Send & Grow by SparkLoop

How do you turn a newsletter into a thriving media business? 📈

In this episode of Send and Grow, Hunter Kallay sits down with Max, better known as Marketing Max, to unpack how he went from working on Wall Street to building a marketing agency, growing a newsletter business with hundreds of thousands of subscribers, and acquiring other newsletters.

Max shares the strategies behind his growth, including how he increased a newsletter landing page's conversion rate from around 7% to 35–40%, why your opinions can be your biggest advantage as a newsletter creator, and how to make more money from the audience you've already built.

Whether you're launching your first newsletter or looking to scale an established media business, this conversation is packed with actionable insights on growth, monetization, and building a newsletter people actually want to read.

Follow Max on X: Marketing Max  
Website: https://marketingmax.io

Send and Grow explores the people, strategies, and stories behind some of the most interesting newsletters and media businesses in the world.

Subscribe for more conversations about newsletter growth, audience building, monetization, and the future of digital media.

#NewsletterGrowth #EmailMarketing #CreatorEconomy

What does it take to revive a decades-old publication, grow its newsletter by 45%, and turn a niche audience into a sustainable media business?

In this episode of the Send & Grow Podcast, Hunter Kallay sits down with Garrett Oden, owner and publisher of Fresh Cup (https://freshcup.com/join-the-newsletter/), a media brand serving the coffee industry. Garrett shares how he brought Fresh Cup back to life in 2022 and transformed it into a growing business with newsletters, resources, courses, and services for coffee professionals.

They dive into the challenges of monetizing a niche publication, why going deep and staying human matters more than ever in the age of AI, and how Fresh Cup is building revenue streams beyond sponsorships—including Roaster Link, a matchmaking service connecting coffee roasters with potential wholesale customers.

Garrett also breaks down the strategies behind Fresh Cup’s newsletter growth, from engaging social media carousels to targeted Meta ads, and shares his hot take on why coffee businesses shouldn’t feel guilty about doing what it takes to make money.

00:10-01:19 – Introduction: Garrett Oden of Fresh Cup
01:19-02:58 – Garrett’s go-to coffee order
02:58-05:31 – Ranking the biggest coffee chains
05:31-07:59 – Garrett’s favorite coffee shops around the world
07:59-09:43 – How Garrett became a coffee marketing consultant
09:43-11:32 – Why Garrett brought Fresh Cup back to life
11:32-13:02 – The challenges of relaunching a legacy publication
13:02-14:31 – Why monetizing a niche media brand is difficult
14:31-15:40 – Fresh Cup’s sponsorships and welcome box
15:40-17:21 – How to build a successful niche publication
17:21-19:22 – Operator Notes: Turning industry expertise into useful content
19:22-21:00 – Why personal opinions and experience matter in the age of AI
21:00-23:06 – Hot take: Why coffee businesses shouldn’t feel guilty about making money
23:06-26:35 – Roaster Link: Connecting coffee roasters with new customers
26:35-27:57 – How Fresh Cup grew its newsletter by 45%
27:57-29:11 – The role of social media and multiple growth channels
29:11-30:39 – Using Meta ads to acquire newsletter subscribers
30:39-31:44 – Newsletter creators Garrett recommends following
31:44-32:31 – Final thoughts: Be friendly to somebody

What happens when a newsletter creator sees a gap in the media landscape — and decides to fill it herself? 

In this episode of Send & Grow, Hunter sits down with Kim Nunley, founder of 30 Second Timeout, a daily women’s basketball newsletter that helps fans keep up with the biggest stories in under three minutes. 

Kim talks about building a media business around her passion for women’s basketball, growing an audience across social media and email, and why she decided to take things one step further with the Post Up Club (https://thepostupclub.com/)— a monthly snail mail membership where fans receive personal letters, basketball stories, and physical surprises in their mailbox. 

Subscribe to Send & Grow 2.0 for more conversations with the people building, growing, and powering the newsletter industry. 

What actually determines whether your newsletter reaches the inbox or quietly disappears into spam?

In this episode of Send & Grow 2.0, Hunter Kallay sits down with LB Blair, an email business and technology expert who has worked with some of the world's biggest email senders.

LB breaks down the often-misunderstood world of email deliverability, from sender reputation and list hygiene to infrastructure, authentication, traffic patterns, and the spam filters deciding whether your email gets through.

They also talk about some of the worst deliverability advice floating around online, why open rates don't tell the whole story, how AI is changing the spam ecosystem, and what newsletter operators can actually do to protect their lists.

If you send email, deliverability isn't something you can afford to ignore.

Subscribe to Send & Grow 2.0 for more conversations with the people building, growing, and powering the newsletter industry.

What does it actually take to build and run a successful newsletter business? 

In this episode of Send & Grow 2.0, Hunter Kallay sits down with Jakub Chodounský, who runs four curated newsletters, to talk about the realities of building a newsletter business—from keeping content fresh and managing a relentless publishing schedule to finding ways to step away without everything falling apart. 

#Newsletter #NewsletterBusiness #EmailMarketing #NewsletterGrowth #creatoreconomy They talk about the challenges of running time-sensitive newsletters, how Jakub approaches growth, what he's learned from building multiple publications, and what it really takes to keep a newsletter business going week after week. 

Follow Jakub's newsletters: C# Digest (https://csharpdigest.net/), React Digest (https://reactdigest.net/), Programming Digest (https://programmingdigest.net/) and Leadership in Tech (https://leadershipintech.com/) 

Hunter's newsletter: FryAI (https://www.fry-ai.com/) 

In this episode of Send & Grow 2.0, Hunter Kallay sits down with Dave Gerhardt, founder of Exit Five and former CMO at Drift, to talk about building a modern media and community business around B2B marketing. 

About Send & Grow: Send & Grow is a podcast about the people, strategies, and businesses behind today's most interesting newsletters. We talk to newsletter operators and creators about how they build audiences, create great content, and turn attention into sustainable businesses. Subscribe to Send & Grow for more conversations with the people shaping the newsletter industry.

🍔 What's the secret behind one of the most engaging food newsletters? 

In this episode of Send & Grow, we sit down with Matt Gross, the creator behind Shut Up N' Eat, to talk about what it really takes to build a newsletter people actually look forward to opening. 

We dive into: 
📬 Building a newsletter readers love 
🍔 Turning a passion into a thriving publication 
📈 Growing without losing your voice 
✍️ Creating content people can't wait to read 
💡 Lessons every newsletter creator can apply 

Whether you're just starting your newsletter or looking for your next growth breakthrough, this conversation is packed with practical insights and honest stories from someone who's done it. 

👇 Let us know in the comments: What's the #1 lesson you've learned from growing your newsletter? 

🎙️ About Send & Grow Send & Grow is the podcast for newsletter creators. Every episode features conversations with the operators, founders, and marketers behind today's best newsletters, sharing actionable strategies to help you grow your audience, improve your content, and build a sustainable newsletter business. Subscribe for new episodes featuring the people shaping the future of email. 

#Newsletter #EmailMarketing #CreatorEconomy #NewsletterGrowth #ContentMarketing #EmailNewsletter #Podcast #Marketing #Substack #beehiiv

Enjoying the podcast? Then you'll LOVE the Send & Grow newsletter where we share deep dives, tips, and news for smart newsletter operators like you.

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Welcome back to another episode of the Send & Grow podcast. This week, SparkLoop's Dylan Redekop chats with Josh Spector—marketing strategist and publisher of For The Interested: a one-paragraph newsletter for experts with simple, proven ways to use writing to grow your business.

Josh has been publishing For The Interested for 8 years and has built a substantial following transforming his insights into a pivotal resource for experts aiming to monetize their skills.

In this episode, Dylan & Josh explore:

• Rapid Growth Techniques: How can small, daily actions significantly boost your newsletter subscriber count? Josh unveils practical, bite-sized strategies.
• Engagement Metrics: What’s the single most telling metric for newsletter success, and how can it guide your content strategy?
• Advertisement Innovation: Why traditional newsletter ads fail and how a simple shift in focus can multiply your click-through rates.
• Revenue Boosting Moves: Josh discusses straightforward levers you can pull to dramatically increase your newsletter’s income.
• A Thought-Provoking Take: Are we really in a newsletter bubble? Josh shares his unique perspective on the state of the newsletter industry.
• ...and much more

OTHER LINKS MENTIONED
For The Interested newsletter
JoshSpector.com
Skill Sessions (sign-up and receive a $100 Amazon GC—listen to the end of the episode to find out how!)
Josh on LinkedIn
Josh on Twitter
Dylan on Twitter/X
SparkLoop Certified Experts Directory
SparkLoop's Paid Recommendations — the game-changing way to instantly monetize your newsletter.
SparkLoop Partner Programs — grow your newsletter at 10x speed.
SparkLoop Affiliate Contest — recommend other newsletters to SparkLoop for a chance to win a FREE trip to Cancun!

Enjoying the podcast? Then you'll LOVE the Send & Grow newsletter where we share deep dives, tips, and news for smart newsletter operators like you.

WATCH THIS EPISODE ON YOUTUBE >>

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Welcome back to another episode of the Send & Grow podcast. This week, SparkLoop's Dylan Redekop chats with Gunnar Holm of Grow Joy, a newsletter growth agency focusing on paid Meta ads.

In this episode, Dylan & Geoff discuss…

• The Genesis of Lookout Media: how Geoff identified a niche for local newsletters in Canada's media landscape
• Keys to Local Newsletter Success: the essential elements that have fueled Lookout Media's growth and how they differentiate themselves from other local media
• Innovative Growth Strategies: learn how Lookout Media expands its reader base in competitive cities.
• Monetization Mastery: Geoff shares Lookout Media's unique formula for reliable & diversified revenue.
• Expanding the Scope: why they've branched into food journalism and how diversification has enriched their offerings and audience engagement
• Valuable Advice for Operators: Geoff offers tips for local media operators based on his experiences, successes, and failures.
• ...and much more

OTHER LINKS MENTIONED
Lookout Media
Vancity Lookout
Ottawa Lookout
Geoff on LinkedIn
Geoff on Twitter
Dylan on Twitter/X
SparkLoop's Paid Recommendations — the game-changing way to instantly monetize your newsletter.
SparkLoop Partner Programs — grow your newsletter at 10x speed.
SparkLoop Affiliate Contest — recommend other newsletters to SparkLoop for a chance to win a FREE trip to Cancun!

Enjoying the podcast? Then you'll LOVE the Send & Grow newsletter where we share deep dives, tips, and news for smart newsletter operators like you.

WATCH THIS EPISODE ON YOUTUBE >>

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Welcome back to another episode of the Send & Grow podcast. This week, SparkLoop's Dylan Redekop chats with Gunnar Holm of Grow Joy, a newsletter growth agency focusing on paid Meta ads.

In this episode, Dylan & Gunnar discuss…

→ The Dominance of Meta Ads: why Gunnar uses Facebook & Instagram ads as a newsletter growth platfrom
→ Crafting High-Converting Ad Creatives: the secrets behind creating ad content that feels native to social platforms, significantly lowering your cost per acquisition
→ The Power of Targeting and Retargeting: how specific targeting and leveraging lead magnets can drastically improve growth
→ Landing Page Optimization: learn the essentials of a high-converting landing page
→ Innovative Growth through Paid Recommendations: how Gunnar uses SparkLoop to offset ad costs and achieve rapid growth without breaking the bank
→ Practical Advice for Newsletter Operators: actionable tips you can apply to your newsletter growth strategy immediately
→ ...and much more

OTHER LINKS MENTIONED
GrowJoy.co (Gunnar's Growth Agency)
Gunnar on LinkedIn
Gunnar on Twitter
Dylan on Twitter/X
SparkLoop's Paid Recommendations — the game-changing way to instantly monetize your newsletter.
SparkLoop Partner Programs — grow your newsletter at 10x speed.
SparkLoop Affiliate Contest — recommend other newsletters to SparkLoop for a chance to win a FREE trip to Cancun!