Episode Description
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
monetization without slowing down close or compliance. For RevRec that keeps growth moving,
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