E55: Growing a newsletter is no cakewalk. There's the initial phase where growth is slow, and every subscriber feels like a hard-fought battle. Not to mention, the emotional and physical toll of relentless hours, strategizing, and moments of utter despair and frustration. The market is crowded, and it's tough to stand out. How do you gain traction and grow your newsletter? In today's episode, there's no guest. It's just me (@YongSooChung)  and you. It's intimate, personal, and raw. A solo flight into the heart of what it takes to make a digital business succeed. I'll share with you the strategies I applied, the mistakes I made, and the key insights that you can take away. On today’s episode, you’ll learn: - The Power of a Referral Program - 5 Growth Levers of Digital Businesses - Mastering the Art of Cross-Promotions - How to Create Your Own Growth Flywheel Let's get down to business! *** SPONSORS: Castmagic - Enjoy an exclusive 30% discount for your first 3 months with the code FOUNDERS30. GrowthJet - Work with a boutique third-party logistics provider (3PL) for your e-commerce brand that'll pick, pack, and ship your orders hassle-free. *** EXCERPTS: Growth Lever Strategies for Digital Businesses: "The key is to know when to use which growth lever."  — Yong-Soo Chung (04:14) The Power of Incentives in a Referral Program: "Incentivizing your subscribers to bring in more subscribers is a great way to rapidly increase your subscriber numbers." — Yong-Soo Chung (20:34) *** LINKS: Episode 28 Episode 44 JOIN: First Class Founders Premium Membership DOWNLOAD: Hyper-Visuals For Our Episodes (Free) *** FOLLOW / REVIEW: - Follow - Leave 5-star review *** CONNECT W/ YONG-SOO: - X - Threads - LinkedIn - Newsletter *** First Class Founders is a show for indie hackers, bootstrapped founders, CEOs, solopreneurs, content creators, startup entrepreneurs, and SaaS startups covering topics like build in public, audience growth, product marketing, scaling up, side hustles, holding company, and more. Past guests include Arvid Kahl, Tyler Denk, Brad Stulberg, Clint Murphy, Andrew Warner, Chenell Basilio, Matt McGarry, Nick Huber, Khe Hy, and more. Additional episodes you might like: Future of Newsletters with Tyler Denk, Founder & CEO at Beehiiv From Zero to 100K Subscribers: How to Grow Your Newsletter like a Pro with Newsletter Growth Expert Matt McGarry ...