The idea of "peak newsletter" ignores the massive, untapped B2B market. Most businesses still don't use newsletters for top-of-funnel marketing. Following HubSpot's model with The Hustle, companies can acquire their ideal customers cheaply via email and nurture them, a far more efficient strategy than expensive direct lead generation.
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Service-based entrepreneurs often neglect building an email list, viewing it as a tool only for digital marketers. This is a critical mistake. An email list is not just for current sales; it is the foundational asset that provides the audience and trust needed to successfully pivot into new business models later on.
During a major launch, the creator continued sending her regular story-driven newsletter. By weaving in authentic stories related to the launch theme and a subtle CTA, these emails generated over $300,000, proving that connection-focused content can outperform hard sales pitches.
To make content discoverable by AI, static 'resource pages' with downloadable assets are becoming obsolete. Gated content will still be used for lead generation, but it will be offered transactionally within specific campaigns (e.g., via email or paid social) rather than living permanently on a website.
B2B marketers typically target corporate emails, which are transient. LinkedIn newsletters are often sent to a user's personal, long-term email address associated with their account. This provides a durable and direct line of communication to a highly-guarded inbox that is difficult to access through other means.
Top marketing leaders view gating content as an obsolete tactic designed solely to hit arbitrary "lead commit" targets for sales. The modern approach is to give away information freely to educate buyers and build trust, reserving forms only for high-intent, bottom-of-funnel actions.
Social media algorithms are fickle and AI summaries are reducing referral traffic from search. Email newsletters are thriving because they provide a direct, reliable communication channel where creators truly own their audience and distribution, hedging against unpredictable platforms.
Unlike typical B2B marketing which targets corporate domains, LinkedIn newsletters are delivered to the primary email address on a user's profile. This is often a long-held personal email, providing marketers a rare opportunity to access a highly-guarded inbox that is difficult to reach through other channels.
Position your email list as the central hub of your marketing, not just another channel. The primary goal of all other efforts—social media, podcasts, blogs—should be to grow and serve this core, owned asset. This creates a sustainable, defensible marketing ecosystem.
Newsletters can be powerful list-builders, but only if promoted like a product. Instead of a simple 'join my newsletter' prompt, create a dedicated page that details the value, explains what subscribers will get, and even offers a preview of a past issue.