The free Google Doc that led to 18,632 subscribers and $1.2m.
Welcome to Day 3 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.
Let’s talk about the Google Doc heard ’round the [creator] world.
Olly Richards created a free Google Doc that built his audience from 0 to 18,632 subscribers — and resulted in $1.2m in revenue.
You see, Olly built a successful business in the language learning space. But instead of just retiring from that, he wanted to start building his personal brand and helping others in the online education space.
So he poured everything he knew and had done into a Google Doc that he gave away for free.
🔍 How Olly Did It:
- Wrote a 118-page Google Doc that revealed how he built his $10M education business. It covered his product ecosystem, content engine, and marketing stack in exact detail.
- Made it 100% free with no opt-in. He didn’t gate it. He didn’t even design it. That made it feel like a peek behind the curtain, not a polished pitch.
- Inserted soft CTAs inside the doc. He added links to join his list and buy a $100 workshop after readers saw the value.
- Promoted the doc via newsletter ads and SparkLoop. Instead of advertising his newsletter, he ran traffic straight to the case study.
- Used workshop sales to create a self-funding loop. The workshop covered ad spend, which fed more traffic into the system. No extra cash needed.
🧠 Why It Works:
Most lead magnets are created purely to get someone on your list with little regard to the quality of the content.
Olly flipped the script by offering something so valuable, so transparent, and so different, people couldn’t help but share it.
- Unique format (a raw Google Doc) made it feel casual, honest, and non-salesy; not a polished marketing funnel.
- Over-the-top value created “wow” moments that made it worth forwarding and recommending.
- Strategic transparency built instant trust – he showed what others usually hide.
- ‘Zero risk’ download. The “ungated” nature of the Google Doc lowers the guard for any skeptic who’s been duped in the past with low-quality lead magnets that turn into aggressive sales funnels.
📊 Results
I think the numbers speak for themselves:
- $1.2m revenue
- 18,632 subscribers
- 50% open rate
- Dozens of creators shared it without being asked
💡 How You Can Implement It
Here are some quick ways you can implement Olly’s Google Doc strategy:
- Create something insanely valuable. Choose one topic you can go unreasonably deep on — something most people would charge for.
- Use a low-friction format (like a Google Doc). Skip the fancy design. Make it casual, direct, and approachable.
- Make it easy to share. Yes, people will share it with people who haven’t signed up for your email list yet. But you can link to your sign-up page in the Doc if desired.
- Pair it with a low-ticket product. Even a $50–$100 offer can help offset ad costs and create a growth flywheel.
🛠️ Tools
- Google Docs (I guess that’s obvious)
- Gumroad or ThriveCart (for low-ticket upsell)
- SparkLoop + newsletter ads (optional; for paid growth)
The best lead magnets don’t ask for attention, they earn it.
Olly didn’t trick people into joining a list. He made them want to join.
See you tomorrow,
Chenell
P.S. Olly said his cover image was made on Fiverr for $10. The value came from the words, not the polish. Focus on what matters.
P.P.S. You can sign up for Olly’s newsletter and check out the full Google Doc here.