Instead of traditional newsletter cross-promotions, Alex Garcia initiated 'newsletter-to-video' swaps. He promoted a creator's YouTube channel in his newsletter in exchange for them promoting his newsletter in one of their videos, tapping into a different and highly engaged audience format.

Instead of raising money to buy ads, founders should explore capital-efficient alternatives. Club Penguin partnered with gaming site Miniclip for a revenue share. This cost them nothing upfront, provided massive distribution, and ultimately created a win-win outcome for both companies.

To remain sustainable, the local media outlet combines direct ad sales, branded content, merchandise (coupon passports), and a Patreon membership. This multi-pronged approach provides stability and avoids over-reliance on a single, often volatile, revenue stream like programmatic advertising.

Despite high LLM costs, Lovable aggressively gives its product away for hackathons and events. This is framed as a marketing expense, not a cost of goods sold. This strategy removes barriers to entry and drives word-of-mouth more effectively than competing for eyeballs on traditional paid ad channels.

Consumers hesitate to pay for intangible digital content. By bundling an annual subscription with a physical item like a tote bag, zine, or coffee cup, publishers give subscribers a tangible 'excuse' to make the purchase, bridging the value perception gap between digital and physical goods.

The brand runs paid ads on Meta specifically to recruit new affiliates. The ads are profitable on their own from direct product sales to people signing up. This creates a powerful growth loop: they acquire customers profitably while simultaneously building an army of affiliates who then generate even more sales.

Media companies can scale paid acquisition infinitely by selling a low-ticket digital product (e.g., a guide) on the thank-you page after a free newsletter signup. If even a small percentage buys, the revenue can offset ad costs, making subscriber growth free or profitable.

Create value for customers at no cost by offering your platform as a marketing channel for partners. A local sports league can partner with restaurants to provide free food, enhancing the player experience while giving vendors access to a targeted audience.

Instead of running their own ads, an influencer can propose a deal to create ad content for a partner brand. The brand funds the ad spend, and the influencer accepts a reduced commission (e.g., 20% instead of 40%) on sales. This generates risk-free revenue and free brand exposure for the influencer.