148: From 15 to 200 Subscribers in a Year with the Maven Box

Launch Your Box Podcast with Sarah Williams | Start, Launch, and Grow Your Subscription Box

Growing your subscription box business with paid traffic is great… Until it isn’t.

One great way to choose a subscription box niche is to identify a gap in the market and fill it. An even better way is to identify a gap in a market you are passionate about. Launch Your Box member Bridget Young of Lunar Maven did both. And it paid off. She saw her subscription box grow from an initial launch of 15 subscribers to 200 subscribers in a little more than a year!

The only problem was that growth was largely due to paid ads. And when the cost of paid ads continued to go up and subscriber numbers started to slip, Bridget needed a new strategy.

Bridget’s Lunar Maven box is a monthly subscription box based on a subscriber’s zodiac sign. Bridget sent me a box to open during our Launch Your Box member box openings. It was customized for a Pisces - my sign. The care and attention that went into it was apparent in every detail - and my horoscope-loving heart LOVED it!

Bridget’s subscription box journey started when she couldn’t find a subscription box that met her expectations of content and quality. Bridget has a passion for all things astrological and crystal.

She also has a great deal of knowledge. She planned and curated a subscription box that is thoughtful, personalized, and filled with high-quality items. Items chosen based on what each sign will be experiencing during that month.

Bridget focused on customer acquisition as her growth strategy, using paid Facebook Ads to get in front of the right people. The strategy worked well for the first year and Bridget’s subscription grew 5-15% per month, outpacing her monthly churn rates.

Bridget was strategic with her ads. She spent time engaging in the comments, answering questions and adding value.

In 2023, ads stopped performing as well for Bridget, and customer acquisition costs went way up. She had no choice but to scale back on her ad spend which had an immediate negative impact on her growth.

Bridget needs a strategy to move forward and start gaining new subscribers again. I talked to her about the importance of a balanced strategy - one that counts on both paid and organic traffic.

I recommended Bridget start running ads to a freebie opt-in. She has SO MUCH knowledge - creating a freebie for someone who wants to learn about crystals, zodiac signs, and more would be easy for her and valuable for her audience. Running ads to that freebie opt-in will get it in front of her ideal customer AND help her build her email list. And as you may have heard me say recently, your email is your ATM.

When Bridget restarts her ads, I recommend she do things a little differently. I want her to build a nurturing email flow and nurture those people on her list, knowing they are likely to buy from her eventually.

Bridget shared her goals for 2024. She wants to get to 500 subscribers. This isn’t an arbitrary number - getting to 500 subscribers would allow her to move her business out of her basement and into a separate space. It would also mean being able to hire. Both would make a big difference in balancing work and family life!

With her new plan to grow using a combination of paid and organic traffic and her commitment to start consistently going LIVE on social media, I am confident Bridget will reach that goal!

Join me for this episode to learn how Bridget grew her subscription box from 15 to 200 subscribers in a year and what changes she needs to make to continue to grow despite rising ad costs.

Find and follow Bridget:

• Lunar Maven on Facebook
• Lunar Maven on Instagram
• Lunar Maven Website

Join me in all the places:

• Facebook
• Instagram
• Launch Your Box with Sarah Website

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