Banned on Substack, Reddit and Etsy in month one — for offering free promotion

Want to try this?

Copy this experiment

A checklist built from what Alexander Belyanin actually did. Their numbers are a reference, not a promise.

1. 1

   Pick the channel and tactic

   Communities — Offering strangers free write-ups of their own stories.

2. 2

   Set a budget cap

   Alexander Belyanin didn't say what it cost. Decide your cap before you start.

3. 3

   Set an end date

   Alexander Belyanin ran it for 30 days. Put your review date in the calendar now.

4. 4

   Copy what worked

   From Alexander Belyanin's experience:

   • ☐Sourcing people to feature — people asked to be interviewed
   • ☐Keeping an imported list: only 25 of 300 left
   • ☐One person sharing a story moved more than all the cold outreach
5. 5

   Avoid what didn't

   Where it went wrong:

   • ☐Reddit comments with no links: banned four times
   • ☐Banned on Substack and temporarily on Etsy
   • ☐Gmail started marking his emails as spam
6. 6

   Track the same numbers

   So you can compare like for like:

   • ☐New subscribers
   • ☐Reddit bans
   • ☐Imported subscribers kept
   • ☐Open rate
7. 7

   Compare, then share what happened

   Alexander Belyanin's headline result: 5 new subscribers. Yours will differ — that's the point. Win or flop, the result is worth sharing.