My Growth Plan: 2025 Checklist

Download my 2025 Growth Checklist

Welcome! I’m Brian Colburn, and you’ve opened the door to Digital Brew, the go-to newsletter for creators ready to elevate their craft.

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Hello, Digital Brew readers!

For those unfamiliar with me, I come from the world of podcasting. I once owned a physical podcast studio, which I've since transitioned to a fully remote setup. The evolution of digital tools has made this move possible and practical for my clients.

When I first opened my studio, our mission was simple: to help people tell their stories. That mission remains at the heart of what I do today, albeit in a different form.

Stepping into written content with Digital Brew was a big leap for me and, truthfully, outside my comfort zone. Writing is an entirely different medium from podcasting. Still, I embraced the challenge with a question: Can I build an audience in a new format?

I've since combined my comfort zone of podcasting with this newsletter by creating the podcast series Network Effect, which focuses on professional networking. It complements Digital Brew's overarching goal of supporting creators in telling their stories while honing crucial soft skills everyone, not just creators, should hone.

Reflecting on this year, one recurring theme has been the importance of treating audience growth like a business. Whether you're a podcaster or newsletter writer, building a following often has the end goal of generating revenue.

I'm focusing on growing Digital Brew into a viable, revenue-generating product without losing sight of its core mission—helping creators share their stories.

As I plan for 2025, I've leaned heavily into research, reading countless articles and strategies about newsletter growth. My vision is to build a business that enables me to live the laptop lifestyle, traveling the open road with my wife and our dream van and creating and collaborating.

To stay on track, I've developed a growth checklist that combines insights from my research. It covers 13 areas I will focus on, including Diversifying formats, consistency, visual design, and more.

If you're a creator, this resource may help you grow your audience through newsletters, podcasts, or other content formats.