📧 Email > Social: Why you should go all-in on newsletters

OWN your audience (email lists) vs ‘renting’ them (social media)

December 23, 2025

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Hey there,

Welcome back to another edition of Bootstrapped Growth. 👋

Wishing you all a happy festive season! Today, we dive into how email is not as archaic as you think. Remember, that email open rates average 20-40% and you own the list forever. In contrast, organic social media posts can now reach less than 5% of actual followers.

Table of Contents

Thanks for reading. Let’s jump in!

🚀 Why you should focus on growing email subscribers

Businesses that treat newsletters as products instead of marketing afterthoughts, are thriving. You can own distribution, control frequency, and build relationships that compound over time.

1) Build Direct Relationships

Morning Brew started as a daily newsletter, not an Instagram account. They have grown to over 4 million subscribers and even sold for USD75M without relying on social media. Their growth strategy was focused on referral loops built into each email where subscribers were turned into recruiters.

Takeaway ➡️ Email subscribers are assets you own that are unaffected by algorithms as with social followers. Growth is compounded with referral loops so that content delivery is turned into an acquisition channel itself.

2) Convert At 10x Higher Rates With Owned Audiences

Really Good Emails (design inspiration site) has built a 300k+ subscriber newsletter that showcases great email design examples. Their premium membership converts at 15% from email campaigns vs. 2% from social posts. While social posts vanish in hours, email subscribers view multiple touchpoints over weeks.

Takeaway ➡️ Email nurtures leads over time with multiple touchpoints. Social posts are one-and-done attention grabs that rarely convert audiences.

3) Monetize Attention You Actually Control

Axios (news website) generates over 50% of its revenue from newsletter sponsorships across its 30+ topic-specific newsletters. Advertisers pay premium rates for guaranteed inbox placement.

Takeaway ➡️ Email monetization is direct and predictable. You can charge for content or sell sponsorships without social media middlemen taking cuts.

⭐️ 3 actionable tips for growing your email list:

1) Build Referral Systems Directly Into Your Welcome Sequence. Include a "Share with 3 colleagues to unlock bonus content" offer in your second or third welcome email when engagement is highest.

2) Create List Swap Partnerships. Share subscribers through cross-promotion of other newsletters serving the same audience in adjacent niches. You can grow lists by 10-20% monthly through swaps.

3) Gate Your Best Content Behind Email Versus Paywalls. Instead of charging money upfront, offer access to premium calculators, templates, or tools in return for email signups. HubSpot's free tools collect millions of emails by providing immediate value in exchange for contact information. Then, focus on nurturing leads over time.

🛠 Useful Resources

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