How Gayjoy Grew to 1,000 Subscribers as a Solo Creator Using beehiiv

Overview

Gayjoy Digest is a weekly newsletter covering queer pop culture, celebrity news, and community stories, built for lesbian, trans, and nonbinary readers who are often underserved by mainstream media.

Founded by Nicole Ripka, Gayjoy started as an extension of a fast-growing queer events brand in New York City. But the newsletter was created with a broader mission: reach queer people outside major cities who may not have access to in-person community or representation.

In under a year, Gayjoy Digest grew to 1,000 subscribers, driven by authenticity, partnerships, and beehiiv’s built-in growth tools.

The Newsletter

• Newsletter: Gayjoy Digest
• Founder: Nicole Ripka
• Frequency: Weekly
• Subscribers: 1,000+
• Focus: Queer pop culture, celebrity news, deep dives, and community spotlights

Each edition blends light-hearted gossip—queer celebrity relationships, coming-out moments, upcoming films—with thoughtful cultural analysis and community features.

The Challenge

As a solo founder, Nicole needed a platform that supported:

• Organic growth without heavy operational overhead
• Referral-driven expansion
• Long-term audience ownership

While Substack was appealing from a branding perspective, it lacked the built-in growth infrastructure needed for a one-person operation focused on scaling.

Why beehiiv

Gayjoy migrated to beehiiv to prioritize growth from day one.

Key reasons:

• Native referral program (no third-party tools required)
• Platform designed for newsletters as businesses—not just writing tools
• Strong founder-led product vision

“When I found Tyler’s post about building Morning Brew’s referral system, it was a no-brainer. As a solo entrepreneur, I need growth support.”

Growth Strategy

Gayjoy’s growth has been driven by:

• Referral incentives (e.g. Pride Guides unlocked with one referral)
• Events-to-newsletter flywheel, converting in-person attendees into long-term readers
• Partnerships and earned media, including features in The New York Times and The Cut

One referral campaign alone generated 70 referrals from a list of ~1,000 subscribers—validating referrals as a scalable, low-effort growth lever.

Audience Focus

Gayjoy is intentionally built for:

• Lesbian, trans, and nonbinary readers
• Queer people outside major cities
• Readers seeking joyful, affirming representation—not corporate-filtered coverage

The newsletter functions as both media and community touchpoint for readers who may not have local access to queer spaces.

Favorite beehiiv Feature

Referral Program

“If your platform doesn’t offer built-in growth, you’re wasting time. With beehiiv, the referral system is just there—and it works.”

Results

• 1,000+ subscribers as a solo creator
• High-quality referrals driven by community incentives
• Strong conversion from events to email
• A scalable foundation for expanding Gayjoy into a larger lifestyle business

Gayjoy Digest proves that you don’t need a team or paid ads to grow a meaningful media brand, you need the right platform.

beehiiv gave a solo founder the tools to:

• Launch fast
• Turn readers into referrers
• Own the audience relationship from day one

If you’re building a newsletter rooted in community, identity, or culture and want growth without operational drag- Start your newsletter on beehiiv for free