{"id":3634,"date":"2025-12-04T16:30:05","date_gmt":"2025-12-04T17:30:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.buywyo.com\/?p=3634"},"modified":"2025-12-08T11:34:15","modified_gmt":"2025-12-08T11:34:15","slug":"future-of-newsletters-6-trends-changing-the-newsletter-industry-in-the-next-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.buywyo.com\/index.php\/2025\/12\/04\/future-of-newsletters-6-trends-changing-the-newsletter-industry-in-the-next-year\/","title":{"rendered":"Future of newsletters: 6 trends changing the newsletter industry in the next year"},"content":{"rendered":"
The future of newsletters is bright, but it\u2019s a far cry from its snail mail origins. I\u2019m showing my age here, but back in the late 1900s, I thought newsletters were just something fan clubs sent out in old sitcoms<\/a>. It wasn\u2019t until much later that I realized they actually exist in real life and that they can be a powerful marketing channel for all<\/a> kinds of organizations and communities.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s unpack what newsletters look like going into 2026, including monetization, format, and channel trends marketers need to know, from our State of Newsletter Growth Report<\/a>.<\/p>\n Table of Contents<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/a> <\/p>\n The future of newsletters is unified, AI-powered, and multi-channel. Marketers need to move beyond inbox-only strategies to reach their audience and get creative. That means using AI for content creation<\/a>, CRM-driven personalization, and integrated measurement across email, web, and social.<\/p>\n To succeed, focus on segmenting your audience, automating workflows, and tracking engagement with a Smart CRM like HubSpot<\/a>. Prioritize deliverability, privacy, and accessibility, and choose monetization models that feel natural, not pushy. Start by reviewing your tech stack, updating your measurement dashboards, and testing new formats.<\/p>\n Ready to future-proof your newsletter strategy?<\/strong> Check out our proven framework<\/a><\/strong> and <\/strong>get started for free with HubSpot’s tools<\/a><\/strong>.<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/a> <\/p>\n As of 2024, there were more than 50,000 newsletters<\/a> on the newsletter platform Beehiiv alone. That\u2019s nearly double the number it hosted the year prior, and thousands more have been added across web platforms and inboxes in the months since.<\/p>\n The popularity is not limited to fan clubs, though. From niche thought leaders (like Ann Handley<\/a> and Nikhil Krishnan<\/a>) and content creators to corporations like Buffer<\/a> and branded communities like HubSpot Media\u2019s The Hustle<\/a>, newsletters are proving to be an effective strategy for:<\/p>\n Our research also shows<\/a> that LinkedIn is the most popular newsletter distribution channel, which isn\u2019t too surprising, given its free, native newsletter offering and huge potential reach.<\/p>\n Source<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n Despite this, however, email remains the top platform for consuming<\/em> newsletter content \u2014 especially Gmail.<\/p>\n In terms of artificial intelligence, 28% of the marketers we surveyed are using AI for brainstorming and planning (i.e., outlining, making suggestions, etc.) their newsletters, and 23% plan to use it in their strategy within the next twelve months.<\/p>\n But those are not the only changes transforming the future of newsletters and newsletter content strategy<\/a>. Let\u2019s dig into these trends and several others.<\/p>\n <\/a> <\/p>\n While most people still read newsletters in their email inboxes, web platforms like Substack<\/a>, Patreon<\/a>, and even LinkedIn offer something email can\u2019t \u2014 discoverability.<\/p>\n More creators and brands are publishing newsletters as web-native content (in addition to email) in the hopes of reaching new audiences and potential buyers.<\/p>\n Web-native newsletters can get crawled by search engines and answer engines and also shared on social media, which is likely why those who publish online report an average of 500\u20131,000 views and engagements<\/strong> per post.<\/p>\n Repurpose your email newsletter content for your website or blog, making sure it\u2019s optimized for search engines as well as AI engines like ChatGPT or Gemini.<\/p>\n While you don\u2019t have to worry about duplicate content with emails, it\u2019s still good practice to switch things up. Buyer behavior and the mediums of content you can share on a website are dramatically different from those in email. For instance, you can share a video that plays directly on a webpage, but in an email, you\u2019re limited to a gift or thumbnail with a link.<\/p>\n Keep these differences in mind and lean into them to create an optimized experience.<\/p>\n Try using Breeze AI<\/a> to rework your copy or Content Remix<\/a> to repurpose your newsletter into content for other channels (i.e., social posts).<\/p>\n Rather than your own website, you can also explore using third-party platforms, such as LinkedIn and Substack, which have their own established audiences and email delivery. Shopify is the biggest brand<\/a> so far to take to Substack with \u201cIn Stock\u201d<\/a>:<\/p>\n Source<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n Like all marketing, newsletters that align with their audience are the most successful. I mean, you can\u2019t expect customers to take what you\u2019re giving if what you\u2019re giving isn\u2019t what they want.<\/p>\n 34% of respondents reported using newsletter formats that align with how core demographics prefer to consume content, while 31% align topics with the biggest demographics that subscribe to newsletters, and 25% schedule newsletters when core demographics are most active.<\/p>\n These percentages may seem low, but these were just some of the options. Only 7% of respondents say they don\u2019t<\/em> personalize their newsletters to their audiences at all, and they\u2019re bringing in the lowest average monthly revenue. (Surprise surprise.)<\/p>\n Marketers who format their newsletters according to their core demographics earn the most, with monthly earnings ranging from $45,001 to $55,000.<\/p>\n Cater to your audience. Plain and simple.<\/p>\n Who are they? What do they care about? What are their behaviors? Understand what your audience wants to read about in-depth versus what they need quick access to (i.e., links to upcoming events, tools, resources) and update your format accordingly.<\/p>\n One thing that frustrated me in my years of sending marketing emails and newsletters was the creative limitations. I wanted to take the email experience from passive to active by incorporating elements like polls and video. Thankfully, there are a lot more tools available today to make those interactions possible.<\/p>\n For example, the Why We Buy<\/a> newsletter for marketers includes a \u201cone-click quiz\u201d built with Kit complete with a flashy prize.<\/p>\n Alternatively, if you\u2019re a little more limited in resources, you can take a link-based approach, such as The New York Times.<\/p>\n Whatever your means, don\u2019t be afraid to get creative based on what your audience responds to.<\/p>\n Pro tip:<\/strong> Unfortunately, newsletters become graymail for many subscribers<\/a>. When evaluating what your readers respond to, consider testing or surveying a list of only your engaged subscribers. This will help you understand what matters to those who are actually engaged.<\/p>\n Use a mix of content blocks, like:<\/strong><\/p>\n Not to brag but my friends over at The Hustle do an awesome job of this.<\/p>\n Just over half of those surveyed in our report say readers prefer newsletters from independent people over business-branded content. In fact, the average conversion rate for personal newsletters ranged from 5% to 25%, performing better than their branded counterparts.<\/p>\n Whether it\u2019s our increasingly virtual lives or simply human nature, people clearly crave and respond to connection with other human beings. Most consumers also trust word of mouth from other people more<\/a> than they trust claims from brands, and personality-driven newsletters tap into this.<\/p>\n Even if you\u2019re representing a brand, have a dedicated writer or team of writers behind your newsletter. These personalities are your spokespeople or \u201chosts.\u201d They give readers someone human to recognize and connect with rather than just a cold, faceless brand.<\/p>\n Sarah Schmidt<\/a>, President of Interdependence<\/a>, a PR and strategic communications firm that manages Instagram accounts for celebrities, CEOs, and brands, says putting a face to the business is now essential, and it doesn\u2019t always have to be the company founder.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve had the most success when someone from the team becomes a consistent presence \u2014 a personality followers can connect with,\u201d she says. \u201cWhen that person shows up with opinions, behind-the-scenes context, and a sense of humor, the brand becomes more than a logo, it becomes a point of view.\u201d<\/p>\n Take our new \u201cThe Science of Scaling<\/a>\u201d newsletter. My fellow HubSpotter and former teammate Jay Fuchs pens this weekly email.<\/p>\n In it, readers get invaluable sales tips, but also a healthy dash of Fuchs\u2019 signature humor, perspectives, and expertise.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Shopify\u2019s \u201cIn Stock\u201d is authored by a four-person team, consisting of Dayna Winter, Shopify\u2019s newsroom lead, and other members of Shopify\u2019s communications division.<\/p>\n People pay attention to (and often pay for) real, exclusive insights \u2014 Not the same old opinions they can get across social media or competitor blogs.<\/p>\n To build and maintain your subscriber list and even close sales, newsletters need to get people hooked on their unique perspective and style, and how they curate their niche. They have to give people something they can\u2019t get anywhere else to warrant subscribing.<\/p>\n Using personality-led content to tap into storytelling and the human experience can be the ticket to standing out from the masses and the AI-generated, unedited competition.<\/p>\n Speaking of which \u2026<\/em><\/p>\n AI is everywhere these days, and newsletter strategy is no different. As we already saw, many marketers are already using AI to brainstorm and outline their newsletters. Well, nearly 25% of them say this saves them 1-2 hours per week.<\/p>\n 52-104 hours saved a year isn\u2019t too shabby.<\/em><\/p>\n 64% of respondents also agree that most newsletters will be AI-generated by 2030 \u2014 but this creates a whole new landscape. AI, by its very nature, is derivative. It creates based on existing things, and, speaking from experience, plagiarism and duplicate content are very real concerns.<\/p>\n If AI is writing most newsletters, then putting a human back behind the keyboard will be a powerful differentiator.<\/p>\n Human editing and oversight are essential when using AI for newsletters; however, you can set up AI tools to learn your brand voice and identity to hopefully keep them to a minimum.<\/p>\n Read: <\/strong>How to Humanize AI Content So It Will Rank, Engage, and Get Shared in 2025<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n The \u201cExpress\u201d phase of the loop marketing<\/a> framework is focused on that. During it, you establish a crystal-clear style guide and give it to AI, so every asset the tech generates is on brand.<\/p>\n But AI isn\u2019t just for generating content. Explore using it to:<\/p>\n Generate your brand voice and style guide with Breeze AI.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n By 2030, 67% of marketers believe people will expect a far higher level of personalization from newsletters than we see today.<\/p>\n That means it\u2019s not enough to just send generic updates or slap [first name] on a newsletter anymore. Audiences don\u2019t want to feel like a number. They want to feel like every message was crafted just for them.<\/p>\n Luckily, personalization is another area where AI excels and can help you scale.<\/p>\n Instead of leaning into broad segments, brands should move toward 1:1 personalization even in transactional emails<\/a>. It can be used to:<\/p>\n Whether you\u2019re a large enterprise or a solo creator, integrating AI with your CRM can help you deliver the right message to the right person \u2014 automatically.<\/p>\n In fact, HubSpot\u2019s own marketing team recently found success with this<\/a>.<\/p>\n We built an AI system that analyzes a contact\u2019s business website, evaluates the offers or resources they\u2019ve downloaded, and then predicts what they\u2019re trying to achieve. The AI then used that data to generate a custom content offer, and personalized message aligned to that individual\u2019s goals.<\/p>\n The results were incredible:<\/p>\n For a detailed walkthrough on how to build personalization into your email strategy, check out<\/strong> HubSpot\u2019s guide on dynamic email personalization<\/a><\/strong>.<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/a> <\/p>\n
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Executive Summary<\/h2>\n
The State of the Newsletters Industry<\/h2>\n
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<\/p>\nThe Future of Newsletters: Emerging Trends, Channels, & Formats<\/h2>\n
1. Web platforms for newsletters are on the rise.<\/h3>\n
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<\/p>\n2. Brands are experimenting with formats based on reader preferences.<\/h3>\n
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<\/p>\n3. Readers engage more with personality-driven newsletters than brand.<\/h3>\n
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<\/p>\n4. AI is leaving a mark on newsletter strategy and executive.<\/h3>\n
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5. Personalization and relevance are more important than ever.<\/h3>\n
<\/p>\nWhat marketers can do:<\/h4>\n
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Newsletter Monetization & Revenue Possibilities<\/h2>\n