The problem with newsletters
Sending emails is easy. Making them worth opening is the hard part.
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Let’s dive into today’s topic:
The problem with newsletters
Newsletters only work when they earn their place in the inbox.
Why it matters
Right now, more than 400 newsletters and transactional emails are sitting in my inbox waiting to be read. They won’t be. There’s simply not enough time, and at some point, my brain stops trying altogether. That’s what got me thinking about this week’s topic.
Email is owned data. That advice is correct, and it’s why so many artists are told to start a newsletter.
The problem is that nobody talks about what happens on the other side of the inbox. Readers subscribe with good intentions, fall behind, and eventually stop opening anything. The inbox becomes a graveyard of unread editions.
Newsletter marketing is not only about “how do I grow my list?”, but also about “how do I earn someone’s attention?”
How it works
From a writer/publisher’s perspective, I see two broad approaches to newsletter publishing. Both can work if expectations are clear:
Consistency (hub content) means showing up regularly. Readers know what to expect and when. It’s easy to skip a busy Tuesday, but that regular presence builds familiarity over time. Readers start to recognise the sender, even when they don’t open every edition.
Go-big (hero content) means publishing less often but with greater ambition. When something lands, it surprises people. It tends to earn more opens precisely because it doesn’t arrive every week, and readers know it’s high quality.
Neither is wrong. The mistake is sending inconsistently without intention, which signals to readers that the newsletter isn’t a priority for the sender either.
Another important factor is the perceived value.
A newsletter that only promotes (stream this, buy that, click here) offers nothing. It only asks. If every edition is a summary of what the artist did elsewhere, there’s no reason to open it on a busy day. Readers quickly learn that nothing new is inside, and the open rate quietly dies.
The newsletters that survive inbox saturation are those that entertain, educate, share a perspective, or offer access readers can’t find anywhere else.
Yes, but..
All of this assumes there’s already an audience to write for. For most emerging artists, the hardest challenge is getting people to subscribe in the first place. A great newsletter with 50 readers is still 50 readers.
Take action now
Before the next edition goes out, ask: Does this give readers something they can’t get from my socials? If the answer is no, rethink the content.
Your thoughts
Further reading
Quality versus Quantity: Two content strategies for artists (The Fanbase Builder)
What a perfect artist newsletter should look like (The Fanbase Builder)
Focus on input, not output (The Fanbase Builder)
How to use download codes on Bandcamp (The Fanbase Builder)