Podcast Summary

Podcast: Newsletter & Email Growth: Growth In Reverse
Episode: The Wildest Newsletter Growth Strategies From 3,000 Hours of Research (Greatest Hits)
Hosts: Chenell Basilio and Dylan Redekop
Date: November 26, 2025

Episode Overview

This "greatest hits" episode is a replay of the most popular and foundational episode of Growth In Reverse. Hosts Chenell Basilio and Dylan Redekop dive into the wildest, most unconventional newsletter growth strategies unearthed across 3,000 hours of research and 70+ deep-dive case studies. Drawing from real-life successes (and failures) of top newsletter operators like Codie Sanchez, Justin Welsh, Yossi Levi, and others, the hosts break down the key tactics that helped creators supercharge their lists, monetize quickly, and build sustainable newsletter businesses. Whether you’re just starting or looking to scale, this episode distills actionable, sometimes contrarian ideas you probably won’t hear anywhere else.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Codie Sanchez “Newsletter Flip” Strategy (Contrarian Thinking)

• Tactic: Instead of just buying a newsletter and absorbing the list, Codie Sanchez kept the acquired newsletter’s branding, inserted her own (“Contrarian Thinking”) as a sponsor or guest contributor, and subtly funneled subscribers over time. Once the value peaked, she resold the original newsletter, often at a profit, while retaining many of the subscribers.
• Why It Works: By maintaining the original newsletter’s voice and authority, new subscribers didn’t feel like they’d been “sold.” It’s essentially a private equity play, optimizing and maximizing the list before cashing out.
• Quote:

  "She bought the newsletter, positioned hers in there as a sponsor or guest writer... She would almost, for lack of a better word, siphon these people over to Contrarian Thinking."
  — Chenell ([03:13])

• Notable: Most newsletter operators never talk about this publicly due to its aggressive and stealthy nature.

2. Yossi Levi’s Anonymous Insider Play (Car Dealership Guy)

• Tactic: Built a massive following (>450k) in an industry notorious for secrecy by running an anonymous account. He delivered behind-the-scenes “insider info” no one else would dare to publish.
• Why It Works: Anonymity removed fear, letting Yossi expose insider truths that fueled tremendous industry and public interest, and rapid list growth.
• Quote:

  “These people do not want this information getting leaked, and he was out there sharing everything.”
  — Chenell ([06:24])

• ABC Content Strategy: Yossi posted “insanely valuable” content with high consistency. He systemized the types of posts (e.g., informative, insider, engaging) and maintained a daily cadence.
• Result: 450k+ Twitter followers, 65k+ newsletter subs.

3. The “First 1000” Micro-Goal System (Ali from First 1000)

• Tactic: Ali reverse-engineered growth targets into daily achievable micro-goals (e.g., “six subscribers a day” to hit 1,000 in six months). He rigorously tracked 39+ tactics, iterating on what worked.
• Why It Works: Large numbers become less overwhelming, maintaining motivation and focus. Also, launched repeatedly on Product Hunt, only finding breakthrough success on the third launch.
• Memorable:

  “Just, like, constantly hammering at that 6 subscriber goal per day was really interesting... The intentionality behind it was so key.”
  — Chenell ([09:24])

4. Tom Alder’s “Pre-Launch Audience” via LinkedIn

• Tactic: Before launching his “Strategy Breakdowns” newsletter, Tom built anticipation by posting daily on LinkedIn about strategic topics he’d cover in the upcoming newsletter. Used a waitlist landing page to capture intent.
• Why It Works: Builds hype and leverages social proof at the point of highest excitement, resulting in 5k pre-launch subscribers before a single issue went out.
• Quote:

  “It just shows the power of... consistency with also, like, doubling down on your niche... then building up this audience that's really interested in that topic and then being like: ‘I'm gonna be sharing this all in a newsletter format. Subscribe.’”
  — Dylan ([12:03])

• Result: 55k+ subscribers in ~1 year; 80% organic growth.

5. Dan Nee’s “Optimize Everything” Approach (TLDR Newsletter)

• Tactic: Ruthlessly optimized onboarding (instant-loading pages, auto-focused email fields, tested OAuth sign-up). Focused on brevity and daily consistency; spent only 30 minutes/day curating content.
• Business Model: Sold ads with $15k+ slots; expanded to 10+ verticals using the same model.
• Quote (on optimization):

  “As soon as that page loaded, your cursor was in the subscribe box. So you didn’t even have to click.”
  — Chenell ([16:47])

• Memorable: A “multimillion-dollar newsletter run by one guy”—the ultimate in leverage.
• Approach: Similar to how Morning Brew scaled via vertical expansion.

6. Alex Garcia’s Cross-Promotion Swap with Video Creators

• Tactic: Instead of the usual newsletter-to-newsletter swaps, Alex found creators with captive YouTube/TikTok audiences and arranged cross-promotions: he’d promote their channel in his newsletter; they’d mention his in their video content.
• Result: Netted 5k–10k new subscribers in a single swap.
• Quote:

  “I don’t hear anybody talking about this or doing this—basically having a video ad or partnering with someone who has a decent-sized captive audience on video and promoting a newsletter that way.”
  — Dylan ([18:57])

• Insight: Underrated and rarely-used—high effort but potentially massive payoff for organic growth.

7. Justin Welsh’s “Systems as Growth” and Productization

• Tactic: Justin systemized all his content creation (using Notion templates to transform one idea into 10+ formats), allowing daily posting for years without creative burnout.
• Meta-Move: Revealed his system on a live YouTube interview; the hosts’ (Dickey Bush & Nicholas Cole) minds were blown on air. Spurred him to create and launch his “Content OS” course, a $2M+ product.
• Quote (Justin):

  “Most people assume I wake up in the morning and think of what to write and then write it and publish it and it just goes viral. That couldn't be further from the truth... I have systems, just like I had systems when I was leading sales teams, that allow me to create content.”
  — Justin Welsh ([22:29])

• Insight: “Selling your sawdust”—turning proprietary working systems into info products.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Codie Sanchez:

  “It's just like a private equity play. You get into the business, optimize it, grow the subscribers, then I transition those subscribers over to Contrarian Thinking.” ([04:17])

• Dylan on Alex Garcia:

  “That swap got him...between 5 and 10,000 subscribers. I was like, man, I don't hear anybody talking about this or doing this.” ([18:57])

• On Justin Welsh’s System:

  “[He] shows his Notion screen and it's just like all of these templates and different ways and angles you can take on one single piece of content...minds blown.”
  — Chenell ([22:59])

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [02:03] — Codie Sanchez’s newsletter flipping strategy
• [05:06] — Yossi Levi’s anonymous insider play and ABC content model
• [08:14] — “First 1000” micro-goal system and iterative Product Hunt launches
• [11:50] — Tom Alder’s pre-launch waitlist & LinkedIn lessons
• [16:38] — Dan Nee’s “optimize everything” philosophy at TLDR
• [18:56] — Alex Garcia’s video channel cross-promotion experiment
• [21:46] — Observations on Justin Welsh’s systems, product launch, and the “Content OS” backstory

Flow and Tone

The conversation is approachable, tactical, and slightly irreverent—full of “wow” moments and the kind of details that only come from obsessive research. Both hosts are candid, frequently highlighting how counterintuitive many of these strategies are, and emphasizing the power of intentionality, operational excellence, and capturing opportunities others overlook.

Actionable Takeaways

• Get creative with list growth: Buying and flipping newsletters, leveraging pre-launch hype, and video cross-promotion go beyond the obvious newsletter swaps and paid ads.
• Systematize everything: Systems (as taught by Justin Welsh) don’t just save you time—they become products themselves.
• Iterate and track: Relentlessly experiment, as seen in Ali’s “First 1000” methodology.
• Don’t ignore social proof: As highlighted early, testimonials and social signals convert readers into subscribers and buyers.
• Capitalize on Anonymity and Niche Knowledge: Being boldly transparent or uniquely positioned (like Yossi’s Car Dealership Guy) yields remarkable engagement.

For more details and links to each of the deep dives mentioned, visit growthinreverse.com/wild.

Hosts

• Chenell Basilio: Twitter/LinkedIn @chanelco, growthinreverse.com
• Dylan Redekop: Growthcurrency.net, @GrowthCurrency on socials

If you want to see real newsletter tactics stripped of hype and sales pitches—this episode is essential listening or reading.