---
aliases: ["Reach 85k Subscribers"]
Is A: Project
Belongs to: "[[25q4]]"
Advances: "[[responsibility-grow-newsletter]]"
Status: Open
Owner: "[[person-luca-rossi]]"
---
# Reach 85k Subscribers

## Overview

This project is the year-end push to hit [[2025-reach-85k-subscribers]], the headline growth goal for the year. With [[measure-subscribers]] at approximately 75K after the [[25q2-reach-70k]] sprint and continued organic growth through Q3, reaching 85K by December 31 requires an additional ~10K subscribers in the final quarter. The strategy combines expansion of existing growth channels (referral program, cross-promotions, SEO) with a repeat of the Black Friday campaign that was so successful in [[24q4-black-friday-campaign]].

The growth plan is structured in two phases: a steady October-November push through referral amplification and new cross-promotion partnerships, followed by a concentrated Black Friday campaign in late November that aims to replicate the 1,200+ subscriber spike from 2024. [[person-elena-rossi]] is supporting the campaign creative, and [[person-matteo-cellini]] is coordinating the sponsor participation in the Black Friday special.

## Goals

- Grow from ~75K to 85K subscribers by December 31, 2025
- Generate 3,000+ subscribers through referral program campaigns (including a holiday referral challenge)
- Establish 2 new cross-promotion partnerships (in addition to the 3 from [[25q2-reach-70k]])
- Execute a Black Friday 2025 campaign targeting 1,500+ new subscribers (improvement over 2024's 1,200)
- Maintain subscriber quality: 30-day retention rate above 75% for all acquisition channels

## Key decisions

- **Referral program as the primary engine.** The referral program from [[25q1-referral-program]] has proven to be the most cost-effective and highest-quality growth channel. Rather than investing in new, unproven channels, the strategy doubles down on referrals with increased incentives, a holiday-themed challenge, and more prominent placement in the newsletter.
- **Black Friday 2025 with expanded scope.** The 2024 campaign focused on developer tools. The 2025 version expands to include AI tools, learning resources, and SaaS products relevant to engineering leaders. The broader scope should increase the lead magnet's appeal while maintaining curation quality.
- **No paid acquisition at scale.** Tested paid newsletter ads (via SparkLoop partner network) during Q3 with a small budget. The cost-per-acquisition was $2.50, which is acceptable but significantly higher than organic channels ($0.60-0.80). Keeping paid as a supplementary channel rather than a primary one.

## Notes

- The early October referral push generated approximately 800 new subscribers in two weeks, which is slightly above the run-rate needed to hit target. The "Holiday Referral Challenge" is scheduled for late November, offering enhanced rewards for the holiday season.
- New cross-promotion partnerships are being negotiated with a DevOps-focused newsletter (~45K subscribers) and a tech career newsletter (~60K subscribers). These are adjacent but distinct audiences, minimizing overlap with existing partners.
- The e-book from [[25q3-ebook]] continues to drive steady subscriber growth (~300-400/month) and is being promoted more aggressively as part of the Q4 push. It is now the primary CTA on the Refactoring website homepage.
- [[person-elena-rossi]] is designing the Black Friday 2025 campaign creative, building on the successful format from 2024. The plan includes a dedicated landing page, social media assets, and email sequences for the week-long campaign.
- The [[25q3-community-launch]] Discord is becoming an organic growth channel — community members share the newsletter with their networks. Quantifying this effect is difficult, but anecdotal evidence suggests it is meaningful.
- Current projection (mid-November): on track to reach approximately 83K-86K by year-end, which means the 85K target is achievable but not guaranteed. The Black Friday campaign is the swing factor — a strong campaign pushes past 85K, a weak one leaves the target short.
