HubSpot’s State of Newsletters Report 2025 (data from over 400 newsletter professionals)

Quick facts about the status of the newsletter

• AI is changing the game: 28% of creators use AI for brainstorming and 25% for content creation, with early adopters saving one to three hours per week.
• LinkedIn and Facebook lead distribution: 52% and 50% of creators, respectively, use these platforms to share newsletter content, surpassing traditional email (42%).
• Personality influences performance: Newsletters with personal opinions and hot takes generate the highest open rates, click rates and conversion rates.
• Word of mouth drives new subscribers: 42% believe direct referrals from current subscribers are the most effective growth strategy.
• Personalization pays off (literally): 7% of respondents who do not use personalization based on subscriber demographics are among those who experience lower revenue.
• Sales growth is real but fragile: 25% saw significant profit growth last year, but 55% believe newsletter revenue will become significantly more difficult to generate by 2030.

Top newsletter strategies

Newsletters are currently very trendy and there is a lot to consider when developing a good strategy. Here are the themes the pros regularly track to support their approach:

• 45% said news or trends related to the newsletter platform or newsletter channel, such as Substack or LinkedIn Newsletters.
• 30% said generative AI/automation trends in the newsletter space.
• 27% said news about email or subscriber privacy changes, such as GDPR and Gmail privacy updates.

Basically, it helps them stay on top of industry trends, decide which platforms and new features are available, and stay abreast of the latest developments in AI and data protection.

Content focus areas

In the spirit of staying in knowledgeWe found that the majority of our respondents (30%) use their industry-related personal opinions, tips or hot takes to anchor their content strategy. News and trends as well as original data and research are a close second.

As far as topic reporting is concerned, 42% of newsletter professionals are only interested in content that relates to their industry, professional field or similar career paths. Mixing content is also popular 25% of respondents covered a mix of content related to their career, hobbies and/or entertainment.

Popular tools and channels

To distribute this content, the following channels emerged as the three most popular for publishing:

• LinkedIn (52%)
• Facebook (50%)
• Traditional email (42%)

And when it comes to content consumption, subscribers overwhelmingly consume Gmail via other email inboxes to read your newsletters. Our survey revealed a 120% Increase in usage in comparison.

Despite this revelation, the majority of our respondents still agree that web-based platforms (like Substack and Beehiiv) are the way forward. 62% said newsletter creators who use these platforms will be a step ahead of those who focus solely on the inbox.

Outside of email hosting platforms, newsletter pros told us they get the most ROI from the following tools:

• 34% said customer, contact or subscriber relationship platforms that allow newsletter creators to track and learn more about subscribers.
• 30% said lead generation or revenue attribution tools to measure financial performance.
• 22% B. Social listening tools or other trend-based dashboards to track the latest trends in your newsletter industry.
• 21% Said editorial tools help with writing and editing convincing content.

Here are just a few things to consider in your newsletter tech stack if you haven’t already.

Subscribers, preferences, personalization

Now let’s get personal. Because personalization is the be-all and end-all of the newsletter game these days. This is what we found 90% of newsletter creators actively adapt their strategy to their most prominent group of subscribers.

And 67% of respondents agree that subscribers will expect a much higher level of newsletter personalization in 2030 than they do today.

Based on our survey, the most popular strategies for delivering newsletters to the most prominent subscriber groups are:

• Format newsletters or experiment with newsletter formats that align with how core demographics prefer to consume content.
• Target topics to the largest demographic that subscribes to newsletters.
• Schedule newsletters to be published at a time, day, or frequency when core demographics are most active.

Despite these strategies, newsletter professionals still face subscriber growth challenges, especially as the newsletter industry becomes increasingly saturated.

To increase the number of subscribers, 42% of respondents said direct referrals from current subscribers via word of mouth or online were the most effective strategy, followed by brands or co-marketing partners sharing the newsletter on their own channels.

The cost and revenue breakdown

Before we move on to the topic of personalization, let’s dive into the revenue differences between newsletter creators who listen to their subscribers’ preferences and those who don’t.

Among respondents who do not use personalization, we found that they are among those who generate lower sales – 23% Report that you make $0 per month, and 43% report earning between $1 and $100 per month.

In other words, it literally It’s worth personalizing it.

Here are some other sales trends to keep in mind:

• Respondents’ newsletters primarily earn them money through the sale of products, services or memberships marketed in their newsletters.
• A quarter of respondents reported significant profit growth from their newsletters in the past year 45% also expect their newsletter profits to increase significantly over the next 12 months.
• However, 55% also agree that it will become significantly more difficult to generate newsletter revenue by 2030.

For those dabbling in newsletter ads and wondering if they’re on the right track, I have good news. 46% of respondents agree that newsletters generate advertising revenue faster than podcasts, videos or websites.

How the pros track performance

Newsletter professionals surveyed focused on performance and said the metrics they track most often are views (58%)followed by clicks or click-through rate (35%) and engagement metrics (30%).

Here are the average reported rates for key newsletter performance metrics:

We’ve also found that newsletters with industry-related personal opinions, tips or hot takes get the highest open rates, click-through rates and conversion rates – so it’s no surprise that creators use this content strategy most often.

Mixed media newsletter content (i.e. text combined with videos or images) also achieved the highest performance among the newsletter professionals surveyed.

Where AI comes into play

Congratulations! You’ve made it to the AI ​​section of this article because there’s no way I wouldn’t mention our favorite Industry disruptor.

We asked newsletter professionals how, if at all, they use AI in their newsletter processes. This is what they said:

• 28% said they use AI brainstorming and planning – to come up with ideas for their newsletter, create outlines, or make suggestions.
• 25% said that they use AI for content creation – to write newsletter text, create images or develop advertising content.
• 23% said they are not using AI in their newsletter strategy yet, but plan to do so within the next 12 months.

Plus, 42% of newsletter professionals who use AI said it saves them an average of one to three hours per week.

Only a small percentage of respondents (4%) said they do not and do not plan to use AI in any way, shape or form. However, 64% of respondents actually agree that newsletters will be AI-generated by 2030.

What’s next for newsletters?

The newsletter industry is evolving quickly. Our experts predict that the main factors driving newsletter development next year will be AI integration, personalization and customization, increasing competition and saturation, and a growing demand for valuable and authentic content in the age of AI.

As for the status of the newsletter, I can’t lie. It’s a little… messy (but in a good way). As long as you continue to perform consistently and provide real relevance to your audience, you will always be well-equipped to take on the next wave of the industry.