How ChooseFI has mastered the newsletter trifecta of growth, revenue, and community  

Every inbox is a battleground for attention.

And “quality content” is table stakes.

Today we’re highlighting a newsletter standing out for more than just “quality” but for the loyalty and engagement of its community.

Welcome to the extraordinary journey of Brad Barrett and the ChooseFI newsletter.

Launched as an offshoot of the successful ChooseFI podcast, Brad has nurtured his ChooseFI newsletter into a thriving community with over 62,000 engaged subscribers and impressive revenue figures, all while upholding a remarkable trust with his audience.

And we're peeling back the curtain to see how 👀

In this week's Friday Feature, we’re unpacking how Brad has…

1. Turned subscribers into community members who help shape content
2. Harnessed the power of a paid recommendations network for growth
3. Monetized without compromising trust

Ready to dive into ChooseFI's playbook? Let’s go.

#1 - Cultivating an active community

Community engagement can be a game-changer.

When you feel like you’re a part of something (ie. a community of like-minded people), you’re more likely to pay attention and invest time & energy there.

One of the most powerful ways to build that feeling of community in a newsletter is to actually feature your readers and share their voices.

Brad Barrett understands this better than anyone.

He’s transformed the ChooseFI newsletter into a vibrant community hub where every subscriber is not just a reader but a contributor and valued member.

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🧐 Why it’s awesome

→ Deepened Subscriber Connection: Engaging with the community creates a deeper bond between the publisher and the audience.

→ Content Enrichment: User-generated content enriches the newsletter, providing varied perspectives and increasing value.

→ Organic Growth: Active community engagement naturally leads to word-of-mouth growth, as engaged subscribers are more likely to recommend the newsletter to others.

🙋 How ChooseFI does it

Brad encourages his readers to reply to his newsletters, share their stories, and be a part of the conversation. He features these responses in subsequent editions, creating a loop of engagement that keeps the community invested.

“We try to crowdsource the podcast and the newsletter. A large part of that is me curating things from the community. Every week I ask the audience to hit reply with, 'Hey, what was the one action you took this week to make your life better?” - Brad Barrett

By transforming his newsletter into a platform for interaction, he's fostered a dedicated community that actively contributes to the content and growth of ChooseFI.

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✏️Steal this for your newsletter​

Smart newsletter operators understand how valuable replies are.

But just because we understand doesn’t mean we’re... very good at it.

​So start by following Brad’s lead of asking a question and sharing community wins in the next edition of your newsletter.

Need more inspo? The Tempo nails community engagement by sharing poll results from their last edition along with reader responses:

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🎧 Bonus: Learn more about how Brad engages his community in our recent chat →​

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#2 - Paid Investment to Fertilize Growth

Organic newsletter growth is awesome. But it’s usually slow and hard to scale.

It’s like planting a flower and leaving it to the elements to grow & bloom.

Blending in paid acquisition strategies with organic efforts can be the high-powered fertilizer needed for your newsletter to grow & bloom to its full potential.

Brad is a savvy newsletter publisher. He understands that despite having a solid subscriber base podcast audience, investing in paid growth is going to get his newsletter further, faster.

Brad’s going for full bloom 🌺🌹

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🧐 Why it’s awesome

→ Rapid Audience Expansion: Paid recommendations help reach new audiences quickly.

→ Ridiculously Simple To Scale: Increasing aspects of your paid growth campaign, like budget, CPA, etc, is simple and straightforward compared to organic strategies.

→ Controlled Growth: Paid strategies allow you to control the pace and scale of your newsletter's growth—especially with a SparkLoop Partner Program ;)

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🙋 How ChooseFI does it

Like more and more smart newsletter operators are doing, Brad turned to SparkLoop for growth.

He launched a Partner Program to collaborate with other newsletters in the SparkLoop Partner Network.

Now Brad is getting other newsletters to recommend ChooseFI to their subscribers and only paying for the referred subscribers who stick around and stay engaged.

Win-win-win.

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✏️ Steal this for your newsletter

Serious about investing in newsletter growth in 2024?

Consider a SparkLoop Partner Program.

A Partner Program is awesome because…

→ you only pay what you can afford and want to pay

→ only pay for really high-quality subscribers

→ all with no work and zero risk

​Try out a SparkLoop partner program of your own. They’re perfect for any newsletter operator who a) knows their CPA for engaged subscribers and b) has a budget of $2k+ per month to spend on growth.

​Talk with our resident expert ​Cole Bridge​ about which newsletters we could match yours with—the Partner Network is rapidly growing and we’re sure to find a good fit.

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🧮 Bonus: Considering a Partner Program? Find out your subscriber LTV first to help determine your budget with our calculator →

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#3 - Balancing Profit with Integrity

There’s an apt saying, “Trust takes years to build, seconds to break, and forever to repair.”

ChooseFI is a business. But it’s a business that’s been built on a foundation of 7 years of trust. So, when it comes to driving revenue with ChooseFI, Brad is extremely careful.

“I’m very judicious about that,” Brad told us in our recent chat.

A significant part of Brad's strategy involves monetizing the ChooseFI newsletter without eroding the trust he's built with his community.

He carefully balances affiliate marketing and product endorsements, ensuring they align with his audience's interests.

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🧐 Why it’s awesome

→ Sustainable Revenue Stream: Monetization strategies that align with audience interests create a steady income without alienating subscribers.

→ Enhanced Credibility: Recommendations for products and services that genuinely benefit the audience reinforce trust & credibility.

→ Audience-Centric Approach: Focusing on what benefits the community ensures long-term loyalty and growth.

→ Long-term Partnerships. Choosing a select few sponsors and affiliates to promote long-term builds sponsorship trust while eliminating the need to continuously find new ones.

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🙋 How ChooseFI does it

Does Brad promote every endorsement or affiliate opportunity that comes his way?

Absolutely not. The opposite, actually:

“The overall holistic thought of this is: we talk a lot about a few different services & products we personally use. It's not like, 'Hey, we're hawking something just because this advertiser sent us an email'. Instead, it's like, 'Hey, if Brad is opening up a Chase Sapphire Preferred, I'm probably going to too." — Brad Barrett

Brad selectively endorses products and services he personally uses and believes in, like specific finance tools, platforms, and credit cards.

This approach ensures that monetization efforts are seen as genuine recommendations rather than advertisements.

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✏️ Steal this for your newsletter

Brad has been writing about financial independence for a long time. He understands what products, promotions, and incentives will benefit both himself and his audience.

If you don’t, figure that out first. Then…

→ Be Selective in Endorsements: Choose to promote products or services that you trust and that add value to your audience.

→ Transparency is Important: Be open about your monetization strategies and how they benefit both you and your subscribers. This is a legal requirement in some instances.

→ Monitor Feedback: Pay close attention to how your audience reacts to monetization efforts and be ready to adjust accordingly.

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Adding it up…

Brad & his team had a massive opportunity with the ChooseFI newsletter.

He has turned down significant revenue opportunities in ads, sponsorships, and affiliates because he knows the trust he's built with his community is worth more in the long run.

In doing so, ChooseFI is more than just a newsletter; it's a community hub where every reader is a vital part of a collective movement. Brad's approach proves that when you put your community first, you don't just grow a newsletter — you cultivate a legacy.

Here are 3 things to do next:

• ​Check out the ChooseFI newsletter if you haven’t already →​
• ​Listen to our whole chat with Brad Barrett on our podcast →​
• Give us your take: what newsletter is doing something different and innovative we should feature next? Maybe it's yours... EMAIL US and let me know!