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Giveaways feel like a growth cheat code.
Run one.
Watch subscribers spike.
Celebrate the numbers.
And then…
open rates drop.
engagement fades.
monetization stalls.
That’s not bad luck.
That’s misaligned growth.
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🎁 Why giveaways seem attractive
Giveaways promise:
Fast growth
Visible momentum
Social proof
And technically—they deliver.
But the problem isn’t how many people join.
It’s why they joined.
❌ The core issue with giveaways
Most giveaways reward:
Free-seekers
Contest hunters
People chasing prizes—not value
These readers didn’t subscribe because of:
Your insight
Your expertise
Your promise
They subscribed for the reward, not the relationship.
📉 What happens after the giveaway ends
You’ll notice:
Low open rates
Fewer replies
Higher churn
Weak monetization
Why?
Because you attracted people who never wanted a newsletter in the first place.
Attention ≠ intent.
Giveaways don’t just add bad subscribers.
They dilute your signal.
Your data becomes noisy:
Engagement metrics lie
Content feedback becomes unreliable
You optimize for the wrong audience
This slows real growth long after the giveaway ends.
⚖️ Are giveaways always bad?
Not always—but most creators run them wrong.
Giveaways work only when:
The prize aligns directly with the newsletter topic
The reward attracts buyers, not browsers
Entry requires meaningful effort (not one click)
Otherwise, they inflate numbers—not businesses.
🔁 What to do instead
If you want better readers, focus on:
Referrals from existing subscribers
Cross-promotions with aligned newsletters
Content that pre-qualifies readers
Slow growth with the right audience beats fast growth with the wrong one.
Every time.
🏁 Final Thought
Your newsletter doesn’t need more readers.
It needs:
The right readers
Who care
Who stay
Who eventually pay
If a growth tactic attracts people who wouldn’t miss your newsletter tomorrow—
it’s not growth. It’s noise.
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