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<p><a href="https://www.theperfectloaf.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Maurizio Leo</a> is the New York Times bestselling author of <a href="https://www.theperfectloaf.com/cookbooks/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Perfect Loaf</a>, a book about mastering the art of baking sourdough bread.</p>
<p>He got that book deal after dedicating himself to his blog of the same name for years. But no matter how his business has grown, figuring out how to consistently grow his email list still sometimes felt like a grind.</p>
<blockquote class="blockquote-sm"><p>You constantly have to guide people to your list to sign up. This means you&#8217;re looking to increase traffic at all costs, which can feel pushy. That&#8217;s not me.</p></blockquote>
<h2>The challenge: How to grow your email list without being pushy (and without taking up too much time)</h2>
<p>Not only does Maurizio not want to be pushy, but to keep his blog and business running, he needs to be constantly baking sourdough bread and helping other people bake sourdough bread; both take a <em>long</em> time. The more time he can spend on his craft and helping people, like those in <a href="https://www.theperfectloaf.com/membership/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">his paid membership</a>, the better.</p>
<p>But part of keeping his business running is consistently growing his newsletter. He often struggled to find the time to do it all.</p>
<h2>The solution: Joining the Creator Network</h2>
<p>In 2023, Maurizio joined ConvertKit’s <a href="http://creatornetwork.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Creator Network</a>, a way for creators to support and recommend each other’s email lists. And, because of other creators’ recommendations, <strong>Maurizio gained 598 new subscribers to this newsletter in his first month</strong>.</p>
<blockquote class="blockquote-sm"><p>The Creator Network helps me grow my audience while at the same time helping other creators do the same, all without having to pay for ads or using other gimmicky means.</p></blockquote>
<h2>The strategy: Start by recommending people whose content is similar to yours</h2>
<p>So how did he get those 598 subscribers in one month? Maurizio’s top tip for creators joining the Creator Network is to find creators with content that aligns with your content.</p>
<blockquote class="blockquote-sm"><p>I’ve noticed the highest number of conversions when people are joining a newsletter that’s very similar to mine: the same kind of ethos, the same quality, the same kind of presentation.</p>
<p>I think that’s one of the powers of the Creator Network— that you can find other creators that align with the same kind of content you’re creating and you all kind of help each other and grow your lists together.</p>
<p>And getting started with the Creator Network is super easy. You just need to look through a list of other creators who are out there, find the ones that best align with the content you’re creating, and when you recommend them they’ll see that and then they might in turn recommend you.</p></blockquote>
<p>Now this list growth is not only passive, the partnerships you form with other creators as you support and recommend each other helps the list growth feel natural.</p>
<blockquote class="blockquote-sm"><p>It really feels like one large club that you’re part of, creators recommending other creators. And you’re kind of doing your best to help everybody, just as they’re helping you.</p></blockquote>
<h2>The result: More time for baking, less time working on list growth</h2>
<p>And now his email list is consistently growing in the background every week, so he can spend more time baking and sharing recipes.</p>
<blockquote class="blockquote-sm"><p>Being a part of the Creator Network has helped me on my creator journey because it means that I can focus more on doing the things that I really need to do, which is create content.</p>
<p>So I can create new sourdough recipes more frequently without having to worry about trying to grow my newsletter list. That’s happening organically in the background, as other creators are recommending me, just like I’m recommending them.</p></blockquote>
<h2>What will you spend more time on once your list is growing with the Creator Network?</h2>
<p>Join creators like Maurizio in the <a href="http://creatornetwork.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Creator Network</a> as they grow their lists together faster without working harder.</p>


The Creator Network helped baker and author Maurizio Leo gain 598 subscribers in one month

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