Why newsletters beat social algorithms

In this episode of Mostly Growth, Kyle Poyar and CJ Gustafson break down how newsletters went from career risk to career leverage. Drawing on their own stories, they walk through a tactical, no-fluff guide to starting and growing a newsletter—from naming, domains, and branding to writing, consistency, and AI use.

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SPONSORS:

Tropic is an intelligent spend management solution that consolidates your spend data and processes into one unified offering, enabling insights and decisive action. From spotting hidden optimization opportunities to automating painful procurement workflows and giving you the best market data to turn vendor negotiations in your favor, Tropic combines smart insights with real human expertise to keep you ahead of the curve. Visit https://www.tropicapp.io/mostlymetrics to learn how.

HockeyStack is an AI platform for modern go-to-market teams that unifies sales, marketing, and customer data into a single system of action. With AI agents that prospect accounts, support reps, improve forecasting, and automate what’s already working, HockeyStack helps teams move faster without guessing. Trusted by companies like RingCentral, Outreach, ActiveCampaign, and Fortune 100 teams—learn more at https://www.hockeystack.com

RightRev is an automated revenue recognition platform built for modern pricing models like

usage-based pricing, bundles, and mid-cycle upgrades. RightRev lets companies scale

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visit https://www.rightrev.com

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LINKS: 

Mostly Metrics: https://www.mostlymetrics.com

CJ on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cj-gustafson-13140948/

Growth Unhinged: https://www.growthunhinged.com/

Kyle on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyle-poyar/

Slacker Stuff: https://www.slackerstuff.com/

Ben on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/slackerstuff/

https://www.growthunhinged.com/p/how-to-grow-your-b2b-newsletter?draft=true

https://open.spotify.com/episode/4fLZsXKtoTY05btVmh1jO3?si=a4db1f43cb0c495b

https://growthinreverse.com/cj-gustafson/

https://www.growthunhinged.com/p/deep-research-for-gtm

https://www.mostlymetrics.com/p/rumors-of-my-death-have-been-greatly-exaggerated

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TIMESTAMPS:

00:00:00 Newsletter Side Hustles and Getting Fired

00:02:41 When a Newsletter Becomes a Career Catalyst

00:04:05 Ownership, Control, and Leaving With the Audience

00:05:20 From Career Risk to Job Requirement

00:06:38 Show Intro

00:07:02 Why Newsletters Beat Social Media Algorithms

00:08:27 Built-In Growth and Forwardability of Email

00:09:13 Naming Your Newsletter and Finding Audience-Market Fit

00:10:34 Sponsors — Tropic | HockeyStack | RightRev

00:14:14 Domains as a Strategic Newsletter Asset

00:15:40 Why Owning Your Domain Future-Proofs Distribution

00:17:04 The Power of Direct Traffic and Memorability

00:17:51 Choosing the Right “From” Name and Sender Identity

00:19:16 Defining Your Newsletter Logline

00:20:36 Visual Identity and Brand Consistency00:10:29 Sponsors — Tropic | HockeyStack | RightRev

00:14:14 Domains, Naming, and Brand Personality

00:22:45 Finding Stories and Newsletter Writing Inspiration

00:24:39 Writing Titles That Drive Opens Without Clickbait

00:27:00 Consistency, Timing, and Building Inbox Habits

00:28:01 Using AI as a Research and Brainstorming Assistant

00:29:46 Welcome Emails and Early Engagement Growth Loops

00:30:21 Promoting Newsletters Beyond Twitter

00:30:39 Newsletter Swaps as the Best Distribution Channel

00:31:57 Using Onboarding Surveys to Understand and Grow Audience

00:32:57 SEO Basics for Newsletters on Your Own Domain

00:34:47 Separating Email Subject Lines from SEO Titles

00:35:09 Experimenting With Paid Growth and Subscriber LTV

00:36:46 The Simple Formula for Building a Durable Newsletter

00:37:16 Credits

#MostlyGrowthPodcast #NewsletterGrowth #ContentMarketing #PersonalBrand #CreatorEconomy