How a Food App Built a 100,000-Subscriber Newsletter in Under a Year

Situation

Matt Schkolnick, co-founder and COO of Pepper App, created a social food platform focused on real people sharing real recipes. With over 1 million users worldwide, Pepper App gives home cooks a dedicated space to organize and share recipes, filling a gap in a market dominated by influencers.

In 2024, Schkolnick launched SOIRÉE by Pepper, a newsletter collaboration dedicated to "reviving the lost art of entertaining" and making food culture fun. The newsletter was created to engage with the Pepper community beyond the app, providing educational content and unique stories about seasonal ingredients and recipes.

Starting with just a handful of subscribers, the team focused on delivering high-quality content that readers would want to share. By consistently promoting the newsletter on social media and improving content quality, they've grown to 100,000 engaged subscribers in less than a year.

The newsletter now serves as both a community-building tool and a significant revenue stream, generating 5-10x ROI on their beehiiv investment through the Ad Network's CPM model.

Growth Highlights

• Grew from zero to 100,000 engaged subscribers in under one year
• Achieved 5-10x monthly ROI through beehiiv's Ad Network CPM model
• Drives users back to the Pepper App, enhancing multi-channel marketing
• Established a sustainable revenue stream that supports writers and business growth

![Quote callout placeholder: "beehiiv has been amazing for us to engage with our community, provide value outside the app, and monetize our newsletter." - Matt Schkolnick, Co-founder of Pepper App]

Challenge

Before launching SOIRÉE by Pepper, Schkolnick and his team faced the challenge of finding meaningful ways to interact with their community beyond the app experience. They needed a solution that would keep Pepper top-of-mind for users who might only open the app a few times per week.

Additionally, Schkolnick wasn't an "email guy" or "newsletter guy" by his own admission. He needed a platform that would make the newsletter creation process enjoyable rather than burdensome, especially since his primary focus remained on developing the Pepper App.

The team also struggled with monetization. Prior to using beehiiv's Ad Network, they wasted significant time sending cold DMs to potential advertisers on Instagram and LinkedIn, often only to be told that budgets wouldn't work after lengthy exchanges.

These challenges required a solution that would simplify content creation, distribution, and monetization while maintaining the high-quality standards of the Pepper brand.

Key Challenges

• Finding effective ways to engage with users outside the app environment
• Creating an enjoyable newsletter production process for a team focused primarily on app development
• Identifying and securing relevant advertisers without wasting valuable time
• Scaling subscriber growth while maintaining content quality and engagement metrics

Action

Schkolnick chose beehiiv as their newsletter platform after noticing how many people spoke highly of it on social media. The strong community around the product was appealing, and once onboarded, they were added to "the hiiv" Slack channel where they could exchange tips with other newsletter creators.

The team focused on creating valuable content that would educate and entertain their audience. They experimented with different content types, eventually settling on a format that highlights seasonal ingredients, recipes, and the cultural significance of food, aligning perfectly with their mission of "reviving the lost art of entertaining."

To grow their subscriber base, they consistently promoted the newsletter across their social media channels. They also leveraged beehiiv's analytics and A/B testing features to optimize headlines and content, resulting in steadily increasing open rates and click-through rates.

For monetization, they fully embraced beehiiv's Ad Network, particularly the CPM model which allowed them to attract food and beverage brands that aligned with their content. This eliminated the need to chase advertisers, as interested brands now come directly to them through the platform.

Results

Today, SOIRÉE by Pepper reaches 100,000 inboxes weekly with high-quality content about food, recipes, and entertaining. The newsletter has become a meaningful part of their business, serving both as a community engagement tool and a significant revenue stream.

The newsletter helps drive users back to the Pepper App, creating a virtuous cycle where app users subscribe to the newsletter, and newsletter readers are reminded to check out what's happening in the app. This multi-channel approach has strengthened their overall brand presence.

Financially, the newsletter now generates between 5-10 times what they spend on beehiiv each month. This revenue supports their writers and is reinvested back into the business. Currently, Schkolnick has seven pending advertising opportunities, showing the strong demand for their audience.

Looking ahead to 2025, Schkolnick plans to continue growing subscribers, monetizing through CPM ads, and expanding the media arm of their business. They recently launched a subscription service for the app and aim to increase paid subscribers while continuing to improve their product offerings.

Key Takeaways for Newsletter Creators

• Focus on delivering high-quality content that provides real value to readers
• Start with your unique voice and story, asking how you're improving readers' lives
• Use social media consistently to promote your newsletter
• Don't be discouraged by small subscriber numbers—embrace the power of compounding growth
• Choose a platform that makes creation enjoyable and offers built-in monetization options