Last week, we talked about setting clear goals and how hitting one of ours didn’t slow us down.
We hit our milestone… and immediately set the next one:
Grow our email list 100% in the next 6 months.
Now we’re moving into the next step of our framework:
Strategy.
This is where the goal stops being an idea and starts turning into a plan.
From Goal to Strategy: What Happens Next
Once we set our new growth goal, we didn’t jump into tactics.
We didn’t start posting or running ads.
First, we built a list of potential strategies — not just one or two, but 10–15 options.
Why?
Because no single strategy is perfect, and the first idea isn’t always the best one.
We look at timing, budget, effort, and the type of growth we need.
Then we narrow it down to the strategies with the best mix of:
Short-term results
Long-term payoff
Sustainable workload
Reasonable cost
That’s how we ended up choosing the two strategies we’re starting with.
The Two Strategies We Picked (and Why)
1️⃣ Meta Lookalike Audiences: Fast, Paid Growth
We’re using Meta ads to reach people similar to our current readers.
Why this one made the cut:
It gives us short-term momentum
We already have a strong seed audience
Testing is fast — we know within days whether an ad is working
AI helps us write better ads, test variations, and analyze results
This strategy lets us kick off our 6-month goal with early wins.
We’re also partnering with organizations, business groups, and newsletters who serve similar audiences.
Why this one made the cut:
It builds long-term, steady growth
Introductions come with built-in trust
It’s cost-effective
Each partnership can lead to more
AI helps us research partners, draft outreach messages, and create shareable content
This one won’t show results overnight—but over six months, it compounds.
Why We Always Start With More Ideas Than We Need
Here’s something important:
We are not married to any strategy. Not even these two.
Before choosing our starting point, we brainstormed plenty of options:
content collaborations, referral incentives, boosted posts, tutorial videos, quiz funnels, lead magnets, and more.
Some of those ideas might still come into play.
Our system is intentionally flexible:
Test a strategy
Measure early signs
Shift resources toward what works
Shut down what doesn’t
This is where AI makes a huge difference; it helps us generate a wide range of strategies in minutes instead of hours.
How AI Helps You Build Smarter Strategies
Here are the prompts we actually use:
Brainstorm new strategies
“Give me 10–15 strategies to help me achieve this goal: [insert your goal]. Make them practical and achievable with limited time.”
Narrow the list
“Rank these strategies by speed, cost, effort, and likely impact. Explain the tradeoffs.”
Choose what to test first
“Which 2–3 strategies would be best to test first, and what early signs would show they’re working?”
Adjust as you go
“Here are the results from the first week. Based on this, what should I adjust or test next?”
With AI in the mix, planning becomes faster, clearer, and far less stressful.
Prompt of the Week
Try this one to get your own strategy list started:
“My goal is to [insert your goal]. Give me 8–12 possible strategies to reach it, including a mix of short-term and long-term approaches.”
Paste it into ChatGPT or Claude — you’ll have a full strategy board in minutes.
Want to See the Next Step?
This week’s vlogcast breaks down:
👉 Watch: GOALS. STRATEGY. RESULTS.
And if you want to see how strategies fit into the broader plan:
👉 Watch: How to Build a Marketing Plan That Actually Gets Results