Growth & Collaboration Time Savers!

• Trends: Maximizing Minimalism ☯️

• Focus: Why beehiiv 🐝 over 👻 

• Resource: Letter Growth 💌

• Expert: Matt McGarry 💰

• Tweets: Jack Raines 🥛

• Buzzer: Army/Navy 🔫

• Shout-outs 👋📢

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⓵ MAXIMIZING MINIMALISM

This week, my inbox spilled the beans on some minimalist trends I'm obsessed with. If you're also a minimalist at heart, check out these trends I adore and one I’m tripping over.

TREND #1: STANDARDIZED COVERS

Confession: I've wasted countless hours trying unsuccessfully to perfect post-cover images. But I'm not a YouTuber. This is a newsletter, so why bother?

These newsletters have cracked the code—they know their true value lies in the email content. 📧 They've nailed their audience, kept it simple, and prioritized writing. 📝 

With a solid identity in place, their thumbnails for all posts are a visual treat. (See how Neat Prompts below customizes the title and hits send!)

Morning Rush and Founder don’t get cleaner. This may be obvious to some, but when coming from other types of media where the thumbnail is everything, it’s not that clear that we have this very practical and time-saving option.

Bonus Buzz: Founder just announced a merge with another clean AF newsletter and friend of Newsletter Buzz, 8am.

TREND #2: GIFs IN BRANDING

An underused secret weapon: GIFs in profile pics or cover photos! 🎯 The next newsletter we're showcasing has truly mastered this technique. Ricky from Ponderer maintains a sleek aesthetic but infuses it with a touch of fun and serenity. 🕺🍃

You can't help but be drawn in by this captivating combination, as it strikes the perfect balance between engaging visuals and a calm atmosphere.

TREND #3: EXPERIENTIAL

Tricycle Day stands out from the crowd. While they follow the same newsletter path as the rest of us, they recognize that their unique subject matter calls for a different approach.

Tricycle Day is all about psychedelics 🍄, so it's only fitting that readers experience their content in a distinctive way. It's less of an information explosion and more of a calming journey.

Their form serves to create an immersive mood. With an earthy palette and organic imagery, they set the stage for a delightful scroll through their latest offerings.

The colors and tones of their visuals cascade gracefully through the content, while the headings, weights, and font sizes ebb and flow like ocean waves. Each story begins a new cycle, emphasizing the importance of "Set & Setting" in their world of plant medicine.

Having said all that, expect some laughs too. The point of all that 🪴🍄 is to lighten up, right?

For enlightening news about plant medicine and an all-around exquisite reading experience, subscribe to Tricycle Day below. Dive into a sea of soothing stories, and let the psychedelic vibes wash over you. 🫠

⓶ WHY BEEHIIV OVER GHOST?

Ghost or beehiiv? 🤔 — It's like choosing between Rocky Road and Moose Tracks 🫠. They seem so similar. Both are chockful of goodness, but they are actually fundamentally different.

As an operator looking for a new home, I had to get to the root of what these platforms were trying to accomplish, so I put them both to work.

30 days ago, while pondering my options, I found a quirky “non-feature” of beehiiv—no comments! 🚫

I thought, "Wow, these kids are so new they don't have comments yet!"

I can say ‘kids’ …I’m 50 ☠️

Oddly enough, it felt refreshing, like slipping off your shoes after a long day. Then it hit me why—I didn't want to tussle with spam and keyboard warriors anyway. Maybe ‘no comments’ was a blessing in disguise.

Sure, Ghost lets you disable comments, but there was something extra appealing about beehiiv's comment-free haven. Then it hit me like a ton of bricks! 🧱

beehiiv chose to delay launching comments for a solid reason: They're all about email! 💌 — They aimed to master the main attraction before exploring the website feature wilderness.

Suddenly, it was as clear as day! I didn't need a blog/newsletter hybrid. Ghost, being both, didn't seem as tasty. I needed a partner in crime, someone hell-bent on helping me publish, grow, and monetize my newsletter—first and foremost. 🚀

So I went all in! Tyler, take my money! 💰

And then, Thursday morning…the ultimate irony! beehiiv introduced comments! 😲 Talk about a plot twist!

So now, 8 days after launching this newsletter…how am I feeling about this comment feature launch? —- I’m over the f’n moon! 🐮🌙 

What changed my mind?

You! With our budding Newsletter Buzz community launched, your input is worth its weight in amber gold 🍯.

Email replies, polls, and now comments (right on the website post) let us connect like the coolest digital pen pals! 💌 That feedback and connection is a treasure trove for all of us. 💎 

Lastly, like everything else beehiiv does, they’ve made comments better. The moderator function is robust to help you handle those dreaded problem children if they act up. More on this next week. Shout-out to Mike Schwartz at beehiiv who built Comments.

If you’d like to try out beehiiv free forever or upgrade to beast mode, please support the Buzz and use my affiliate link.

Oh, and that fundamental difference between Rocky Road & Moose Tracks??? Chocolate & Vanilla base. Couldn’t 🐝 more different.

⓷ LETTER GROWTH

If you aren’t already subscribed to lettergrowth.com, make it your next mission (right after commenting on this post, of course, 😎). Paul Metcalfe has crafted an unbeatable hub for operators, ensuring that failure is not an option.

From their site: “Stop wasting time searching for willing cross-promotion partners and get access to newsletters that want to connect with other newsletters. Grow your subscribers together. Without churning out content, feeding the social algorithms, or draining your bank account for paid ads”

• It’s free! 🤑

• It’s filled with newsletter operators eager to join forces for growth! 🎉

• The discord is your backdoor access to thoughtful and respectful interaction. Honestly, as an almost senior, it’s refreshing to be in adult conversations.

What are you waiting for? Also, If you want to collaborate with me. Just reply to this email or find me on Letter Growth. 👊

⓸ ADVICE: MATT MCGARRY

Matt’s thread this week was the definition of drinking from a firehose. I would know. I’ve done it many times 🚒. If you follow Matt already, you’re well aware that he gushes value. #allsignal

Just one day before that tweet, Matt was the guest speaker at SparkLoop office hours, dishing out a goldmine of newsletter growth through paid advertising advice. Here are 3 stingers 🐝 (among many) to supercharge your growth game:

1. Lead Magnets: Ditch lead magnets in paid ads. Sure, you might get opt-ins, but you could sacrifice subscriber quality and longevity.

Instead, advertise your newsletter directly and showcase the lead magnet as a sweet bonus on your landing/squeeze page. Subscribers coming for the newsletter are more likely to open and devour your content. 🍽️

Mike Cardona {Automation Alchemist) does this on his newsletter opt-in page. The lead magnet isn’t the main attraction but seals the deal if you scroll below the subscriber form.

2. Welcome Landing Pages: Don't overlook these gems at the end of your opt-in funnel. They're crucial for setting expectations and nudging subscribers to open the welcome email and keep coming back for more. (Stay tuned for further insights!)

When I asked Matt about tactics that don't work or are outdated:

3. AVOID SEO & Google Search Ads: Matt advises steering clear of these and focusing on direct response advertising. Laser-target your efforts for maximum impact! 🎯 

The whole session should be posted on SparkLoop’s Youtube shortly. If you’re not subbed to Matt’s Newsletter, then now is your chance. Another hard-core minimalist ⬇️.

⓹ TWEET OTW: JACK RAINES

Speaking about tactics that probably don’t work anymore. Take a gander at @jack_raines' tweet. Oh Lordie…🙄

Oh, auto DMing—sure, it's not illegal, but it's just as welcome as a skunk at a garden party. No one's getting hurt, but you can bet it's not doing your brand any favors.

Do they work for you? If so, let me know. I’m very willing to be wrong.

My gut says they probably work in a ‘Scammer Payback’ kind of way, but if we look at our own experience, we know intuitively that impersonal robo dm’s probably miss the mark:

• Phones? We don't answer 'em anymore—too many scams. 📞

• Domains? An inbox inundated with automated dev emails. 📧

• SMS? Our texts are drowning in spam. 📱

• The Editor of ExecSum getting DMs about scaling 🤪

There may be a better way—stay tuned for more on that.

⓺ SHOUT-OUTS: Fellow Beez 🐝

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