Inbox Insider #27 - August 3, 2025

Welcome to Issue #27 of "Inbox Insiders": Your Email List-Building Backstage Pass

In this issue:

1. By the Numbers: What worked and what didn't
2. Deep Dive: I hate this newsletter
3. Up Next: What I'm working on this week

Welcome to Issue #27

"Inbox Insider" is my Sunday newsletter sharing the behind-the-scenes of what I'm doing to grow my email list to 100,000.

I share what works, what doesn't, and how I'm growing.

Thanks for reading.

Let's dive in:

By The Numbers:

My Email List

• Total Subscribers: 15,555 (last week: 15,409
• Added last week (net): 430 (last week: 430)
• 5* Subscribers (engaged in the last 30 days): 9,950 (last week: 9,795)

My Ad Account - Lead Magnets:

• Ad Spend: $524 (last week: $454)
• Gross Leads from FB: 326 (last week: 352)
• Cost per lead: $1.61 (last week: $1.29)
• Assessment: I turned on a new lead magnet as a demo during List Builder Land, hence the increased spend

Instagram (@emailschool): Started Feb 1st

• Total Subscribers: 466 (+6 this week)

​Email School (Email-Focused Membership):

1. Paying Members: 256 (+18 from last week)
2. Monthly Recurring Revenue: $5,091 (4,589 (+$502/mo from last week)

Other Audiences:

• ​LinkedIn Newsletter: (162 subscribers; +2 this week)
• ​YouTube: 665 (+1 this week)

Deep Dive: I hate this newsletter

I started this newsletter back on Feb 2nd.

6 months ago.

26 weeks. 26 newsletters.

The goal? Document my journey of growing my email list.

I'd share some behind-the-scenes, mindset reframes, and launch debriefs.

I'd use it as a creative outlet.

You would "ooh" and "ahh" at my marketing genius while the leads, sales, and profit rolled in.

TALE OF THE TAPE:

Is it working?

Let's have a look at how things have changed between Feb 2 and Aug 3

LIST GROWTH

1. Feb: 13,198
2. Aug: 15,555

Difference: I added 2,357 net new people to my list (and survived a multi-thousand cold subscriber purge).

Weekly? 90 people.

INSTAGRAM

1. Feb: 0
2. Aug: 466

Weekly: 18 new folks (but almost none in the last few months)

LINKEDIN:

1. Feb: 0
2. Aug: 162

Weekly: 6 new people (but almost none in the last few months)

YOUTUBE:

1. Feb: 566
2. Aug: 665

Weekly: 3.8 new people (but, you guessed it, almost none in the last few months)

EMAIL SCHOOL

1. Feb: 180 members; $3,000 MRR
2. Aug: 256 members, $5,091 MRR

76 new members (2.9 per week) and added $80/mo in MRR per week.

REVENUE

I don't discuss revenue numbers in this newsletter, but here goes:

YoY numbers (Feb 1 to Aug 1)... I'm down 22.2% in revenue.

TOUGH PILLS TO SWALLOW?

I hired a fitness coach a year ago.

Every Monday, I send him pictures of me with my shirt off (don't worry, he asked for them).

Imagine if I were documenting my fitness journey to the world, and every week I looked the same?

"Tune back in next week, where it will be the same."

The truth is that I don't post to social media.

I haven't uploaded to YouTube in ages.

I just run ads to grow my list and sell my programs to that list.

If you're not on my list, too bad.

Didn't see an ad? That's on you.

I've had it.

I'm so annoyed at myself and this stupid newsletter for making me tell you about it each week when the numbers all look the same.

SO WHAT NOW, HOTSHOT?

I'm not saying ads -> list -> offers doesn't work.

I've built a really nice lifestyle-first business that affords me much time and freedom.

I love my wife more than ever, I'm in great shape, I pursue meaningful hobbies, and my kids still talk to me.

By every meaningful measurement, "it's working."

But there's this tug...

This call to contribution...

To something greater.

And I can't explain it.

But it propels me forward.

I don't know what's next.

But if I have to keep checking in with you and everything looks the same...

That doesn't work for me.

I'll figure it out.

Stay tuned.

Thanks for reading.

~ Cody

What's Next:

1. Enrollment in Email School is open, and there are some fun bonuses expiring on Thursday. Join here.
2. It's my birthday week (Thursday). Looking forward to some time to regroup.

Thanks for reading this issue of "Inbox Insiders."

See you next week,

~ Cody

P.S. If you've read this far, I don't want you to worry about me. I have a plan for content/traffic that is 100% aligned with how I like to show up. I have a plan for restructuring my main offer to make it irresistible. So, before you send a social worker to my house to check up on me... I have a plan. I just wanted to come clean on how my "don't post on social media but expect my audience to grow" strategy is not working... so I'm changing it. See ya next week.

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