Email Marketing Stories

Learn from founders who navigated email marketing challenges. Make the same decisions they faced and understand the outcomes.

Matt Giovanisci

Swim University

Swim University: How Matt Giovanisci Turned Pool Know-How into $1M/yr Content Business

Matt Giovanisci built Swim University by translating hands-on pool retail experience into precise tutorials and ‘one best pick’ recommendations. He shifted from ads to affiliates and then to courses/books, while curating an evergreen catalog maintained like a textbook. A lean family team repurposes scripts across YouTube, SEO, and a large seasonal newsletter, contributing to a $1M+ year. The approach is disciplined: fewer but better posts, single-SKU picks, price testing, and operations that stay small to protect margins.

Affiliate Marketing SEO Content Strategy +5 more

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Tim Stoddart

Tim Stoddart’s Directory Sites

How Tim Stoddart’s Directory Sites Became a $250k/Year Profit Engine

Tim Stoddart built directory sites where the core product (listings) also serves as marketing: every new listing increases utility and attracts more advertisers. After learning content and SEO through Copyblogger and agency work, he focused on technical directory architecture—category/geo pages aligned to commercial intent—and monetized with paid featured placements. SoberNation’s treatment directory demonstrated the model’s profitability (on the order of $250k/year), and the approach generalizes to high-LTV local services. Cash-flow-first operations and lean systems underpinned execution.

Directories Lead Generation +5 more

4 decision points

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