How I Grew a Newsletter From 0 → 5,000 Subscribers in Under 5 Months

The Tools and Tactics That Actually Work

Growing a newsletter from scratch is brutal.

Nobody knows you. Nobody cares. You hit publish and… silence.
This is the part where most people quit.

But in June, I made a decision: I’d publish one high-quality issue of Output Theory every single week — no matter what.

Five months later, we passed 5,000 subscribers and landed in the top ~5% of fastest-growing newsletters on Substack.

Today I’ll break down the exact levers I pulled and the ones that actually mattered.

What This Journey Taught Me

When I launched Output Theory in June, I had no online audience, no social media following, and no prior experience in newsletter publishing.

My subscriber count was a flat zero. Today, just five months later, Output Theory is sitting well over 5,000 subscribers and is recognized as one of the fastest-growing publications in its niche.

No audience. No ads. No hacks.

What follows is the playbook I wish someone had handed me on day one.