Case Study: Greenbelly achieves 4.1k+ email signups on a $75 budget with Gleam

Growing An Email List By 4.1k Subscribers With Just $75

Greenbelly, founded by Chris Cage to make nutrient-dense, easy-to-carry meals for backpackers, needed to drive product awareness and grow an email list on a shoestring budget — just $75 and no paid ads. The challenge was to reach relevant customers and build credibility quickly without an existing audience.

Chris partnered with eight complementary brands to create a $750 prize pack and ran a focused Gleam giveaway that prioritized email capture and viral referrals (login-first + automatic actions). The campaign generated 6,805+ actions, 4,178 entrants (over 4.1k new subscribers), an overall conversion rate of 47.7%, and 59% of entries via viral shares; the resulting email list growth helped drive a 500% traffic increase and a 50% boost in sales over time.

Greenbelly

Chris Cage

Founder