How Jon Finkel Grew Books & Biceps by Blending Fitness + Reading on beehiiv

Snapshot

• Creator: Jon Finkel (author + longtime fitness/media writer)
• Newsletter: Books & Biceps (books + workouts + motivation + author Q&As)
• Audience: 27,000+ subscribers
• Growth: ~1.5K → 6K+ in ~6 months after switching platforms

Challenge:

Jon’s newsletter started on Mailchimp, but it was overbuilt for a solo creator: slow, clunky, and not designed for newsletter-first growth.

He needed:

• A faster writing + publishing workflow
• Better design control (landing page + email templates)
• Built-in growth tools (referrals, Boosts)
• A path to turn the newsletter into a real brand (not just book promo)

Solution:

Jon moved Books & Biceps to beehiiv after seeing trusted creators recommend it and noticing it repeatedly in his Twitter/X feed.

What changed:

• Simpler publishing (write and build directly in-platform)
• Design Lab + templates to improve presentation without extra tools
• Boosts + referrals to accelerate acquisition
• Better distribution workflow (easy link-sharing across social)

Execution

Key levers Jon used:

• Consistent weekly issues with a repeatable format (books + biceps)
• Timely, personal content (training goals + progress updates)
• Social promotion (links in threads/posts, always pointing to the signup)
• Backlist activation (reintroducing past books to new subscribers at the right moments)
• Community flywheel (readers joining challenges, replying, sharing)

Results:

• 4x subscriber growth in ~6 months (~1.5K → 6K+)
• Higher-quality subscribers from Boosts/referrals + better targeting
• Newsletter evolved from “author update email” into a standalone brand + community
• Increased inbound opportunities (including ghostwriting leads) driven by credibility + visibility

Why It Worked

Books & Biceps wins because it’s:

• Niche + differentiated (fitness and reading for the same person)
• Community-driven (readers participate, not just consume)
• Built on owned audience (not dependent on algorithms)
• Supported by platform-native growth tools (Boosts, referrals, design, forms)

Key Takeaway

If your newsletter is stuck in “tooling hell,” switching to a newsletter-first platform can unlock consistency + growth fast—especially when the content is already differentiated.