---
created: '2026-07-03'
path: Sources/Venture
project: pbs-list-growth-plan
tags:
- pbs
- sunnie
- mailerlite
- instagram
- marketing
- email-list
type: project-plan
---

## Goal

Grow the MailerLite email list from 99 subscribers to a steadily-climbing owned audience, without turning content into a "free-stuff-for-email" machine. The list — not follower count — is the business. Fix the starving funnel first, then feed it with genuinely helpful content that earns follows and stays anti-salesy.

**Primary metric:** net new subscribers per week. If it's consistently positive and climbing, we're winning. Everything else is a supporting metric.

**Constraint:** Part-time, both partners in full-time jobs for ~2 more years. Jenny on reserve duty; Travis has upcoming surgery. No new YouTube production for at least a month. IG carries the entire top of funnel during this stretch.

## Locked Decisions

- **IG bio link = one destination**, not a 3-way menu. Points straight at the "Dinner, Done in 30" landing page. Cookbook + YouTube move to captions / pinned Story.
- **Free guide renamed** from "Fast Weeknight Meals" → **"Dinner, Done in 30"** (warm, on-brand, sounds good spoken in reels).
- **Landing page copy finalized** — leads with outcome, front-loads "whole food, plant based," keeps "10 recipes / under 30 min" as proof. Button: "Send Me the Recipes."
- **Anti-salesy structure**: content is genuinely useful on its own; email is how people stay close, not bait. Soft email CTA on ~1 in 3 pieces only.
- **Weekly email rhythm continues** — two per week: (1) longer email with recipes + YouTube + quick nutrition info, (2) shorter email answering pressing plant-based questions ("where do you get your protein?" etc.). Too new to optimize yet; keep sending to build data.

## Open Items

- [ ] Confirm free-guide delivery method (email-via-MailerLite vs. instant on-page download) so landing copy promise matches reality
- [ ] Rework IG bio link to single destination
- [ ] Build permanent Stories highlight for the free guide (always-discoverable)
- [ ] Decide fall ecookbook as product #2 and its launch-to-list timing

## Phases

### Phase 1 — Fix the funnel (now, in progress)
Single bio link → "Dinner, Done in 30" landing page → MailerLite. Repeatable in-content CTA. This is the fastest lever and needs no dev work. Mostly Jenny + Sheridan execution.

### Phase 2 — Feed the funnel (next month, IG-only)
Run the growth loop entirely on existing footage since no new YouTube is possible:
1. Helpful reel (from Sheridan's footage + objection angles)
2. Soft invite at the end ("I go deeper on this in my weekly email — free guide's in my bio")
3. Landing page → list → weekly emails keep them warm

**Content pillars** (rotate; keeps feed generous not extractive):
- **Objection-busters** (~60%) — protein, expense, "my family won't eat it," "where do I start?" The protein email is the template.
- **Weeknight wins** (~30%) — fast doable recipes proving the "you can do this" promise, straight from the library.
- **The human stuff** (~10%) — Jenny + Travis, the Sunnie brand, the why. What makes people *stay* subscribed.

Cadence built for reserve duty + surgery: post from existing footage at a sustainable rhythm (even 2–3x/week). Consistency beats volume. Keep the two weekly emails going.

### Phase 3 — Launch product #2 to the list (fall)
Fall ecookbook is product #2. The list-building now IS the launch prep — goal is to launch to a meaningfully larger warm list, not 99. First ecookbook ($12.99, 20 recipes / 40 meals w/ variations) remains the anchor product.

### Phase 4 — Add recurring revenue (year 2–4, future)
Membership / subscription is what makes revenue stable vs. launch-spiky. Ties into the separately-tracked PBS Membership Platform roadmap. Out of scope for this plan; noted as the horizon.

## Notes

**Realistic revenue horizon:** $10K/month is achievable part-time but on a 3–5 year timeline, not 1–2. It comes from selling products to an email list, not from follower counts or ad revenue at this scale. Rough math: ~20K engaged subscribers at ~$0.50/sub/month, OR a smaller list with higher-value recurring product (e.g. ~700 members at $15/mo). The list is the lever.

**Current baseline (July 2026):** 14.4K IG followers, ~150 recipes on site, 6 YouTube videos, 330 YouTube subs (stalled — expected, no new content since late May), Pinterest ~2K/mo reach (leveled off), free-guide landing page ~800 lifetime views since late March, **99 email subscribers, 50–60% open rate** (well above the ~35% industry average — small but hot list).

**Root cause of flat list:** funnel was starving at the top, not broken at the bottom. Guide buried in a 3-option menu + rarely called out in content = almost nobody reached the page (800 views / 3 months against 14.4K followers). No new signup since ~March/May. Fix is feeding the funnel, not tweaking the page.

**The two-year job runway is an asset** — it means building patiently without needing revenue immediately, which is exactly when these businesses tend to work.

**Realistic near-term win:** moving from ~0 to +10–15 net new subscribers/week would be a major step. Chase the line going steadily up and to the right, not a viral spike.