📬 Why I am switching from Mailerlite to Substack

You currently receive these emails via Mailerlite, an email service I am very happy with. Mailerlite is cheap, has great deliverability, and great features. So why am I switching? 

A. 🔍 Substack has discoverability

More than 40% of all new free subscriptions and around 20% of paid subscriptions to Substacks come from Substack itself. The platform is heavily optimised for getting readers of one newsletter to sign up for your newsletter too. Those readers also tend to engage highly and stick around.

Work Smart Wednesday is designed as a soft entry point into my business for entrepreneurs who want to work less and make more, a discoverability and engagement platform for me. It is close to the top of my funnel. I want people to find me, see the value I provide, and then eventually feel ready to work with me in some capacity. It makes sense for Work Smart Wednesday to be hosted in a place optimised for discoverability. 

Substack it much better for discoverability than Mailerlite (and almost every other tool, e.g. convertkit/mailchimp). A 40% boost to subscribers with very little extra effort is a big boost to business. 

I am seeing the benefits from this already and have added many new subscribers without doing anything other than having the newsletter available on the Substack platform.

B. 📢 Substack has inbuilt referral programmes



Somewhat similar to discoverability, but taken a step further. Substack has inbuilt referral programmes. With most other email platforms this is an expensive feature and/or requires an expensive additional tool, like Sparkloop. Granted, Substack's referral programmes are not as comprehensive as Sparkloop's, but Substack's programme fits my purposes perfectly for now.

I can now incentivise you, the reader, to share Work Smart Wednesday with other people you think will benefit. You get bonuses for sharing, and your friends get useful information to help them grow their business. It is a win-win. Here’s how it works:

Step 1. Share Work Smart Wednesday

There are two ways to get credit for referrals:

- Use the “Share” button that is embedded in all future Work Smart Wednesday newsletters. Share that link.

Share Work Smart Wednesday

- Or, visit the refer a friend button below to copy your custom tracking link. Then share that link via text, Slack, email, social media, etc with your family, colleagues, or friends.

Refer a friend

Step 2. Earn benefits

As people use your referral link to subscribe you will receive benefits such as resources and even 1-1 sessions with me. Link tracking and benefit delivery is automated for you. Here’s how referrals translate to benefits:

• 1 referral = Phone & PC motivation visuals resources

  
  

• 7 referrals = A shoutout in my newsletter, showcasing you and your business

  
  

• 25 referrals = Full 1-to-1 strategy session with me to help you work less and make more

  
  

You can check the new leaderboard to see how you are doing at any time. Got an idea for a referral reward you would want? Send me an email to John@JohnJDMunn.com and let me know and I may add it as a referral bonus for you.

Visit the leaderboard

Sharing just once on social media or with your company/team could put you well on the way to getting useful bonuses and even a 1-1 strategy session with me for free. Thank you for helping get the word out about Work Smart Wednesday!

C. 🔄This is not a total switch

I am keeping Mailerlite for my automated drip campaigns, such as from lead magnet signups. Substack doesn't have that functionality.

While I advocate simplicity, using Mailerlite for my weekly newsletter as well as my automated campaigns would have actually added more complexity than splitting the two. Switching to another platform that does both also had significant barriers, such as relative cost and deliverability issues. 

Having the two platforms shouldn't incur extra work as the two email types are quite separate, performing different roles within my sales funnel. No duplication is necessary and my automated campaigns already perform well so there is no need to keep checking Mailerlite more than once per month. An imperfect solution, but one that better meets my requirements in the medium term. I will let you know how it goes.

In the meantime, if you think Substack is for you then you can start your Substack here:

Start writing today.

Use the button below to create your Substack

Start a Substack

D. 🤷 What do you need to do about the switch?

Absolutely nothing. I have already imported you across to Substack. If you noticed this email looks slightly different, that is why! It has already been handled for you.

I shared this in my Work Smart Wednesday newsletter. Want the full set of related insights? You can read them here: https://worksmartwednesday.substack.com/p/work-smart-wednesday-august-9-2023

👋 Want to work together?

When you’re ready, here are 3 ways I can help you:

🔍 Clarity Call - we will discuss your situation and create a step-by-step action plan together so you know exactly what you need to do next for maximum impact

👓 StartSmart - Achieve a 6 figure income within 6 months, whether you only have an idea or you have already started your business

🧘 Overload to Optimal - reduce your workweek to 20 hours or less within 90 days while running your 6-8 figure business