Newsletter & Email Growth: Growth In Reverse
Chenell Basilio and Dylan Redekop
Growth In Reverse is the must-listen podcast for anyone serious about growing an email list and turning a newsletter into a thriving business. Hosted by Chenell Basilio and Dylan Redekop, two leading voices in the newsletter space, this show pulls back the curtain on how today’s top newsletter operators actually grow and make money.
Episodes include deep-dive teardowns of the strategies behind the most successful newsletters. You’ll hear how creators like Justin Welsh, Codie Sanchez, Sahil Bloom, and other creator founders are building loyal audiences and turning subscribers into revenue. Learn how they attract traffic, increase conversions, boost retention, and scale without burning out.
Whether you're launching your first newsletter or refining your growth engine, Growth In Reverse gives you proven tactics you can use right away. From onboarding systems and referral programs to sponsorships and paid products, this podcast helps you grow faster and smarter. If you’re ready to stop guessing and start applying what works, tune in and learn how the best are building newsletters that last.
Episodes include deep-dive teardowns of the strategies behind the most successful newsletters. You’ll hear how creators like Justin Welsh, Codie Sanchez, Sahil Bloom, and other creator founders are building loyal audiences and turning subscribers into revenue. Learn how they attract traffic, increase conversions, boost retention, and scale without burning out.
Whether you're launching your first newsletter or refining your growth engine, Growth In Reverse gives you proven tactics you can use right away. From onboarding systems and referral programs to sponsorships and paid products, this podcast helps you grow faster and smarter. If you’re ready to stop guessing and start applying what works, tune in and learn how the best are building newsletters that last.
Episodes
Mentioned books
26 snips
Mar 25, 2026 • 28min
1000 Leads (per month!) with An Unconventional Lead Magnet
A deep dive into unconventional lead magnet tactics that drive massive subscriber growth. They explore sending freebies to current lists, syncing email with social for launch lift, and using YouTube-specific calls to action. Quizzes and creative content-upgrade loops get spotlighted. Practical scaling moves like paid ads to third-party content and lead magnet swaps are discussed.
57 snips
Mar 18, 2026 • 32min
Newsletter Growth Lessons from Top Creators (New Media Summit 2026)
A fast look at what fuels newsletter growth: insanely valuable content and momentum. Six practical content buckets that make readers save and share. Real-world tactics like lead magnets, quizzes, repackaging existing work, and partnering with bigger audiences. Case studies show how consistency, cross-promotion, and smart freebies drive rapid signups.
47 snips
Mar 11, 2026 • 25min
The Newsletter Retention Playbook Every Creator Should Know
A playbook on keeping newsletter readers hooked by prioritizing retention over endless subscriber chasing. Practical tactics include welcome-message icebreakers that spark replies and ultra-short welcomes that boost clicks. Tips cover personal closers with photos, context-aware onboarding for referrals, and a four-hour resend to recover non-openers.
42 snips
Mar 4, 2026 • 29min
The Underrated Growth Strategy That Beats Paid Ads (Better quality subscribers)
Practical collaboration tactics for growing newsletters without paid ads. Stories of guest posts, webinars, virtual events and a 30-day pop-up that delivered thousands of signups. Tips on repurposing content, making sharing frictionless, and building repeatable partnership systems. Strategies for trading audience access and creating a trusted referral flywheel.
64 snips
Feb 25, 2026 • 39min
5 Keys To Scale Growth with Lead Magnets
They argue lead magnets still drive growth and reveal the formats winning right now. Quick-win, highly usable resources beat long PDFs. Tactics covered include quizzes, comment-to-get flows, custom GPTs, swipe files and pop-up newsletters. They also explain when gating hurts and the simple promotion step creators often skip.
27 snips
Feb 18, 2026 • 54min
The state of email in 2026, growing your list without social media, and new predictions (Creator Science original episode)
Chenell Basilio, creator of Growth In Reverse and curator of the Growth Vault, shares a data-driven take on newsletter strategy. She discusses the maturing state of email in 2026. She focuses on depth over volume, converting recommendation-driven signups, growing without social, AI for repurposing, and collaboration-driven acquisition.
18 snips
Feb 4, 2026 • 47min
He spends $1M per month on ads. And makes $50M per year.
Matt Paulson, founder of MarketBeat and builder of a mid-eight-figure financial media business. He talks about scaling newsletters into a multi-channel network. He covers SMS strategy, massive paid ad spend and how paid vs organic revenue splits. He explains cohort ROI, list deliverability tactics, and why long-term persistence matters.
31 snips
Jan 29, 2026 • 14min
He Made $50K Launching a Paid Substack Newsletter (Here’s How)
Tom Orbach, newsletter author behind MarketingIdeas.com who sold a paid Substack tier to 500+ subscribers, talks about launching paid access without long pre-launches. He covers crafting a non-calculable offer with a book, archive and community. He explains surprise-style launches, pricing tactics that created urgency, and which email sequences drove the most conversions.
64 snips
Jan 21, 2026 • 46min
The Newsletter Growth Playbook for 2026 with Matt McGarry
In this engaging discussion, Matt McGarry, founder of GrowLetter and a newsletter growth guru, shares insights from scaling major newsletters like The Hustle. He makes a compelling case that small, niche audiences can yield higher profits through services rather than just sponsorships. Matt reveals his $76-per-subscriber strategy from LinkedIn, the power of lead magnets on YouTube, and emphasizes the untapped potential of short-form video for growth. His approach combines monetization with a disciplined business model, proving that quality trumps volume in newsletter success.
65 snips
Dec 3, 2025 • 1h 5min
Live Creator Q&A: Real Strategies for Newsletters in 2026
In a lively Q&A, creators dive into newsletter strategies for the future. They discuss the importance of content quality over subscriber count and emphasize mastering one platform first. Insights around AI’s role in email interaction reveal shifts in subscriber engagement. Hear about effective lead magnets and the benefits of dynamic metrics over vanity statistics. They also explore overcoming the fear of starting and the need for mental health breaks. A treasure trove of practical tips and insights awaits those in the newsletter world!
