, ‘This was awesome.’” — Chenell [25:14]
    • It felt like an ‘event’, generating urgency and excitement (scarcity effect for a time-bound newsletter).
    • Generated lasting “relationship capital” and a content vault to re-use over time.
  • Incentivized referrals and built in giveaways to accelerate sharing.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Borrowed Audiences:
  “If you can find the right audiences to write guest posts for, that's where the gold lies.” — Chenell [03:10]

• On Collaboration Value:
  “We can’t just look at this from a vanity metric of, ‘Oh, I got X amount of subscribers, so it was or wasn’t worth doing.’ A lot of the times, there’s a payout that’s unseen, that you can’t see.” — Dylan [03:47]

• On Making Collaborations Frictionless:
  “If you fabricate a post — almost like a placeholder or a boilerplate text for them to share — they're going to be that much more likely to share it.” — Dylan [16:23]

• On Systemizing Partner Swaps:
  “Make a system out of this. Figure out how often you want to do these. Create a Dream 100 type list...Just start reaching out and see if you can't book yourself solid with these things.” — Chenell [21:53]

• On Pop-Up Newsletters:
  “This strategy of let's create this new asset that you could essentially create a marketable event around...for 30 days you'll get these tips. People want to get in on that, especially if it's free.” — Chenell [26:13]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Intro to Topic & Why Quality > Quantity Of Subs: [00:00 - 01:06]
• Guest Post Strategy (Chiler Demiralp): [01:06 - 04:44]
• Platform Recommendations (Substack/Kit/Beehiive): [05:11 - 05:45]
• Audience Access Trade (Avi Gandhi, Skillshare, Caitlin Burgoyne): [05:49 - 09:50]
• Virtual Events & Speaking Circuits (Amy Nelson): [09:50 - 11:38]
• Repurposing Collaborations & Event Content: [13:55 - 15:25]
• Trusted Referral Flywheel (Amanda Getz): [18:01 - 21:53]
• Systemization & Recurring Partnerships: [21:53 - 22:42]
• Meta-Case: 30 Days of Growth Pop-Up Newsletter: [22:45 - 26:59]
• Final Takeaways & Encouragement: [27:26 - 27:54]

Actionable Takeaways

• Seek out adjacent or overlapping audiences for guest posts and swaps — quality is more important than mass reach.
• Go beyond just swaps: webinars, workshops, and pop-up newsletters “event-ize” your collaborations and deepen engagement.
• Build systems: track your partners, schedule promotions, and cultivate relationships for future swaps.
• Repurpose everything — content from collaborations multiplies your reach and justifies the up-front effort.
• Don’t underestimate the long-term intangible benefits: authority, trust, and new opportunities compound.
• Make it easy for partners to share — remove all friction and create shareable assets for them.

Bottom Line:
Cross-promotion and content-driven collaborations bring in engaged, loyal subscribers — and open doors to relationships and repurposable assets that paid ads simply can’t match. The best newsletter growth isn’t always the fastest; it’s the smartest—and most collaborative.