Ciler Demiralp provides examples of unique ways to grow your newsletter.
1) Give away a small newsletter that you built
2) Sell a portion of your newsletter to invest in paid growth
3) Build a unique referral program
4) Offer a shout-out in your newsletter as a referral gift
5) Use Twitter DMs to turn followers into subscribers
6) Launch your newsletter on Hackers News
7) Be ruthless about reaching out to experienced operators and asking for feedback
8) Launch your newsletter on Product Hunt