How The B-Side Hit 10,000 Subscribers and 60% Open Rates on beehiiv
Boston Globe Media built a daily Gen-Z newsletter with standout engagement in just 5 months
Table of contents
Overview
- Newsletter: The B-Side
- Company: Boston Globe Media
- GM: Andrew Grillo (Director of New Product Revenue)
- Launch: October 2022
- Platform: beehiiv
- Frequency: Daily
- Audience: 20–30-year-olds in Boston
- Results: 10,000 subscribers, ~60% open rates
The Backstory
Boston Globe Media saw a clear shift: Gen Z wasn’t consuming local news through newspapers, TV, or traditional websites. Rather than forcing old formats onto younger readers, the team pitched a new product—a creator-led, email-first news brand built specifically for how Gen Z consumes content.
The idea for The B-Side came out of a company-wide hack day and was greenlit as an internal startup.
Why a Newsletter
Email offered what social and web couldn’t:
- A direct, one-to-one connection with readers
- A consistent daily habit
- Ownership of the audience, independent of algorithms
The goal wasn’t just reach—it was daily engagement.
Why beehiiv
Before beehiiv, Boston Globe Media primarily used Mailchimp. For The B-Side, they needed something different.
beehiiv stood out because it allowed the team to:
- Launch a self-contained media business from zero
- Access deep analytics without an analytics team
- Build a distinct brand separate from Boston Globe Media
- Scale without pricing penalties
Andrew described beehiiv as differentiated enough to justify breaking from existing tooling.
Growth Strategy
The team avoided blasting the newsletter to existing Boston Globe lists (which skew older). Instead, they focused on high-intent, on-brand acquisition:
- Targeted placements on Boston.com (food, culture, events)
- University partnerships (BU, Northeastern)
- Giveaways and local brand collaborations
- Event-based signups with partners like Sofar Sounds
- Strong social presence via short-form video
Growth was intentional, slow, and audience-first.
Monetization
Current:
- Native newsletter ads written in The B-Side’s voice
- Premium placements amplified across Boston.com
Planned:
- beehiiv Ad Network
- Live events for 20–30-year-olds in Boston
- Membership (guides, events, exclusive access)
Results
After 5 months on beehiiv:
- 10,000 subscribers
- ~60% open rates (daily send)
- 8–10% click-through rates
- Strong deliverability and platform reliability
Andrew emphasized quality over vanity metrics, noting the audience was “hyper-engaged.”
Favorite beehiiv Features
- 3D Analytics: Clear visibility into growth, engagement, and acquisition sources
- Segmentation: Easily analyze cohorts (students, event signups, referral sources)
- Brand & Design Tools: Consistent look across email, site, and forms
- Flat Pricing: Predictable costs as the list scales
Key Takeaways
- Don’t force legacy audiences onto new products—build for the right reader from day one
- Daily newsletters can work if the content is fast, relevant, and voice-driven
- Native ads outperform banners when they match editorial tone
- beehiiv enables lean teams to run serious media businesses
- Engagement beats scale when monetization is the goal
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