Red (News)Letter Days: New Report Highlights Why Publishers Continue To Count On Newsletters

Fashion another feather for newsletter’s cap.

New data is showing that the tried-and-true standby of audience outreach — the email newsletter — is not only holding its own in 2024, but growing in publisher use and effectiveness.

Lion Publishers broke down how its members were reaching audiences in its Sustainability Audits program, and found that while organic social media and word of mouth both grew slightly in 2024 from their 2023 numbers (after larger drops from 2022), email newsletter and direct search both saw continued growth as effective audience builders. Newsletter production was up to 95% from 81% in 2022, while events also saw drastic growth, reaching 60% this year after being utilized by only 34% three years ago.

(Source: Lion Publishers)

“The growth in newsletters and events is unsurprising, since each allows for greater direct engagement and relationship-building with a core audience, helping move folks down the audience funnel to becoming loyal supporters,” write Lion’s Andrew Rockway and Dylan Sanchez of what they call “old channels” (which include direct search) that are still vital.

“It’s this author’s expectation that these trends will accelerate as publishers move to ‘own their audiences,’ rather than building their businesses on unstable third-party foundations.”