Cross-promotion — recommending another newsletter to your readers in exchange for the same in return — is one of the few growth tactics that costs nothing but consistently works. Here's exactly how to set up a swap, structure it fairly, and avoid the mistakes that make most cross-promotions underperform.
The simplest cross-promotion structure: two newsletters recommend each other in the same issue or the week after.
Why Cross-Promotion Works So Well
Unlike cold advertising, a recommendation from a newsletter someone already trusts carries the trust of that recommendation with it. When Newsletter A tells its readers "I've been reading Newsletter B and think you'd like it too," the conversion rate is typically far higher than any paid ad, because the endorsement comes from someone the reader has already chosen to trust.
Finding the Right Partners
Similar size, adjacent audience
The best cross-promotion partners have a similar subscriber count (so the swap feels fair to both sides) and an adjacent but not identical audience. A personal finance newsletter and a career-advice newsletter share an audience profile without being direct competitors — readers of one are plausibly interested in the other.
Where to actually find them
Newsletter discovery platforms (like savd.site's leaderboard, organised by niche) make it far easier to find comparably-sized newsletters in adjacent categories than cold-searching social media. Substack Notes and niche-specific Discord or Slack communities for newsletter creators are also reliable places to find willing swap partners.
How to Structure the Swap Fairly
Same format, same placement — if you write three sentences about their newsletter, ask for three sentences back, placed in a similar spot in their issue (not buried at the bottom while yours is up top)
Same timing — recommend each other within the same week, so neither side is waiting on the other or forgets
Write it in your own voice — a recommendation that sounds like copy-pasted marketing copy converts far worse than one that sounds like you personally read and liked it
💡 What actually converts
Specific beats generic. "I recommend this newsletter" underperforms "Their piece on X changed how I think about Y — worth your five minutes" by a wide margin, because specificity signals you've genuinely read it.
Beyond One-to-One Swaps: Recommendation Networks
Some platforms (Beehiiv notably) have built-in recommendation networks where dozens of newsletters cross-recommend each other automatically, and creators earn a small amount for every subscriber referred through the network. Substack has a simpler native "recommendations" feature that works similarly, though without direct payment.
Measuring Whether It Actually Worked
Use a unique tracked link (most email platforms support UTM parameters) for each cross-promotion swap rather than a plain link. Without this, it's nearly impossible to know whether a given swap actually drove signups or whether growth that week came from something else entirely. Track subscriber growth for the specific week of the swap against your normal baseline growth rate to isolate its effect.
When a Swap Isn't Worth Doing
Be cautious of newsletters with subscriber counts that look large but have very low apparent engagement (few comments, no visible community). A swap with a newsletter that has 20,000 disengaged subscribers often converts worse than a swap with a newsletter that has 3,000 highly engaged ones — audience quality matters more than raw size.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is newsletter cross-promotion?
Cross-promotion is when two newsletter creators agree to recommend each other's newsletter to their own readers, usually within the same week, in exchange for the same recommendation in return. It costs nothing but the placement itself and works because the recommendation carries the trust of an audience's existing relationship with the creator.
How do I find newsletters to cross-promote with?
Newsletter discovery platforms organised by niche make it easy to find comparably-sized newsletters in adjacent (not identical) categories. Creator communities on Discord, Slack, or Substack Notes are also reliable places to find willing swap partners directly.
Does cross-promotion actually grow subscribers?
Yes, when done with a well-matched partner and a specific, genuine-sounding recommendation rather than generic copy. Using a unique tracked link for each swap is the only reliable way to measure how many subscribers a specific cross-promotion actually generated.
What size newsletter should I swap with?
Aim for a similar subscriber count so the exchange feels fair to both sides, and an adjacent (not identical) audience so there's genuine crossover interest without direct competition for the same readers.
Is your newsletter on the leaderboard?
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