How to Build a Creator Flywheel: Insights from Katelyn Bourgoin's Newsletter Strategy

The Creator Flywheel: A Strategy for Rapid Audience Growth

Katelyn Bourgoin, founder of Customer Camp and a renowned marketing expert, is looking to take her creator business to new heights. With over 63,000 newsletter subscribers already, Katelyn sought advice from Kyle Adams, a Creator Growth Manager at ConvertKit, to dramatically increase her newsletter's growth.

The key strategy Katelyn is employing is called the Creator Flywheel. This approach has helped other creators like Sahil Bloom grow their email audiences from 150,000 to over 600,000 in just one year. Here's a quick overview of how the Creator Flywheel works:

1. Attract new subscribers through paid and organic social media
2. Send engaging emails to these subscribers
3. Earn revenue from these engaged subscribers
4. Reinvest earnings into social ads and partner networks

As this cycle repeats, each step scales further, leading to exponential growth. Let's dive into how Katelyn plans to implement her own Creator Flywheel.

Katelyn's Creator Flywheel Strategy

Katelyn's strategy can be broken down into four main components:

1. Attracting new subscribers
2. Engaging with emails
3. Earning revenue
4. Reinvesting for growth

1. Attracting New Subscribers

Katelyn is using two primary channels to attract new subscribers:

Meta Ads

For cold traffic coming from Meta ads, Katelyn is designing a new opt-in page. This page will introduce her and her newsletter to people who may not be familiar with her work yet.

SparkLoop's Paid Partner Recommendations

For subscribers coming through partner recommendations, Katelyn is creating a custom welcome experience. These subscribers won't see the usual opt-in and thank you pages. Instead, they'll receive a more personalized welcome.

2. Engaging with Emails

Once subscribers are in, Katelyn's approach to engagement stands out with these strategies:

Poll for Segmentation

In the welcome email, Katelyn asks subscribers about their primary goal. This helps her segment them for more targeted content.

Personalized Content

Using ConvertKit's polling feature and RightMessage, Katelyn ensures that subsequent emails align with each subscriber's specific interests.

Surprise Motivation

Katelyn hints at a surprise welcome gift on the thank you page. This element of delight encourages more interaction.

3. Earning Revenue

With engaged users, Katelyn increases the likelihood of purchases through:

Soft Product Introductions

Each segmented email sequence includes subtle mentions of her products, tailored to the subscriber's goal.

Webinar for Value Addition

One email offers a short webinar on the "jobs to be done" concept, providing value while gently promoting related products.

4. Reinvesting to Grow

To keep the momentum going, Katelyn plans to reinvest in growing the newsletter:

Referral Program

Katelyn invites subscribers to refer friends to the newsletter, offering rewards through the SparkLoop referral program.

Revenue Reinvestment

Revenue generated from product sales is reinvested into more paid growth strategies like social ads.

Key Insights and Tactics

During Katelyn's discussion with Kyle, several important insights and tactics emerged:

Handling Non-Responders

Katelyn decided to send subscribers who don't respond to the initial poll to the "Wallet Opening Words" track. This product sells better than others, increasing the chances of conversion.

Cross-Promotion of Products

Katelyn plans to promote her other products in the newsletter, replacing sponsor ads with her own product promotions. She'll use personalized language based on subscribers' goals and responses.

Understanding Trigger Events

Katelyn emphasizes the importance of "trigger events" - life events that motivate people to make purchases. By consistently delivering value, she builds trust and affinity, making subscribers more likely to purchase when the right moment comes.

Treating Different Sources Differently

Katelyn recognizes the importance of treating subscribers from different sources (like organic vs. paid recommendations) differently. This ensures a more tailored and effective onboarding experience.

Engagement Screening for Paid Recommendations

Katelyn implemented an engagement screening sequence for subscribers coming from paid recommendations. This helps ensure she only pays for engaged subscribers.

Balancing Welcome Sequence and Regular Newsletter

Katelyn and Kyle discussed the optimal length and frequency of the welcome sequence. They decided on a three-day sequence with one email per day, followed by the regular newsletter on the next Tuesday.

Avoiding Email Bombardment

To prevent overwhelming new subscribers, especially those from paid recommendations, Katelyn plans to add a delay before sending the regular newsletter. This gives subscribers some breathing room after the welcome sequence.

Building Your Own Creator Flywheel

Creating a flywheel like Katelyn's might seem daunting, but it's achievable with the right tools and strategy. Here are some key steps to get started:

1. Identify your primary subscriber acquisition channels
2. Create personalized welcome sequences for different subscriber sources
3. Use polls and segmentation to understand your subscribers' goals
4. Develop valuable, goal-specific content for your email sequences
5. Strategically introduce your products or services within your emails
6. Implement a referral program to encourage organic growth
7. Reinvest revenue into paid growth strategies

Remember, your flywheel should be tailored to your specific audience and offerings. Don't be afraid to experiment and iterate based on your results.

Conclusion

Katelyn Bourgoin's Creator Flywheel strategy offers valuable insights for anyone looking to grow their newsletter and creator business. By focusing on personalization, strategic email sequences, and smart reinvestment, you can create a powerful growth engine for your own audience.

As you implement your own flywheel, keep in mind that it's an iterative process. Be prepared to adjust your strategy based on what works best for your specific audience and offerings. With persistence and the right approach, you can create a thriving, self-sustaining creator business.

Stay tuned for the next episode, where we'll dive into the technical details of how Katelyn built this flywheel in ConvertKit. Whether you're just starting out or looking to optimize your existing strategy, these insights will help you take your creator business to the next level.

Article created from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ak5IsJ1uCc