How Jon Finkel Grew Books & Biceps by Blending Fitness + Reading on beehiiv
From a clunky Mailchimp setup to 27,000+ “sophisticated meatheads” with Boosts, referrals, and better design
Table of contents
Snapshot
- Creator: Jon Finkel (author + longtime fitness/media writer)
- Newsletter: Books & Biceps (books + workouts + motivation + author Q&As)
- Audience: 27,000+ subscribers
- Growth: ~1.5K → 6K+ in ~6 months after switching platforms
Challenge:
Jon’s newsletter started on Mailchimp, but it was overbuilt for a solo creator: slow, clunky, and not designed for newsletter-first growth.
He needed:
- A faster writing + publishing workflow
- Better design control (landing page + email templates)
- Built-in growth tools (referrals, Boosts)
- A path to turn the newsletter into a real brand (not just book promo)
Solution:
Jon moved Books & Biceps to beehiiv after seeing trusted creators recommend it and noticing it repeatedly in his Twitter/X feed.
What changed:
- Simpler publishing (write and build directly in-platform)
- Design Lab + templates to improve presentation without extra tools
- Boosts + referrals to accelerate acquisition
- Better distribution workflow (easy link-sharing across social)
Execution
Key levers Jon used:
- Consistent weekly issues with a repeatable format (books + biceps)
- Timely, personal content (training goals + progress updates)
- Social promotion (links in threads/posts, always pointing to the signup)
- Backlist activation (reintroducing past books to new subscribers at the right moments)
- Community flywheel (readers joining challenges, replying, sharing)
Results:
- 4x subscriber growth in ~6 months (~1.5K → 6K+)
- Higher-quality subscribers from Boosts/referrals + better targeting
- Newsletter evolved from “author update email” into a standalone brand + community
- Increased inbound opportunities (including ghostwriting leads) driven by credibility + visibility
Why It Worked
Books & Biceps wins because it’s:
- Niche + differentiated (fitness and reading for the same person)
- Community-driven (readers participate, not just consume)
- Built on owned audience (not dependent on algorithms)
- Supported by platform-native growth tools (Boosts, referrals, design, forms)
Key Takeaway
If your newsletter is stuck in “tooling hell,” switching to a newsletter-first platform can unlock consistency + growth fast—especially when the content is already differentiated.
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