Jan 20, 2021 · 19m · founders-journal
How We Grew From 0 to 2.5 million
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In this episode of Founders Journal, Morning Brew co-founder Alex Lieberman breaks down the comprehensive playbook used to scale their business newsletter from zero to 2.5 million subscribers. He reveals the organic distribution engines, referral systems, and quality-focused paid acquisition strategies that powered the media company's rapid growth.
Statements from this episode (9)
Lieberman: Morning Brew Used Zero Paid Marketing in Its Early Days
“There was no paid marketing in the early days of the brew.”
Lieberman: In-Class Announcements Were Morning Brew's Best Early Growth Tactic
“We tried announcements in classes and through trial and error, we figured out the best first growth tactic for morning brew.”
Lieberman: Morning Brew's First Ambassador Cohort Added ~5,000 Subscribers
“The first time we ran the program, we had 12 ambassadors from 10 different schools, And we got around 5000 subscribers that semester.”
Lieberman: College Ambassador Programs Must Prioritize Quantity Over Quality
“The first secret, quantity over quality. It sounds counterintuitive, but being super selective in an ambassador program doesn't work. Why? Because college students, no matter how ambitious they are, no matter how impressive their resumes are, they are flaky. A…”
Lieberman: Morning Brew Ad Deals Came From Parents of College Readers
“We have found on multiple occasions where Morning Brew advertising deals have come from people who found out about the newsletter from their kids who are in college.”
Lieberman: Over 300,000 Morning Brew Readers Made at Least One Referral
“Morning Brew's referral program is still a major driver of growth to this very day and more than 300,000 Of our 2.5 million readers have gotten at least one person to sign up using their referral link.”
Lieberman: Morning Brew Paid an Upwork Freelancer $500 for Custom Referral Software
“Morning Brew's referral program progressed from starting on Kickoff Labs, us finding that was not flexible enough. We then had an Upwork freelancer build it custom for 500 dollars, and then we ended up giving it to our in-house engineers to rebuild and build i…”
Lieberman: Same-channel cross-promotions work best by eliminating behavioral friction
“Morning Brew has done cross promotions with everyone from top 10 business sites in the world to YouTube influencers, but the most effective cross promos have always been same channel partnerships. What that means is Morning Brew cross-promoting with another em…”