sales-lettergrowth

What this skill does

# Lettergrowth Platform Help

## Step 1 — Gather context

If `references/learnings.md` exists, read it first for accumulated platform knowledge.

Ask the user:

1. **What's your newsletter situation?**
   - A) Looking for my first cross-promotion partners
   - B) Have done some swaps — want to find more partners efficiently
   - C) Evaluating Lettergrowth vs other cross-promotion tools
   - D) Need help with cross-promotion outreach or strategy

2. **Newsletter metrics** (helps match partners):
   - Subscriber count (approximate)
   - Niche / topic
   - Open rate

Skip-ahead rule: if the user's prompt already contains enough context, skip to Step 2.

## Step 2 — Route or answer directly

| If the question is about... | Route to... |
|---|---|
| General audience growth strategy | `/sales-audience-growth [question]` |
| Newsletter monetization / sponsorships | `/sales-newsletter [question]` |
| Paid recommendation networks (SparkLoop, Beehiiv Boosts) | `/sales-sparkloop [question]` or `/sales-beehiiv [question]` |
| Referral programs for subscriber growth | `/sales-sparkloop [question]` |
| Email deliverability after list growth | `/sales-deliverability [question]` |

When routing to another skill, provide the exact command.

## Step 3 — Lettergrowth platform reference

**Read `references/platform-guide.md`** for the full platform reference — how the directory works, profile optimization, partner evaluation criteria, outreach templates, and comparison with alternatives.

Answer the user's question using only the relevant section. Don't dump the full reference.

## Step 4 — Actionable guidance

Cross-promotion success depends on three things: partner fit, outreach quality, and tracking.

1. **Partner fit**: Look for newsletters 0.5x–2x your size in adjacent (not identical) niches. Same-niche swaps cannibalize; adjacent niches expand reach.
2. **Outreach**: Personalize every message — reference a specific recent issue. Generic "let's swap" messages get ignored.
3. **Tracking**: Use UTM parameters on every cross-promotion link. Compare 30-day retention of swap-sourced subscribers vs organic.

If you discover a gotcha or tip not covered in `references/learnings.md`, append it there.

## Gotchas

> *Best-effort from research — review these, especially items about platform status and feature availability.*

1. **Lettergrowth was acquired** — The Wisdom Group acquired Lettergrowth and plans to expand to podcasts/media. Feature set may evolve. Verify current state at app.lettergrowth.com.
2. **No automation surface** — No API, no webhooks, no Zapier/Make. All outreach is manual. For automated cross-promotion, use Beehiiv Boosts or SparkLoop.
3. **No built-in tracking** — Lettergrowth connects you with partners but doesn't track swap performance. You must add UTM tags manually.
4. **Free directory = variable quality** — Not all listed newsletters are actively maintained or open to swaps. Check recency of profile updates before reaching out.
5. **Cross-promotions don't scale past ~10K subs** — Users report diminishing returns at scale. Transition to paid recommendations (SparkLoop, Beehiiv Boosts) for 10K+ newsletters.

## Related skills

- `/sales-audience-growth` — Growing your email list (lead magnets, cross-promotion strategy, referral programs, social-to-email conversion)
- `/sales-newsletter` — Newsletter monetization (sponsorships, paid subscriptions, ad sales)
- `/sales-sparkloop` — SparkLoop platform help (referral programs, paid recommendations, partner programs, cross-promotion)
- `/sales-beehiiv` — Beehiiv platform help (Boosts for paid cross-promotion, referral programs, ad network)
- `/sales-kit` — Kit platform help (Creator Recommendations, paid recommendations)
- `/sales-email-marketing` — Email marketing strategy (what to send once you have subscribers)
- `/sales-do` — Not sure which skill to use? The router matches any sales objective to the right skill. Install: `npx skills add sales-skills/sales --skill sales-do`

## Examples

### Example 1: Finding first cross-promotion partners
**User says**: "I have a 2,000-subscriber newsletter about indie SaaS and want to find cross-promotion partners"
**Skill does**: Walks through Lettergrowth profile setup, recommends searching adjacent niches (solopreneur, no-code, bootstrapping), provides outreach template, suggests starting with 3 newsletters of similar size
**Result**: User has a profile on Lettergrowth, a shortlist of 5 potential partners, and an outreach template

### Example 2: Lettergrowth vs alternatives
**User says**: "Should I use Lettergrowth or something else to find newsletter swap partners?"
**Skill does**: Reads platform-guide.md comparison section, recommends Lettergrowth for manual discovery + Beehiiv Boosts or SparkLoop for automated paid recommendations at scale
**Result**: User picks the right tool based on their list size and goals

### Example 3: Cross-promotion not working
**User says**: "I've done 5 newsletter swaps through Lettergrowth but barely got any subscribers"
**Skill does**: Diagnoses likely causes (audience mismatch, weak CTA, no tracking), recommends evaluating partner open rates, using UTM tags, writing a stronger recommendation blurb
**Result**: User has a checklist for improving swap performance

## Troubleshooting

### Partners not responding to outreach
**Symptom**: Sent 10+ messages on Lettergrowth, got no replies
**Cause**: Generic outreach, size mismatch, or stale profiles
**Solution**: Reference a specific recent issue in your outreach. Target newsletters updated in the last 30 days. Stay within 0.5x–2x your subscriber count. Try different niches — adjacent beats identical.

### Low subscriber gain from swaps
**Symptom**: Partner promoted you but you only got 5-10 new subscribers from 5,000+ reach
**Cause**: Weak recommendation copy, audience mismatch, or low partner engagement
**Solution**: Write the recommendation blurb yourself (don't rely on partner to describe your newsletter). Ask for their open rate before committing. Include a specific value hook, not just "check out this newsletter."

### Unsure if Lettergrowth is still active
**Symptom**: Lettergrowth was acquired and you're not sure the directory is maintained
**Cause**: The Wisdom Group acquired Lettergrowth and is expanding the platform
**Solution**: Check app.lettergrowth.com for current listings. If stale, use alternatives: Collab Match (200+ newsletters), Substack Recommendations (Substack-only), or direct outreach via Reletter's 7M+ newsletter database (`/sales-reletter`).