Growth In Reverse: Newsletter & Email Growth
How CJ Gustafson Grew Mostly Metrics to 60k+ Subscribers & Multi‑Six‑Figures in Revenue
· Summarized
Key takeaways
- Creating engaging, humorous content can attract a wider audience, even in niche fields like finance.
- Building authentic relationships with sponsors can lead to better long-term partnerships and greater mutual success.
- Reader engagement metrics, like responses to newsletters, are more significant than traditional metrics like views or likes.
- Using AI and thoughtful content creation can streamline the idea generation process and enhance quality.
- Understanding your audience's needs is crucial in developing targeted content and products that resonate.
Summary
CJ Gustafson's Journey: From CFO to Content Creator
CJ Gustafson transitioned from a tech CFO role into content creation, recognizing the potential for financial discussions to engage diverse audiences. He shares how he built his newsletter, Mostly Metrics, from the ground up, using humor and personal branding to capture the attention of finance professionals. His journey underscores the synergy between expertise and engaging storytelling.
Building Relationships Through Content
Throughout the podcast, CJ emphasizes that creating valuable content builds trust, making it more likely for professionals to engage and share his work. He discusses his innovative approach to sponsorships, suggesting that the best partnerships come from establishing long-term relationships rather than one-off advertisements. His newsletter is structured to generate consistent ad revenue while offering significant value to sponsors.
Diving into Metrics and Growth Strategies
CJ reveals the metrics that matter most to him, notably reader engagement through replies rather than traditional vanity metrics like likes or views. He discusses how leveraging AI tools and transcripts helps in generating insightful content ideas. Moreover, CJ emphasizes the importance of consistency in content production and utilizing diverse platforms like podcasts to reach larger audiences.
Innovating with New Content Platforms
CJ introduces his new venture, Looking For Leverage, a newsletter tailored for CFOs in private equity backed firms. This venture aims to fill a gap in the market for high-quality finance content targeted at a niche audience. He discusses using feedback from his audience to create products that resonate well with their needs, spotlighting his unique approach to content development.
Future Outlook and Expansion Plans
As he looks ahead, CJ expresses optimism about further growing his platforms while continuously providing value. He highlights the importance of evolving his content strategies, incorporating feedback, and exploring new ideas that cater to both existing and potential audiences.
Sponsors
- Mostly Metrics · CJ discusses the growth of his newsletter and why it's essential for CFOs and aspiring professionals.
- Run The Numbers · CJ shares insights from his podcast that focuses on financial planning and analysis in an entertaining way.
- Looking For Leverage · A secondary newsletter by CJ focusing on private equity backed companies and their finance needs.
- The Growth Vault · A course and resource for newsletter creators to implement growth strategies and templates.
- Growth In Reverse PRO Community · A community designed to help newsletter creators improve and connect with each other.
- Tim Forkin · Tim Forkin is credited for editing the podcast episodes.
Show notes
The Growth Vault is LIVE: https://growthinreverse.com/vault
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“During my last year as a CFO, I made more money from my newsletter and podcast than my full-time job." — CJ Gustafson, Mostly Metrics
We sit down with CJ Gustafson, former tech CFO and now full-time creator of two newsletters—Mostly Metrics and Looking For Leverage—and a podcast called Run The Numbers. CJ is masterful at taking financial and business concepts and making them wildly entertaining.
CJ shares how he went from consulting and private equity to running a high-revenue content business, why he thinks about content like product development, and the systems he’s built to keep ideas flowing. If you’ve ever wondered how to blend expertise, humor, and growth strategy into a newsletter people can’t stop sharing, this episode is packed with insights.
PS - We recently hosted CJ in the GIR Pro community where he shared more BTS of his newsletter 👀🔥
→ Take your newsletter to the next level with GIR Pro >>
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- How CJ built Mostly Metrics into a leading finance newsletter with personality
- The unusual career path that prepared him for creating content CFOs actually read
- How CJ uses humor (and dog pics) to make complex topics approachable
- How he's building out the “media mullet” business model
- How CJ replaced his CFO salary with newsletter and podcast revenue—and why it happened faster than expected
- CJ's revenue streams that drive a multi‑six‑figure media revenue engine
- How he uses AI and transcripts to mine hundreds of hours of interviews for writing ideas
- CJ's favorite—and most important—newsletter metric
- The single biggest growth hack for his podcast audience
- His daily creative routine for producing high-value content without burning out
LINKS MENTIONED
- Mostly Metrics newsletter
- Run The Numbers podcast
- Looking For Leverage newsletter
- CJ on LinkedIn
- Ask us a question or submit a podcast topic idea: growthinreverse.com/questions
- Get Chenell's brand-new course: The Growth Vault — newsletter templates, growth strategies, and real examples you can implement at your own pace.
- Growth In Reverse PRO Community
- Want your newsletter roasted?Submit it here.
- Check out past Growth In Reverse Deep Dives: https://growthinreverse.com/archive/
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Thanks to Tim Forkin for editing these episodes.
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