How Confluence.VC Cracked the Code for Newsletter Engagement

Situation:

Confluence.VC is a daily newsletter delivering digestible, engaging insights for venture capitalists, founders, and executives. Founded by Clay Norris, it aims to be the “Morning Brew for venture capital,” helping readers stay informed without the usual industry noise.

Challenge:

Despite spending thousands on platforms like X, Meta, and other paid ads, the team found it difficult to consistently acquire engaged subscribers—those who actually opened and interacted with emails. Growing a loyal audience, not just a large one, was proving to be the real hurdle.

Solution:

Confluence.VC turned to the beehiiv Ad Network to solve both growth and engagement problems. The platform provided a cost-effective, scalable way to advertise across relevant newsletters, helping them reach niche, high-intent audiences. Most importantly, it allowed them to focus on the right success metric: engaged subscribers.

Results:

• Discovered a reliable, month-over-month channel for marketing spend
• Scaled their ad budget confidently within the venture capital niche-
• Prioritized engagement over vanity metrics, building a sustainable, loyal reader base
  

Founder Clay Norris put it best: “Stop wasting money on low-quality subscribers—chase engaged ones instead.”