HowTheyGotUsersHowTheyGotUsers

Befriend Competing Newsletters Before You Ask for Anything

Befriend Competing Newsletters Before You Ask for Anything is a partnerships & affiliates tactic for getting your first users: Grew subscribers by building genuine relationships with other newsletter creators in the same space, who then became advocates and cross-promoters, by leading with value first, including buying their ads and taking their courses.

It's a strong fit for Info products / courses and Newsletters / media teams, and works especially well for Newsletters, creators, niche communities. As a partnerships & affiliates play, plan for medium effort and expect results to build gradually over time, all grounded in 1 linked primary source.

Partnerships & affiliatesMedium effortSlow

Why does partnerships & affiliates work for this?

Real, value-first relationships make other creators advocate for you, which beats the transactional spam everyone ignores.

The exact steps (5)

The full step-by-step this founder ran, what they posted, where, and in what order, plus the watch-outs, is part of the library.

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Sources

Works for
Info products / coursesNewsletters / media

Frequently asked

What kind of products does the "Befriend Competing Newsletters Before You Ask for Anything" tactic work for?
It is a good fit for Info products / courses and Newsletters / media — pick it when your product looks like one of those, since the play is shaped around how those users find new tools.
How is the "Befriend Competing Newsletters Before You Ask for Anything" tactic verified?
It is drawn from 1 primary source — a real founder write-up or interview, not generic advice. It is linked in the Sources section above so you can read the original account yourself.
How much effort is it and how fast are results?
It is medium effort, and results tend to be slow.
Where can I see the exact step-by-step?
The full step-by-step a founder ran, documented via Source — IndieHackers, is in the paid library.

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