The host launched his crypto newsletter not with expertise, but with a story of his massive failure to buy the Ethereum presale. This vulnerable "anti-credibility" narrative built trust with beginners and served as a compelling hook to gain subscribers.
Beehiiv launched with a simple, all-inclusive $99 plan. While not the most scalable pricing model, its simplicity made it easy to communicate and removed friction for early adopters. They prioritized getting users over perfect monetization.
Beehiiv has a Slack channel where employees share any positive user mention from social media. The entire team is encouraged to "pump" the post by liking and retweeting it. This simple system creates a powerful, coordinated amplification of social proof.
Beehiiv's early, manual user approval process was a product flaw. The founder turned this negative into a positive by using the check as a trigger to personally follow and DM every new user, transforming a point of friction into a powerful community-building touchpoint.
Beehiiv's product roadmap is guided by a simple three-part framework. First, build features to prevent existing customer churn. Second, build features that unblock new growth. Third, build features that create maximal hype and excitement in the market.
To launch Beehiiv's waitlist, the founder tweeted about "limited time" and "a few spots," admitting it was a "complete lie." This manufactured urgency successfully converted his small Twitter following into a 400-person lead list before the product was even ready.
Beehiiv's strategy to overcome an early feature deficit was to ship one "marketable" feature every week. The focus on "marketable"—meaning it's exciting enough to tweet about—ensured they built things users cared about, creating a narrative of rapid progress.
Beehiiv's founder contrasted a failed crypto venture (no expertise) with his successful startup built on his Morning Brew experience. This credibility story was his primary asset for attracting early users and investors before he had revenue or traction.
Instead of a generic description, lead with one sentence detailing your most impressive accomplishment. "We helped launch the consumer brand Poppy" is a "kill shot" that provides immediate credibility far more powerfully than saying "we're a CPG marketing agency."
Beehiiv's waitlist form asked, "Why are you interested in using Beehiiv?" The answers became a simple but powerful CRM. This gave the founder a 400-person lead list where each entry came with personalized instructions on exactly what pain points to address.
Beehiiv's founder sends investor updates to both backers and VCs who passed on investing. This tactic keeps potential future investors warm without time-consuming meetings and creates powerful FOMO. This strategy helped them raise their Series A in one week.