How to use Twitter to 10X your newsletter growth

Twitter shut down Revue, its own newsletter platform, in early 2023.

No heads-up. Just a shutdown notice.

Creators scrambled to export subscribers, redirect links, and move newsletters to platforms like beehiiv or Substack.

When you build an audience on rented land, you don’t get a say in what happens next.

Twitter’s reach has dropped hardengagement’s down, impressions are down, the platform’s growth is flatlining.

The feed has changed completely in the past 2 years.

Earlier your reach depended on how many people followed you.

Now your reach depends on how good your content is. 

That’s “the death of the follower.”

Meaning if your post gets engagement, Twitter shows it to more people, whether they follow you or not.

Your goal is to use this to your benefit. Get seen, and move people off Twitter and onto your newsletter.

This guide breaks down how to do that.

1. Treat Twitter like a funnel

Treat your Twitter profile as your landing page.

When someone clicks your profile, you’ve got 5 seconds to make it count, and everything should guide them toward one action: subscribing to your newsletter.

Rowan’s Twitter is dialed.

1. First, the photo.

It’s sharp. It’s close-up. Clean, direct eye contact. That alone makes people more likely to click.

2. The bio sells.

Rowan leads with: “Founder of the world’s most read daily AI newsletter.”

That one liner tells you all — what it is, what it’s about, and why you should care.

3. The CTA is baked in.

“Join 1,000,000+ Readers →”

Social proof. Forward motion. No fluff.

4. Link is short + branded.

No Linktree. No noise. Just rundown.ai. That’s it.

5. The banner’s clean.

A mountain + a quote. Doesn’t distract. Feels premium, even if you don’t read it.

2. Post the kind of tweets that lead to subscriptions

Write to solve a problem. This type of content leads to converting followers, casual readers into newsletter subscribers.

Break down a tactic. 

Share a workflow. 

Show your reader how to do one thing better.

Example: The day after OpenAI dropped their new 4o image generation update, my buddy Alex posted examples of DTC ad creatives he made using Claude + ChatGPT.

It hit 2.9M views and exploded with bookmarks + shares.

His post was:

  • hyper-relevant to a niche (DTC marketers)

  • visually interesting

  • and timed perfectly with a major product drop

And then he naturally plugged his newsletter link in the comments.

That simple move got him 2.3K+ subs in 3 days.

That’s how you do it.

Lead with value. Then link.

3. Use smart distribution to drive subs

Now that you’ve got content that converts, here’s how to get it in front of more people.

Smart creators show up where attention already exists and drop the right link at the right time.

Here are 5 tactics that work right now:

1. Drop CTAs in the comments

Drop a follow-up comment with your newsletter link as a comment under tweets.

Alex Cooper’s reply got 2.3K subs. 

One comment. Perfect timing.

2. Tease your newsletter before launch

Preview what’s coming. Add a subscribe link.

Alex pitched his newsletter days before (March 26) he sent the first email (March 30). 

3. Announce your newsletter launch

When you promote your newsletter launch, explain:

  • What your newsletter is about

  • The value it offers

  • A CTA linking to your signup page

This is exactly what Riley did here:

4. Promote in thread endings 

By far one of the most popular ways to promote newsletters. 

Use threads to teach, share stories, or break down complex ideas. 

Make the first tweet a strong hook. Keep it to 5–15 tweets. And in the last thread, ask readers to subscribe for more like this or a deep-dive.

5. Be early in the replies

One of most underutilized tactics.

Show up under a viral tweet. Add something smart. Add value. 

If your comment gets traction, people check your profile.

If your profile’s built like a funnel, they subscribe.

This works insanely well in tight niches. Especially if the main post is already from someone your audience trusts.

6. Use DMs—but only when it makes sense

If someone follows you or replies to a post, send a short, useful message. 

Along with it talk naturally about your newsletter. Keep it casual. Let them say yes.

Steal our cold DM template that got us over thousands of sign-ups from Twitter:

5. Lead magnets

Give away something useful. A template. A swipe file. A checklist. An audit file.

Make it relevant for your ICP. Gate it with email.

Here’s one that crushed. 

Shushant's lead magnet got a massive reach - over 1M views, 6K likes, tons of comments and retweets.

Why it worked:

  • Clear benefit

  • Urgency (“free today”)

  • Simple steps

  • Gated link via DM (email capture)

Read my in-depth guide on launching high-converting lead magnets.

If you want to grow your newsletter list, you need to treat Twitter like a system.

Start with what works fastest:

lead magnets and pre-newsletter teasers.

Then layer in high-value threads, replies, and DMs.

Want to scale even faster?

If you’re ready to monetize your newsletter, here’s how to find advertisers even if you have a small audience.