---
aliases: ["Grow Newsletter"]
Is A: Responsibility
Belongs to: "[[area-building]]"
Has Measures: ["[[measure-subscribers]]", "[[measure-open-rate]]"]
Has Procedures: ["[[procedure-monthly-subscriber-metrics]]", "[[procedure-referral-program]]", "[[procedure-welcome-email-sequence]]", "[[procedure-seo-content-optimization]]"]
Status: Open
---
# Grow Newsletter

Growing the Refactoring subscriber base is the highest-leverage activity in the business. Subscriber count directly drives sponsorship revenue, audience trust, and long-term brand equity. This responsibility covers every channel and tactic used to attract new subscribers and retain existing ones — organic search, referral loops, welcome sequences, and strategic cross-promotions.

## Scope

- Tracking and analyzing subscriber growth trends on a monthly basis
- Running and iterating on the referral program to turn readers into advocates
- Optimizing the welcome email sequence to convert new signups into engaged readers
- SEO optimization of published essays and newsletter archive pages
- Experimenting with cross-promotions and partnerships with complementary newsletters
- Monitoring open rate and engagement metrics as leading indicators of list health

## Current state

The newsletter is on a strong growth trajectory, with organic and referral channels accounting for the majority of new subscribers. Open rates remain well above industry average at over 45%, which signals a healthy, engaged list. The referral program is functional but underutilized — most readers do not actively share, and the incentive structure could be more compelling.

SEO is an area with significant untapped potential. Several essays rank well for competitive long-tail keywords, but the back-catalog has not been systematically optimized. The welcome sequence converts well, though it has not been updated in several months and could benefit from fresh content that reflects the newsletter's current positioning.

## Key procedures

- [[procedure-referral-program]]
- [[procedure-welcome-email-sequence]]
- [[procedure-seo-content-optimization]]

## Key measures

- [[measure-subscribers]]
- [[measure-open-rate]]
