Audience Bridge [Insights]

Matt Paulson, founder & CEO of MarketBeat, is just deleted 3 million "active" subscribers from his list — and he's doing it on purpose.In this episode of Audience Bridge Insights, recorded at MarketBeat's brand new Sioux Falls studio, I sit down with Matt for round two (he was my very first guest on this show) to unpack what's actually happening inside one of financial publishing's biggest email operations in 2026.We get into the engagement-only future of email, the 5-minute pixel rule that reclassified half their "opens" as automated, why MarketBeat now runs four parallel Beehiiv lists, the "Make Money Button" automation that Matt McGarry credits to Matt, ASN-level bot filtering, and the one metric Matt thinks every newsletter publisher should be obsessing over right now.If you publish a newsletter — especially in finance, health, or any vertical ISPs treat as "high risk" — this one is required listening.⏱️ CHAPTERS00:00 Cold open00:54 Welcome to the new MarketBeat studio01:28 The Yahoo collapse, one year later02:50 Apple is the new deliverability headache04:42 The 5-minute pixel rule that reset every metric05:50 Why MarketBeat is cutting their list from 6M to 3M07:03 The Beehiiv diversification play08:48 Inside the "Make Money Button"10:59 AI's impact on email and the inbox13:47 Inside the newsroom: Claude Code, Multi, and Victor18:53 SMS at MarketBeat: 200K active, $9 RPU23:15 YouTube and the new MarketBeat studio29:27 The cohort data game31:20 The bot war: ASN filtering and Cloudflare34:10 Why Spark Loop didn't work (and Beehiiv ads do)37:40 What every ESP is missing39:11 Matt's #1 advice for newsletter publishers40:04 Wrap-up🔗 ABOUT THE GUESTMatt Paulson — Founder & CEO, MarketBeatWebsite: https://www.marketbeat.com/ X.com: https://x.com/MediaKingABOUT CHRIS MIQUEL AND AUDIENCE BRIDGESubscribe to Our Newsletter: https://links.audiencebridge.io/subscribe-v2 In this video, EXPLAIN.Follow Chris on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrismiquel/ If you liked this video, subscribe to my channel! 

Co-reg has a bad reputation in the newsletter world—but most people are doing it wrong.In this episode of Audience Bridge Insights, Chris Miquel sits down with Tim Bourquin (Co-Founder of AfterOffers) to break down what actually works in co-registration today, how to scale list growth without destroying deliverability, and why activation—not CPL—is the metric that matters most.What You’ll Learn:— What Is After Offers & How Co-Reg Works— SMS Co-Reg: TCPA, Compliance & Double Opt-In— Tim's Origin Story: From LAPD to After Offers— Co-Reg Pricing: CPL Then vs. Now (Email & SMS)— Expanding Beyond FinPub & Why Topic Matching Is Everything— Building Both Sides of the Network (The Chicken-and-Egg Problem)— When to Use Co-Reg (and When NOT To)— Email Frequency, Nurture Strategy & Activation Tips— Tracking Performance & What Traffic Sources Are Converting Best— Offer Count, Compliance & the 4-Layer Email Validation Stack— Ramping Co-Reg Slowly & Welcome Email Best Practices— The Future of Co-Reg: SMS, AI Matching & Identity Graphs— The Future of Newsletters: Deliverability, Personal Branding & AI— Mindset, Habits, Book Recs & Where to Find TimAbout Tim BourquinTim Bourquin is the Co-Founder of AfterOffers, a co-registration platform working with 350+ publishers and 80–100 advertisers across multiple verticals including finance, health, and tech.Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/timbourquin/X: https://x.com/TimBourquinAfter Offers: https://www.afteroffers.com/About Chris MiquelChris Miquel is the Co-Founder of Audience Bridge, helping newsletter publishers improve deliverability, optimize list growth, and scale revenue through smarter data and segmentation strategies.Subscribe to Our Newsletter: https://links.audiencebridge.io/subscribe-v2 Follow Chris on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrismiquel/ Follow Chris on X: https://x.com/miqchris

 What if the thing quietly killing your email program had nothing to do with your content, your subject lines, or your list size? In this episode, Chris sat down with Armando Roggio, VP of Audience Development at Quartz, to dig into the deliverability blind spot most media operators never see coming — until it's too late. Armando shares what surprised him most when they started fixing Quartz's email infrastructure, how activation rates jumped from 10% to 40%, and why the industry's obsession with list size and CPMs is pointing publishers in exactly the wrong direction. They also get into the compounding nature of deliverability decay, why ISPs aren't exactly rushing to warn you when things go sideways, and the one question every publisher should be asking about their lead sources but almost nobody is. Honest, specific, and packed with things you can act on — this one's worth a full listen. Guest: Armando Roggio - Duplex (Quartz)LinkedIn - /in/armandoroggio/Website - QuartzHost: Chris Miquel - Founder, Audience BridgeLinkedIn - in/chrismiquel X (formerly Twitter) - @miqchris🔗 Learn more: www.audiencebridge.io📧 Subscribe to Audience Bridge Insights:  www.audiencebridge.io/subscribe 

Most newsletter publishers obsess over cost per lead. Nathan May, founder of The Feed Media (the largest agency for newsletter growth), explains why that's the wrong metric—and how one of his clients 10x'd revenue by increasing their CPL by 30%.In this episode of Audience Bridge Insights, Nathan breaks down:Why cost per lead is lying to you (and what to track instead)How creative became more important than targeting on FacebookWhy "cheap" traffic sources quietly destroy monetizationThe deliverability mistake that kills inbox placementWhat smart operators do differently (and how they outbid competitors)Key story: One newsletter increased their cost per lead by 30% and revenue went up 10x. Why? They stopped optimizing for "anyone who would sign up" and started optimizing for "people who would actually engage."Topics covered:Intro: The cost per lead trapWhat's changed in paid media (Facebook evolution)Optimizing for engagement vs. signupsThe 10x revenue story (CPL up 30%)Building proper revenue attributionScaling campaigns without losing qualityDefining quality traffic sourcesThe deliverability mistake killing newslettersWhy CPMs are the wrong metricWhy open rates are misleadingWhat smart operators do differentlyThe invite-only newsletter strategyRapid fire questionsWhere to find NathanPerfect for: Newsletter publishers, content creators, digital media operators, anyone running paid acquisition for email listsGuest: Nathan May - Founder, The Feed MediaLinkedIn - in/nathan-may1X (formerly Twitter) - @_May_HamWebsite - The Feed MediaHost: Chris Miquel - Founder, Audience BridgeLinkedIn - in/chrismiquel X (formerly Twitter) - @miqchris🔗 Learn more: www.audiencebridge.io📧 Subscribe to Audience Bridge Insights:  www.audiencebridge.io/subscribe

 Most publishers would look at the Catskills region of New York and say "too small to build a real business." Michael Kauffman proved them wrong.In this episode of Audience Bridge Insights, I sit down with Michael Kauffman, founder of Catskill Crew, a local newsletter that's rewriting the playbook on community publishing.Here's what makes his approach different:42,000 subscribers in a "small" market~$0.30 average subscriber acquisition costSends once per week (not daily)Monetizes without becoming an ad billboardBuilt a real business that could be bought and soldBut the numbers aren't the story. It's HOW he thinks about newsletters that changes everything.What we cover:Why local newsletters have a built-in growth advantageHow Michael made ~$8K in one week with a simple "bulletin" sectionWhy he only sends once per week (and why it works better than daily)Why events, products, and IRL experiences beat more email sendsHow he's using snail mail as a premium subscription (yes, actual mail)Why newsletters are becoming legitimate businesses you can buy and sellThe one mindset shift that separates winning publishers from dying mediaKey quote: "If you prioritize advertisers over subscribers, you're already losing."Who this episode is for:Local newsletter operators (or anyone thinking about starting one)Publishers feeling pressure to send more oftenAnyone looking to monetize without wrecking engagementFounders building sustainable, community-driven businessesGuest: Michael Kauffman, Founder of Catskill Crew 🔗 Catskill Crew Newsletter 🔗 The Newsletter Club 🔗 Michael Kaufmann on XHost: Chris Miquel, Founder of Audience Bridge🔗 Learn more: AudienceBridge.io 📧 Subscribe to Audience Bridge Insights: https://www.audiencebridge.io/subscribe

In this episode of Audience Bridge Insights, Chris Miquel sits down with Ryan Deiss, founder of DigitalMarketer and Traffic & Conversion Summit, to break down why email remains the most valuable channel in digital marketing — even as social platforms, SEO, and paid ads continue to change.Ryan shares hard-earned lessons from two decades in digital marketing, including what happens when algorithms change overnight, why owning your audience matters more than ever, and how modern email strategy has evolved beyond long automations and generic broadcasts.This conversation goes deep into email deliverability, list hygiene, segmentation, AI’s impact on education businesses, and why most brands are still measuring the wrong metrics.If you run a newsletter, media company, or any business that depends on audience growth and monetization, this episode will change how you think about email. What You’ll Learn in This Episode:Why email was the first social network (and why it still wins)How algorithm changes wiped out businesses overnightThe biggest mistakes marketers make with email todayWhy long email sequences no longer workHow segmentation and list hygiene protect deliverabilityThe 3–6% rule of engagementHow AI is reshaping education, courses, and contentWhy owning your audience is the ultimate leverageIf you run a newsletter or scale revenue through email, this episode will help you protect deliverability, grow smarter, and avoid the hidden mistakes that quietly destroy inbox reach.🔗 Connect with Ryan Deiss:LinkedIn → ryandeissX → ryandeissYoutube → RyanDeissOfficial🔗 Learn more about Audience Bridge:Website → https://www.audiencebridge.ioNewsletter → https://www.audiencebridge.io/subscribe

 In this episode of Audience Bridge Insights, Chris Miquel sits down with one of the most respected deliverability experts in the world — Matt Vernhout, Principal Consultant at Email Industries, founder of EmailKarma, co-chair of the BIMI Working Group, and a 20-year veteran in email policy, authentication, and sender reputation. We dive deep into what’s really happening inside Gmail, Yahoo, and Microsoft right now, how authentication is changing, and the new rules every sender needs to follow heading into Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and the 2025 holiday season. Matt breaks down: 🔹 Why more emails are landing in Gmail Promotions (and why that’s not bad) 🔹 The #1 misconception newsletter operators have about deliverability 🔹 How authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) really affects inboxing 🔹 What DKIM2 and DMARC 2.0 (“DMARCbis”) mean for the future 🔹 How AI is changing filtering, classification, and spam detection 🔹 Why warmup services are failing — and when they might still help 🔹 How subdomains and sender domain strategy impact your reputation 🔹 How to prevent cross-contamination across teams, tools, and ESPs 🔹 The right way to run reactivation + winback campaigns 🔹 What every sender MUST do in the next 2 weeks before Black Friday 🔹 Why data hygiene, validation, and new-user segments matter more than ever 🔹 How to avoid destroying your domain reputation in Q4 🔹 What’s coming next in email protocols and global platform policy If you run a newsletter, send marketing campaigns, or rely on email revenue — this episode is packed with strategic, tactical, and future-focused insights that will save you time, headaches, deliverability failures, and lost inbox reach. 🔗 Connect with Matt Vernhout:LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/vernhout/X → https://x.com/EmailKarma🔗 Learn more about Audience Bridge:Website → https://www.audiencebridge.ioNewsletter → https://www.audiencebridge.io/subscribe 

In this episode, Chris Miquel sits down with LoriBeth “LB” Blair, a full-stack email solutions architect and one of the most respected deliverability experts in the industry.LB has helped top newsletter operators, e-commerce brands, and major ESPs fix the toughest inboxing and deliverability challenges — saving clients millions in the process.Together, we break down the real reasons your emails aren’t inboxing and what you can do today to fix them.🔥 Topics Covered:Why your content is getting filtered (and it’s not “spam words”)Image compression, code bloat & secure linksDMARC, SPF, DKIM, and BIMI explained in plain EnglishHow hackers use “list bombing” & how to protect your formsDedicated vs Shared IPs — which one’s right for youWhen your deliverability crashes overnight (what to check first)Google’s One-Click Unsubscribe enforcementHow LB saves brands millions on email infrastructureWhat to audit before selling your media or newsletter businessWhere to find LB & final thoughts💡 Key Takeaways:Bloated HTML and uncompressed images are killing your inbox placement.DMARC is no longer optional. Start at p=none, collect data, then move to reject.Shared IPs are fine for low senders, but serious senders need dedicated infrastructure.Google now enforces one-click unsubscribes. Non-compliance = lower reputation.Your deliverability = your revenue. Stop guessing, start measuring.🔗 Connect with LB Blair:LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/lbblairSend Edge Consulting → https://www.sendedge.com🔗 Learn more about Audience Bridge:Website → https://www.audiencebridge.ioNewsletter → https://www.audiencebridge.io/subscribe🔗 Inside this Episode: Image Compression → https://tinypng.com/Spamhaus Reputation → https://www.spamhaus.org/domain-reputation/Gmail Enforcement → https://support.google.com/a/answer/14229414

In this episode of Audience Bridge Insights, Chris Miquel sits down with Tyler Morin, founder of The Water Coolest and Leverage Letter, to unpack how he built, scaled, and reclaimed one of the most successful business newsletters in the game.Tyler shares the behind-the-scenes story of selling The Water Coolest to Barstool Sports, buying it back, and building a new media model centered around authenticity, voice, and sustainable growth.We dive into:✅ The secret to creating a newsletter people actually look forward to✅ How Barstool taught Tyler to scale with personality✅ Paid vs. organic growth — what’s working in 2025✅ The power of voice, tone, and consistency in email✅ How AI is changing content creation (and how to use it without losing your identity)✅ Why engagement is the new deliverability metric✅ What the next wave of newsletter media looks likeIf you’re building, running, or scaling a newsletter — this is a must-watch episode.📩 Subscribe to Audience Bridge Insights for weekly deliverability tips: https://www.audiencebridge.io/subscribeMentioned in this episode:📨 The Water Coolest → https://thewatercoolest.com/📨 Leverage Letter → https://www.leverageletter.co/🎙️ Letterland Pod → https://www.youtube.com/@LetterLandPod𝕏 Tyler Morin → https://x.com/JPMorinChase[in] Tyler Morin → https://www.linkedin.com/in/tylermorin/𝕏 Chris Miquel → https://x.com/miqchris[in] Chris Miquel → https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrismiquel/

In this episode of Audience Bridge Insights, I sit down with Bryan Jenkins, Director of Sales at Email Oversight, to dig into the unsexy but critical side of email: data quality and validation.We cover why one bad email address can ruin a lot of good, how to validate at acquisition, when to re-clean your list, and what to do about bounces and complaints before they destroy your sender reputation.If you send email at scale, this conversation is a must-watch.What you’ll learn in this episode: ✅ Why validating emails at acquisition is the cheapest way to protect your list ✅ How list decay works — and why re-cleaning isn’t optional ✅ The role complainers and bounces play in inbox placement ✅ Why trimming your list isn’t losing muscle, it’s cutting fat ✅ Pro tips for managing Yahoo/Gmail bounce codes the smart wayListen now and learn how to keep your list clean, protect your reputation, and boost inbox placement.📩 Subscribe to Audience Bridge Insights for weekly deliverability tips: https://www.audiencebridge.io/subscribeMentioned in this episode:📨 Email Oversight𝕏 Chris MiquelBryan Jenkins

In this episode of Audience Bridge Insights, I sat down with Jesse Watkins, founder of Who Sponsors Stuff and co-creator of The Newsletter Conference, to unpack the real mechanics of newsletter monetization.We cover:✅ Why sponsorships aren’t plug-and-play revenue✅ The importance of aligning sponsors with your brand’s voice✅ Why flat-fee pricing often beats CPM models✅ Direct sales vs. ad networks — and which wins long term✅ How to scale once your ad inventory is fullWhether you’re just starting to monetize your newsletter or you’re looking to optimize and scale sponsorship revenue, this conversation is packed with actionable insights.📩 Subscribe to Audience Bridge Insights for weekly deliverability tips: https://www.audiencebridge.io/subscribeMentioned in this episode:📨 Who Sponsors Stuff📨 The Newsletter Conference𝕏 Chris MiquelJesse Watkins

Hitting the inbox is harder than ever. In this episode of the Audience Bridge Podcast, I sit down with Kyle Renfrow, CEO & CTO of ESP OptiPub, to talk about what really moves the needle for email deliverability in 2025.We cover:✅ How Yahoo & Gmail’s latest changes are impacting inbox placement✅ Dedicated vs Shared IPs – and the hybrid model most marketers overlook✅ The deliverability data your ESP isn’t showing you (and why it matters)✅ Scaling to high volumes without destroying your sender reputation✅ Actionable steps to protect and improve your domain reputationIf you’re sending newsletters, campaigns, or high-volume email, this conversation is packed with strategies you can implement immediately.📩 Subscribe to Audience Bridge Insights for weekly deliverability tips: https://www.audiencebridge.io/subscribeMentioned in this episode:📨 Optipub → https://optipub.com/𝕏 Chris Miquel → https://x.com/miqchrisKyle Renfrow → https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyle-renfrow/ 

How do you deliver 25+ local newsletters a day, scale to millions of subscribers, and maintain rock-solid inboxing while doing it?In this episode, I sit down with Ryan Heafy, Co-founder and COO of 6AM City, to unpack the systems, strategy, and culture behind one of the largest local newsletter networks in the country.We cover:✅ How 6AM City manages high-volume daily sending without tanking deliverability✅ Their editorial + data engine that drives local engagement✅ What happens when you acquire a network of AI-powered newsletters (like Good Daily)✅ Real-time email performance insights and how they optimize across cities✅ The importance of internal alignment between ops, tech, and editorialWhether you’re sending 1 newsletter or 100, this episode is packed with insights on scaling email the right way.📩 Want more episodes like this?Subscribe to the Audience Bridge Insights newsletter for weekly deliverability strategy, list growth tactics, and expert interviews:👉 https://www.audiencebridge.io/subscribeMentioned in this episode:📨 6AM City → https://6amcity.com𝕏 Chris Miquel → https://x.com/miqchris𝕏 Ryan Heafy → https://x.com/ryanheafy

In this episode, I sit down with Tyler O’Shea, founder of The Underdog Newsletter, to break down how he turned around his declining open rates, overcame inbox placement issues, and built a smarter, more profitable email strategy using the Base Sending Segment method.Whether you're a newsletter operator, email marketer, or media buyer—this conversation is packed with insights you can apply immediately.🧠 What We Cover:- The problem that nearly wrecked Tyler’s deliverability- How Beehiiv flagged his list—and how he fixed it- Why sending to your full list is a mistake (and what to do instead)- How to build your Base Sending Segment- Inbox recovery, smarter segmentation, and growth without risk🎧 Listen, learn, and apply the exact tactics Tyler used to hit 55% open rates and scale without spammy tricks or cold blasts.🔗 Subscribe for more episodes on email growth, deliverability, and newsletter strategy.Mentioned in this episode:📨 The Underdog Newsletter → https://newsletter.jokermag.com/📥 AudienceBridge → https://www.audiencebridge.io/subscribe𝕏 Chris Miquel → https://x.com/miqchris𝕏 Tyler O'shea → https://x.com/OSheaSEO

What does it take to grow from a personal finance blog to 5.4 million+ email subscribers and a business generating 8 figures in revenue?In this premiere episode of Audience Bridge, we sit down with Matt Paulson, the founder of MarketBeat, who reveals how he scaled a newsletter-powered empire without relying on big tech, SEO gimmicks, or cookie-cutter tools.🔥 What you’ll learn in this episode:How MarketBeat got its first 500,000 subscribers organicallyWhy email is STILL their #1 revenue driver (even in 2025)The exact infrastructure Matt uses to send millions of emails dailyHow they spend $1M/month on ads — and track ROI down to the sourceDeliverability war stories: Yahoo blocks, Microsoft filters, and how to beat themWhy SMS (just 5% of their list) drives 40% of revenueThe ruthless list hygiene strategy that keeps their inbox rates sky-high📬 Whether you're a media operator, newsletter founder, or marketer looking to build your own audience engine — this is the blueprint.👉 Subscribe to the Audience Bridge podcast for more interviews with the minds behind the internet’s biggest and smartest audience machines.🔗 Get the newsletter: https://www.audiencebrige.io/subscribe📩 Follow Chris: https://x.com/miqchris | https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrismiquel/📩 Follow Matt: https://x.com/mattpaulsonSD | https://mattpaulson.com