New Media Is Mr. Beast The Next BuzzFeed?, SMS Is The New Email, Durable Creator Businesses
Apr 7, 2026
Chenell Basilio, newsletter growth strategist and author of Growth in Reverse, shares her 30 Days of Growth playbook. She breaks down cross-promotion mechanics, pop-up newsletters for re-engagement, and why repeat frameworks make creator work scalable. They also explore SMS, live streaming, YouTube, and the sustainability of creator empires.
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Run Cross Promotions With Adjacent Audiences And Repeat Winners
- Do cross-promotions only with adjacent audiences and repeat successful partners rather than chasing large-but-irrelevant lists.
- Chenell's 30 Days of Growth got ~3,700 subscribers by partnering with closely aligned newsletters and re-running top collaborators.
Use Pop-Up Series And Lead Magnets To Boost Cross-Promo Conversions
- Use time-bound pop-up newsletters or lead magnets in cross-promos to create urgency and clear value instead of generic newsletter plugs.
- Chenell combined a 30-day series plus a referral reward (private podcast feed) to drive substantial signups and re-engage churned readers.
Pop-Up Newsletters Re-Engage Churned Subscribers
- Pop-up newsletters serve as re-engagement tools: churned subscribers often resubscribe for limited series and can be folded back into the main list.
- Matt notes adding pop-up subscribers to the main list is essential since post-series is the key monetization window.