Allea Grummert is the founder of Duett, an email marketing strategy and copywriting business that focuses on helping creators and bloggers write automated email nurture sequences that optimize for brand loyalty, site traffic, and sales.
She started her newsletter in October 2019 with hopes to build her authority and provide value to her readers.
But after trying various list-building tactics, she started to get discouraged, especially when her content became more philosophical and less inherently “hooky.”
Despite publishing consistently for two years, growth was slow.
The challenge: Get the right subscribers on her list
I struggled getting my name/forms in front of new audiences. It was a slow, slow growth organically.
Partnering with other creators to host live workshops was the most effective growth strategy she’d done, but she didn’t have the bandwidth to do a lot of those, especially since she spends so much time on working with her clients.
The solution: Joining the Creator Network
In April 2023, Allea joined the Creator Network.
It feels so great knowing that I’m showing up in other peoples’ spheres — like I’m not slowly growing my list through one-off events or hoping for site traffic.
She’s gotten recommended by a variety of other creators who align with her content, and she’s been thrilled with not only the growth in subscribers that have come from it (and that she’s about to hit the 1,000 subscriber mark for the first time), but also the way it has boosted her overall motivation as a creator.
The strategy: Partnering with creators in another sphere of your niche
As an email marketing strategist, Allea focuses on teaching her audience — specifically bloggers and content creators — about how to use email marketing to better connect with their audience. So when it was time to recommend other creators, she connected with ones in her niche but who serve similar audiences in different ways in a slightly different direction.
Jason Resnick is more focused on email list growth, Alyssa Dulin focuses on email deliverability — so both are totally a complement to what I offer/talk about with my subscribers.
By doing this, Allea knew their audiences would be more likely to convert as they already were interested in learning about email marketing. And by joining with her Creator Network partners, they could open up new realms of learning for their subscribers outside of their own niche/approach to email marketing.
I know I’m growing my list because creators like Jason and Alyssa are trusting that I’ll take care of their audience and teach them things beyond (or different than) the scope of their own content. Our spheres complement one another.
The result: More growth, more community, and more motivation
Allea loves that now she’s able to see her list grow almost on autopilot, versus having to spend so much time on one-off live and virtual events. And because the people recommending her are so aligned with her content, she knows she’s truly getting subscribers who are a great fit for her list and her services and products.
But most of all, she says her Creator Network experience so far has inspired her to see more potential in herself and her business.
It’s challenging me to focus more on list growth in general, like getting more traffic to my site. I see these other creators making big moves and having such a large list and network, and it’s showing me that there’s SO much more potential for me to grow my list too!
And updating her welcome sequence is what’s next on her to-do list:
Since I’m gaining subscribers from totally new places that I never expected, I want to update my welcome sequence to be more inclusive to people coming from any-which-way and ensure that they learn who I am since they’ve never actually heard of me before. Since they didn’t find me through a blog or a podcast, I need to ensure they get a full, clear understanding of what they can expect from me while on my email list.
Here’s why Allea focuses on her welcome sequence with Kit:
- Keep an engaged list: Every new subscriber gets a very clear look at what Allea does, so if they’re not a good fit, they know that quickly and can unsubscribe.
- Maintain deliverability: Encouraging every new subscriber to reply to her welcome sequence helps emails stay out of the Spam folder.
How do you think your motivation might increase if you join the Creator Network?
Join creators like Allea in the Creator Network as they grow their lists together faster without working harder.
