Newsletter & Email Growth: Growth In Reverse

The #1 Newsletter Metric You Need To Pay More Attention To

53 snips

Oct 1, 2025

Explore why replies should be the top metric for newsletter creators, surpassing opens and clicks. Discover how increased replies enhance deliverability and boost creator mental health. Learn tips for crafting engaging welcome emails and using emotions to inspire responses. Dive into pattern-interrupt strategies that can lead to hundreds of replies overnight. Unpack gamification techniques with riddles and polls to elevate engagement. Plus, hear about personal storytelling as a way to deepen connections and drive reader interaction.

Ask episode

AI Snips

Chapters

Transcript

Episode notes

ADVICE

Write To Elicit One Of Seven Emotions

Create content that elicits emotion using frameworks like Shaan Puri's seven emotions (laugh, learn, wow, cute, celebrate, WTF, finally someone said it).
Work backward from one emotion to edit copy and boost reply likelihood.

ADVICE

Use Pattern‑Interrupts To Drive Replies

Use pattern‑interrupt emails occasionally to break reader expectations and spark replies.
Short, timely questions like “What are you struggling with?” can generate hundreds of responses.

ANECDOTE

Short 'Just Checking In' Email Got 200 Replies

Chenell sent a short 'just checking in' email asking what readers struggle with and received over 200 replies.
That edition also produced the highest unsubscribes she'd ever seen but yielded ~50 new content ideas.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Get the app

The Growth Vault is LIVE: Chenell's brand-new offer for newsletter creators is here—filled with newsletter templates, growth strategies, and real examples you can implement at your own pace.

--------------------------------------

“I sent this short email—and got over 200 replies—when I usually get maybe 8 to 15. It was wild." — Chenell

In this episode, we're digging into the art (and science) of getting more replies to your newsletter.

Why replies?

Because we believe (and we're not alone) that replies should be the #1 metric most newsletter creators should be focusing on—even more than open or click rates.

We unpack why replies are a powerful signal for deliverability, engagement—even creator mental health—and we share practical strategies for getting more of them. Everything from welcome email tweaks to pattern-interrupt campaigns.

And we even highlight our own examples—plus some examples from major newsletter experts like Mario Gabriele’s “Puzzler,” Toby Howell’s gamified email, and Katelyn Bourgoin’s Fri-Yay edition (part of her Why We Buy newsletter).

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Why replies are the ultimate engagement metric (and why open/click rates can mislead you)
How replies directly impact email deliverability
The underrated mental health boost creators get from reader replies
Why your welcome email is the #1 place to prioritize a reply CTA
Simple frameworks to write reply-worthy content (like Shaan Puri’s 7 emotions)
How pattern interrupt emails can spark hundreds of responses overnight
The surprising downsides: why Chenell’s 200-reply email also had record unsubscribes
Real-world examples: Mario Gabriele’s “Puzzler,” Toby Howell’s “Button Game,” and Katelyn Bourgoin’s Fri-Yay interactive polls
How replies can reveal new content ideas, products, or even potential clients
Why even a short personal story in your newsletter can trigger authentic responses

LINKS MENTIONED

Shaan Puri's 7 Key Emotions (+ AI Prompt Elicitor)
Mario Gabriele ('The Puzzler') GIR Deep Dive
Toby Howell's 'The Game' newsletter
Katelyn Bourgoin on GIR Podcast
Katelyn's Why We Buy (+ Fri-Yay) newsletter
Get Chenell's brand-new offering for newsletter creators: The Growth Vault — newsletter templates, growth strategies, and real examples you can implement at your own pace.
Want your newsletter roasted? Submit it here.
Ask us a question or submit a podcast topic idea: growthinreverse.com/questions
Check out past Growth In Reverse Deep Dives: https://growthinreverse.com/archive/

FOLLOW ON SOCIAL

Chenell: Twitter | LinkedIn | Substack
Dylan: LinkedIn | Bluesky

OUR NEWSLETTERS

Subscribe & Leave a Review:

If you found this episode valuable, take a second to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify! It helps more newsletter creators find the show. Plus, if you submit a review, you’ll get priority for your own newsletter roast!