# How Newsletters Use Paid Ad Buys to Acquire Subscribers

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-newsletter-podcast-with-fexingo-substack-beehiiv-and-email-newsletter-business-7871729/how-newsletters-use-paid-ad-buys-to-acquire-subscribers
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-newsletter-podcast-with-fexingo-substack-beehiiv-and-email-newsletter-business-7871729/how-newsletters-use-paid-ad-buys-to-acquire-subscribers.md
Podcast: [The Newsletter Podcast with Fexingo: Substack, Beehiiv, and Email Newsletter Business](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-newsletter-podcast-with-fexingo-substack-beehiiv-and-email-newsletter-business-7871729)
Published: 2026-07-09T18:58:19+00:00
Episode link: https://audio.fexingo.com/business/the-newsletter-podcast/episode-0102.mp3
Audio file: https://audio.fexingo.com/business/the-newsletter-podcast/episode-0102.mp3
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Duration seconds: 486

## Resource

Lucas and Luna explore the strategy of using paid advertising — specifically Facebook and Instagram ads — to grow a newsletter subscriber base. They break down the math behind cost-per-acquisition, how to target lookalike audiences from your best free readers, and why most newsletter writers fail at paid ads because they don't track the right metrics. The hosts walk through a concrete example from a 50,000-subscriber business newsletter that spent $3,000 on ads to acquire 1,200 new free subscribers at a $2.50 cost-per-lead. They also discuss the decision to optimize for free subscribers who later convert to paid versus optimizing directly for paid conversions. Plus, Lucas shares why he believes paid ads are underutilized in the newsletter space and the one mistake that kills ROI. #NewsletterAdvertising #PaidAcquisition #Substack #Beehiiv #FacebookAds #InstagramAds #CostPerLead #LookalikeAudiences #EmailMarketing #SubscriberGrowth #MarketingStrategy #DigitalAdvertising #NewsletterBusiness #FexingoBusiness #BusinessPodcast #MarketingPodcast #NewsletterPodcast #EmailNewsletter Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

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## Transcript

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