What:
An AMAZING report from Hubspot highlighting the extraordinary revival of newsletters.
Newsletters are one of the most effective, low-cost, and high-ROI content marketing channels available today. Whether you're building a personal brand or growing a business, newsletters offer direct access to engaged audiences, monetization potential, and long-term brand-building opportunities. 🚀
Who:
HubSpot Media, featuring contributions from newsletter experts at The Hustle and various industry thought leaders.
What's in it:
The report explores the current state and future of newsletters as a powerful tool for content marketing and audience engagement. It provides insights into how marketers and businesses can leverage newsletters to drive revenue, build communities, and create long-term brand engagement.
In a nutshell:
The report discusses the renaissance of newsletters, highlighting their effectiveness in reaching audiences directly without the interference of social media algorithms. It covers trends, revenue models, audience preferences (especially among millennials), content strategies, and technological tools to optimize newsletters.
Top Insights:
Newsletters are experiencing a revival as a reliable channel for marketers to connect with audiences.
Millennials (ages 28-43) are the core demographic, preferring niche, high-value content in mobile-friendly formats.
Revenue potential is significant, with many newsletter owners generating $1,500+ per month.
Content strategies that work best blend data and opinion, leveraging unique insights to drive engagement.
AI and automation tools are helping streamline newsletter creation, saving marketers 3+ hours weekly.
Personalization and segmentation are key to higher open and engagement rates.
Video promotions and social media ads are the best ways to attract subscribers.
Compliance with privacy regulations (like GDPR) is crucial to long-term success.
Golden Nugget: The most critical takeaway is that newsletters are one of the most profitable and sustainable content formats for marketers today. Unlike social media, where algorithms dictate reach, newsletters provide a direct line to audiences, allowing for deeper engagement, monetization, and brand loyalty. Plus, you own your data!
Top Stats & Data to keep in mind:
64% of newsletter subscribers are millennials.
52% of marketers use LinkedIn Newsletters as their primary platform.
73% of respondents believe a profitable newsletter can replace a full-time job.
33% of newsletters with 200+ subscribers make $1,500+ per month.
22% of smaller newsletters (less than 200 subscribers) still generate $100-$500 per month.
44% of respondents say newsletters generate revenue faster than podcasts or videos.
72% of marketers spend less than $300 per month to maintain their newsletter.
57% of smaller newsletter owners (less than 200 subs) spend $100 or less per month.
37% of marketers say data-driven content boosts open rates.
38% say opinion-based content drives the most traffic.
31% of marketers use AI to edit content, and 34% say AI saves them 3+ hours per week.
Video promotion is the top subscriber growth tactic (12%), followed by paid social ads (10%).
30% of large newsletters (200+ subscribers) schedule their content based on audience behavior.
Only 8% of marketers rely on user-generated content (UGC) for their newsletters.
34% of marketers say AI content generation is the biggest trend impacting newsletters.
25% of newsletters have open rates of 20% or higher.
20% report click rates of 20% or higher.
Three in four newsletters report unsubscribe rates of 5% or lower.
10% of marketers say paid social ads are their best subscriber growth tactic.
Top revenue strategies: paid subscribers (26%), freemium models (20%), and sponsorships (13%).
What Marketers can do about this?
Leverage AI to streamline newsletter production.
AI saves 3+ hours per week in content creation, formatting, and editing.
Use AI to enhance personalization, optimize subject lines, and improve engagement.
Target millennials with mobile-optimized, niche content.
Millennials (ages 28-43) make up 64% of newsletter audiences.
Focus on short, digestible content with strong visuals and interactive elements.
Use video promotions and paid social ads to grow subscribers.
12% of marketers say video promotions drive the most newsletter sign-ups.
10% find success with paid social ads, particularly on YouTube and Facebook.
Adopt a multi-revenue strategy.
Combine paid subscriptions (26%), freemium models (20%), and sponsorships (13%).
If you have 200+ subscribers, you can earn $1,500+ per month.
Optimize newsletters with data-driven and opinion-based content.
37% of marketers say data-based content boosts open rates.
38% say opinion-based content drives higher traffic.
The best-performing newsletters blend both formats for maximum engagement.
Source:
HubSpot – The Future of Newsletters 2024 Report
73% of respondents said a newsletter can replace a fu-time job. I'm assuming this means in terms of revenue earned, not in terms of time spent? If so, this would mean that paid newsletters are replacing the newspaper and magazine subscriptions of years past.
At the same time, I wonder how unbiased this research done by HubSpot it. They have a vested interest in people producing newsletters that require emailing and therefore a CRM system like what HubSpot offers to manage those mailings, metrics, funnel, etc.