How Reddit grew a local newsletter to 5,800+ subscribers
Welcome to Day 25 of the 30 Days of Growth.
This is a pop-up newsletter put together by Chenell from Growth In Reverse. I’ve pulled 30 creators together to help give one short, actionable way you can either grow or improve your email list.
You can view all past issues of the 30 Days of Growth here.
Reddit is probably the last place you’d think to grow a newsletter. It’s full of people who hate self-promotion, and if you pitch too hard (or in some cases, at all) you get downvoted into oblivion.
But what if you just… answered people’s questions? Like, actually helped them?
Michelle Rueda figured this out early with her Austin events newsletter WhatsWeirdATX.
She grew it to 5,800+ subscribers with $0 in ad spend, almost entirely through Reddit. One 2-minute comment on a “what to do in Austin that doesn’t involve drinking” thread brought in 1,500 subscribers by itself.
She figured out the strategy at around 100 subscribers and has been running this playbook ever since.
How Michelle Does It
- She lurks first. 2-3 weeks of just being a real person in the target subreddits before commenting strategically. Build karma, learn the culture. Find out what gets upvoted, and what gets buried. Skip this step and you will likely get downvoted immediately.
- She lets her profile do the selling. Username, bio, banner, pinned post, all pointing at the newsletter. When someone reads a useful comment and clicks your username (and they will), that’s your conversion opportunity. If you can, make your username your newsletter name so every comment is a brand impression.
- She answers the question fully. No teaser or “subscribe to find out.” When someone asks “what’s there to do this weekend?”, she gives them a real, complete answer. The value is upfront, and the profile does the rest.
- She shows up early. The first 2-3 comments on a Reddit post get the majority of upvotes. Show up late and you’re invisible. This definitely takes time, but it’s worth it.
- She tracks which patterns convert. Some threads reliably drive subscribers. For Michelle, it’s “what’s there to do” and “I’m single, how do I meet people” questions. She found those patterns and now looks for them specifically.
Why It Works
Reddit users are allergic to being sold to, but they love genuinely helpful answers. When someone gets real value from your comment, they might click your profile out of curiosity. That’s a warm visitor who already trusts you a little, which is a very different starting point than someone who clicked an ad.
The “be early” piece is what has a big impact. Reddit’s algorithm heavily rewards the first few comments on a post. If you’re comment 47, nobody sees you. If you’re comment 2 with a genuinely useful answer, you can ride the post’s momentum as it grows.
The subscribers you get this way are also higher quality. They found you through a helpful comment, not an ad. They already know your voice. Open rates tend to be higher, and people stay engaged.
Results
- 5,800+ organic subscribers to WhatsWeirdATX, $0 ad spend
- 2,700+ app users for WhatsGoodATX (the events platform)
- 1,500+ subscribers from 1 comment on a single Reddit thread
How You Can Implement It
Step 1: Pick 2-3 subreddits where your target audience hangs out. Lurk for 2-3 weeks, comment like a normal person. Build karma (Reddits version of upvotes).
Step 2: Set up your Reddit profile as a landing page. Username, bio, banner, and pinned post should all clearly point to your newsletter.
Step 3: Start answering questions in those subreddits. Give the full answer – no teasing or pitching.
Step 4: Pay attention to which types of threads actually send you traffic. Find your version of the “what’s there to do this weekend” pattern and watch for it.
Step 5: Show up early. Set up notifications in Reddit Pro or use a tool like Social Radar (that Michelle built to solve this problem) to monitor your subreddits so you can be 1 of the first 2-3 comments on the right posts.
Tools
- Reddit (free) and a profile set up as a landing page
- Social Radar to monitor subreddits and get notified when relevant posts appear (optional)
- Your ESP to track which subscribers came from Reddit
Reddit might feel like hostile territory for newsletter growth. It is, if you pitch.
But if you just answer questions and let your profile do the selling, it can become a free acquisition channel with high quality subscribers.
See you tomorrow,
Chenell
P.S. You can check out Michelle’s newsletter What’s Good ATX, or get her free Reddit growth playbook.
