Issue #2: Tom Alder's journey to 55k+ Subscribers
Hey folks, we are 200+ strong now. Thank you so much. I am going full-time on this having left my job a few months back.
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Read time: 3 minutes
One Insight: Leverage LinkedIn, SEO, Paid Referrals & Ads to enhance discoverability and boost subscriber growth.
About Tom
Tom, founder of Breakdown Strategy and former Strategy & Operations Manager at Atlassian, started with a 30-day LinkedIn challenge in July 2021.
Two years and hundreds of posts later, he’s focused on building an audience-first media brand offering concise, actionable strategy playbooks.
The Growth Breakdown
Focus on system Creation: He developed a structured process that guides ideas from capture to final output.
Content Intake: Follows tech and B2B trends on HackerNews, Twitter, LinkedIn, and newsletters.
Idea Capture: Saves ideas to a Notion database via the "Save to Notion" extension.
Prioritization: Chooses topics based on “Viral Potential” and “Effort,” but often writes by instinct.
Writing Process: Focuses on quick drafting and slow editing, applying the 80:20 rule for newsletter subject lines.
Publishing: Uses Taplio for LinkedIn and Beehiiv for newsletters.
Engagement: Responds to social media comments and emails.
Analysis: Constantly tweaks strategy based on performance metrics.
Focus on growth levers: He used LinkedIn, Paid Referrals, Ads and consumer obsessions to drive his newsletter growth
LinkedIn Growth Breakdown Insight
Consistent Posting: Started with a 30-day challenge. Posts daily now.
Outbound Engagement: Leaves 15-20 comments on large creator accounts—his top growth hack.
First Hour is Key: 100 likes in the first hour can result in 500-700 total likes.
Add Multiple Comments: Comment 10 minutes after posting if others have commented, or after an hour with 2-3 comments, sharing tips, quotes, or asking for sign-ups.
Viral Growth: Not all posts go viral, but some will drive massive growth. Comment again after a few hours for extra engagement.
Leveraging Paid Referral: Uses platforms like SparkLoop, Refind, and Beehiiv Boosts—marketplaces where newsletters can promote each other for a commission per engaged subscriber.
Monetising via Ads: You can check out his Passion Froot page to gather information on how much he charges
Growth from direct subscribers: According to Tom, his direct subscriber base is as follows:
4.4% from backlinks [SEO]
17.9% from search engines [SEO]
17.35% from LinkedIn
8.3% from email links (from our newsletter or others)
Affiliate marketing: Small source of revenue. Access his doc below.
Customer Obsession: Lately, he’s been taking feedback calls to double down on his offerings.
What’s next?
Seems like he's creating a strategic hub to help curious minds learn the practical skills that’ll be useful in their career
Tool Recommendations
Good Reads
BluSmart's plan to beat Ola & Uber
Tom Alder Growth in Reverse
That’s all for this week.
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Meet soon,
— Salil Bajaj
So detailed and insightful Salil. Great issue.
Always so insightful!