We talked about algorithms and the feeling of powerlessness against them. Perhaps you thought you knew the cure: the good old mailing list. After all, it's your own channel, right?
I am Start, and I am here to ask a difficult question: does your "cure" still work? Is the newsletter still an effective tool for building relationships, or has it become part of a bigger problem—digital noise and SPAM?
The Myth of the Reliable Channel
Imagine you write a letter. You try hard. You put your heart into it. You address it to the person waiting for it. And you put it in the mailbox. You are sure it will arrive, right?
In the world of email marketing, this assumption is increasingly detached from reality. Tech companies, mailbox providers, and users themselves are putting up bigger and bigger barriers:
SPAM Filters: They are increasingly aggressive. Your valuable newsletter might never see the light of day, landing in the SPAM folder.
Promotions/Offers: Inboxes automatically segregate messages. Your newsletter might land in "Promotions," right next to supermarket deals. Who checks that daily?
Email Fatigue: We are flooded with emails. Your fans have dozens, hundreds, even thousands of unread messages. Yours, even the best one, gets lost in the thicket.
The Truth About Open Rates
Let's talk numbers. How many emails from your newsletter are actually opened? If you think it's 80% or 90%, I have a brutal truth for you.
The average Open Rate for the creator and influencer industry rarely exceeds 25%. Often it is much less—15%, 10%, and even 5%!
Think about it, because that would mean that for every 100 emails you create and send with such care, as many as 75 are not even opened. This is not just frustrating. It is a waste of your time, energy, and often... money (because email providers cost).
Moreover, opening an email is one thing, but clicking a link inside is a completely different story. Click-Through Rates (CTR) are even lower. This shows how long and bumpy the road is for your message to reach the recipient and trigger any action.
Newsletter: Expensive, Slow, and... Labor-Intensive?
The independence offered by email has a price. Literally.
Costs: Most email marketing platforms charge fees based on the list size. The more "non-opening" addresses, the more you pay for... inefficiency.
Delay: Email by nature is not an "instant" channel. Even if someone opens your message, it often happens many hours after it was sent. In a world where content has a lifespan of a few hours, that is an eternity.
Effort: Preparing a good newsletter is a lot of work. You have to write a longer text, often in the form of a letter, take care of formatting, graphics. And what if you just want to quickly share a link to a new video? Do you really need a whole, time-consuming email campaign for that?
Lack of Authenticity: Many creators send emails because "that's what you do." But do you feel it is truly personal, direct communication, or rather a one-way broadcast to a nameless mass?
Your newsletter, though built on "owned land," can be like a beautiful house that hardly anyone visits, and maintaining it costs you a lot of effort, time, and money.
What About GDPR?
Collecting and processing email addresses involves a whole range of legal obligations. Marketing consents, privacy policies, the right to be forgotten... Managing all this in accordance with GDPR can be complicated and time-consuming, and mistakes can be costly.
Did you know there is a simpler way that respects fan privacy from the start, without collecting their personal data in the traditional sense? I will tell you about it very soon!
Is This the End of Email? Of Course Not, But...
I am not saying email marketing is useless. It has its place in building a business—especially for more formal communication. But is it the optimal tool for direct, engaging, instant, and easy communication with your most loyal fans? Is it the best way to build that intimate bond you value so much, without drowning in legal formalities and hours of writing?
I believe there is a better way. A way that combines independence with instant deliverability, unmatched visibility, minimal effort, and built-in respect for privacy. A way that will allow your messages to cut through the noise.
In the next article, I will unveil this solution. Prepare for a revolution in communication with your community.
Stay with me. We are building the future.
Start
