6 trends that will change the newsletter industry next year

The newsletter’s future is bright, but it’s a far cry from its postal origins.

I’m showing my age here, but in the late 20th century I thought newsletters were just something Fan clubs sent in old sitcoms. It wasn’t until much later that I realized that they actually exist in real life and that they can be a powerful marketing channel for all types of organizations and communities.

Let’s take a look at what newsletters will look like in 2026, including monetization, format, and channel trends marketers need to know our State of Newsletter Growth Report.

Table of contents

Summary

The future of newsletters is unified, AI-powered and multi-channel. Marketers need to go beyond just inbox strategies to reach their target audience and get creative. That means use AI for content creation, CRM-driven personalization, and integrated measurement across email, web, and social.

To be successful, focus on segmenting your audience, automating workflows, and tracking engagement with a smart CRM like HubSpot. Prioritize deliverability, privacy, and accessibility and choose monetization models that feel natural and non-intrusive. Start by reviewing your tech stack, updating your measurement dashboards, and testing new formats.

Are you ready to future-proof your newsletter strategy? Check out our proven framework And Get started with HubSpot’s tools for free.

The state of the newsletter industry

There were such from 2024 more than 50,000 newsletters solely on the Beehiiv newsletter platform. That’s almost twice as many as the year before, and thousands more have been added on web platforms and in inboxes in the months since.

However, the popularity is not just limited to fan clubs. From niche thought leaders (like Ann Handley And Nikhil Krishnan) and content creators to companies like buffer and brand communities like HubSpot Media’s The hustle and bustleNewsletters prove to be an effective strategy for:

• Build and engage with an audience
• Share expertise
• Promote brand loyalty
• Generating website traffic and sales.

Our research also shows this that LinkedIn is the most popular newsletter distribution channel, which isn’t all that surprising given the free, native newsletter offering and huge potential reach.

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However, email remains the top platform for consuming Newsletter content – ​​especially Gmail.

When it comes to artificial intelligence, 28% of marketers we surveyed are using AI to brainstorm and plan (i.e. outlining, suggestions, etc.) their newsletters, and 23% plan to use it in their strategy within the next twelve months.

But these aren’t the only changes shaping the future of newsletters and newsletter content strategy. Let’s take a closer look at these and some other trends.

The future of the newsletter: New trends, channels and formats

1. Web platforms for newsletters are on the rise.

While most people still read newsletters in their email inboxes, web platforms like it Substack, Patreonand even LinkedIn offer something email can’t – discoverability.

More and more creators and brands are publishing newsletters as web-native content (in addition to email) in hopes of reaching new audiences and potential buyers.

Web-native newsletters can be crawled by search engines and reply engines and can also be shared on social media, which is probably why those who publish online newsletters, on average, receive over 500-1,000 views and engagements per post.

What marketers can do:

Use your email newsletter content for your website or blog and make sure it is optimized for both search engines and AI engines like ChatGPT or Gemini.

Even if you don’t have to worry about duplicate content in email, it’s still a good idea to change things up. Buyer behavior and the medium of content you can share on a website are significantly different than via email. For example, you can share a video that plays directly on a webpage, but in an email you’re limited to a gift or a thumbnail with a link.

Keep these differences in mind and use them to create the best experience.

Try it with Breeze AI to revise your copy or Content Remix to convert your newsletter into content for other channels (e.g. social media posts).

Instead of your own website, you can also use third-party platforms like LinkedIn and Substack, which have their own established audiences and email delivery. Shopify is the biggest brand So far you can take Substack with you “In stock”:

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2. Brands are experimenting with formats based on reader preferences.

As with all marketing, newsletters that are tailored to their target audience are the most successful. I mean, you can’t expect customers to accept what you give if what you give them isn’t what they want.

34% of respondents said they use newsletter formats that align with how core demographics prefer to consume content, while 31% target topics to the largest audiences that subscribe to newsletters, and 25% schedule newsletters when core demographics are most active.

These percentages may seem low, but these were just some of the options. Only 7% of respondents say this not If they don’t tailor their newsletters to their audiences at all, they’ll have the lowest average monthly revenue. (Surprise, surprise.)

Marketers who format their newsletters according to their core demographics earn the most, with monthly revenue between $45,001 and $55,000.

What marketers can do:

Be responsive to your audience. Plain and simple.

Who are you? What are they interested in? What are their behaviors? Understand what your audience wants to read about in depth and what they need quick access to (e.g. links to upcoming events, tools, resources) and update your format accordingly.

One thing that frustrated me over the years of sending marketing emails and newsletters was the creative limitations. I wanted to shift the email experience from passive to active by incorporating elements like polls and videos. Fortunately, there are many more tools available today to enable these interactions.

For example this Why we buy The newsletter for marketers includes a “one-click quiz” created with Kit with an eye-catching prize.

Alternatively, if your resources are a little more limited, you can take a link-based approach, such as: B. The New York Times.

Whatever your medium, don’t be afraid to get creative based on your audience’s reactions.

Pro tip: Unfortunately, newsletters become graymail for many subscribers. When evaluating what your readers respond to, consider testing or surveying just a list of your engaged subscribers. This will help you understand what matters to those who are actually engaged.

Use a mix of content blocks, such as:

• Interviews or quotes
• resources
• News article
• Surveys
• Checklists
• Education/advice
• Product Spotlights
• Short form vs. long form

I don’t want to brag, but my friends at The Hustle are doing great.

3. Readers engage more with personality-focused newsletters than with the brand.

Just over half of those surveyed in our report say readers prefer independent newsletters to corporate content. In fact, the average conversion rate for personal newsletters was between 5% and 25%, performing better than their branded counterparts.

Whether it’s our increasingly virtual lives or simply human nature, people clearly crave and respond to connection with other people. Most consumers also trust other people’s word of mouth more than brands’ claims, and personality-driven newsletters take advantage of this.

What marketers can do:

Even if you represent a brand, you should have a dedicated writer or team of writers behind your newsletter. These personalities are your speakers or “hosts”. They give readers someone they can recognize and connect with, rather than just a cold, faceless brand.

Sarah Schmidt, president of Interdependence, a public relations and strategic communications firm that manages Instagram accounts for celebrities, CEOs and brands, says it’s important now to put a face to the company, and it doesn’t always have to be the company founder.

“We’ve had the most success when someone on the team has a consistent presence – a personality that followers can identify with,” she says. “When that person shows up with opinions, behind-the-scenes context and a sense of humor, the brand becomes more than just a logo, it becomes a point of view.”

Join our new newsletter, The Science of Scaling. My HubSpotter colleague and former teammate Jay Fuchs writes this weekly email.

In it, readers receive valuable sales tips, but also a good pinch of humor, perspectives and specialist knowledge from Fuchs.

Meanwhile, Shopify’s In Stock is written by a four-person team consisting of Dayna Winter, Shopify’s newsroom director, and other members of Shopify’s communications department.

People look for (and often pay for) real, exclusive insights – not the same old opinions they can get on social media or competitor blogs.

To build and maintain your subscriber list and even close sales, newsletters need to excite people with their unique perspective and style, as well as the way they curate their niche. You have to give people something they can’t get anywhere else to justify a subscription.

Using personality-driven content to leverage storytelling and the human experience can be the key to standing out from the crowd and AI-generated, unedited competition.

Speaking of…

4. AI leaves its mark on newsletter strategy and leadership.

AI is everywhere these days and newsletter strategy is no different. As we have already seen, many marketers are already using AI to brainstorm and design their newsletters. Well, almost 25% of them say it saves them 1-2 hours per week.

52-104 hours saved per year isn’t too bad.

64% of respondents also agree that most newsletters will be AI-generated by 2030 – but this creates a whole new landscape. AI is inherently derivative. It creates based on existing things, and from experience, plagiarism and duplicate content are very real problems.

When AI writes most newsletters, putting a human behind the keyboard will be a strong differentiator.

What marketers can do:

When using AI for newsletters, human editing and oversight are essential. However, you can set up AI tools to learn your brand’s voice and identity and hopefully keep this to a minimum.

Read: How to humanize AI content so it ranks, engages, and gets shared in 2025

The “Express” phase of the Loop marketing The framework is designed for this. In doing so, you create a crystal-clear style guide and feed it to the AI ​​so that all assets generated by the technology are on brand.

But AI isn’t just about generating content. Discover how to use it:

• Creation of niche customer segments
• Use predictive analytics to provide personalized content recommendations
• Track and analyze behavioral data to find trends about what your audience likes
• Personalize your newsletter with reader data

Generate your brand voice and style guide with Breeze AI.

5. Personalization and relevance are more important than ever.

By 2030, 67% of marketers believe people will expect far greater levels of personalization from newsletters than we see today.

This means that it is no longer enough to just send general updates or write (first name) on a newsletter. The audience doesn’t want to feel like a number. They want to feel like every message was created just for them.

Luckily, personalization is another area where AI excels and can help you scale.

What marketers can do:

Instead of limiting yourself to broad segments, brands should move to 1:1 personalization for transactional emails too. It can be used for:

• Customize content based on CRM data (e.g. name, location).
• Make content recommendations based on pages viewed and services/products purchased.
• Adjust the tone based on demographics, season, etc.

Whether you’re a large company or a sole proprietor, integrating AI into your CRM can help you deliver the right message to the right person automatically.

In fact, HubSpot’s own marketing team recently had success with this.

We’ve developed an AI system that analyzes a contact’s company website, evaluates the offers or resources they’ve downloaded, and then predicts what they want to achieve. The AI ​​then used this data to generate a custom content offer and personalized message tailored to that person’s goals.

The results were incredible:

• 82% increase in conversion rates
• 30% higher open rates
• 50% increase in click-through rates

You can find detailed instructions on incorporating personalization into your email strategy here HubSpot’s guide to dynamic email personalization.

Newsletter monetization and revenue opportunities

Goal	Best model(s)	Why it works
Build consistent recurring revenue	Paid subscriptions, memberships	Predictable income, loyal audience
Promote sales of products or services	Product/service advertising	Links the newsletter directly to the company ROI
Increase your audience reach and increase your partnerships	Sponsorship, affiliate marketing, third party platforms	Scales with visibility and credibility
Deepen community engagement	Premium communities, events	Builds loyalty and perceived value
Maintain independence and authenticity	Donate	Reader-supported, mission-driven

As the industry matures, 45% of marketers expect newsletter profits to increase significantly next year. But what does this income actually look like?

According to recent survey data:

• 30% of newsletter creators earn income from Product, service or membership sales are advertised in their newsletter.
• 16% generate income through paid subscriptions to your newsletter.
• 16% monetize via Sponsorship and advertising – Selling placements in their newsletters to brands that fit their niche.

Other brands engage in community engagement, donations or even Audience arbitrage. The best monetization model depends on your audience, goals, and brand type. Here are some tips to keep in mind.

For companies and brands

If you run a company newsletter, treat it like a performance marketing channel.

• Contain contextual CTAs to your products or services, if relevant, in your newsletter
• Use UTM tracking and CRM integration to measure conversions from email clicks.
• Allocate sales by Life cycle phases (e.g. Subscriber → Lead → MQL → Customer) instead of relying on last-click metrics. This ensures you see the full pipeline impact of your newsletter – not just the immediate clicks.

For individual creators

If you are an independent publisher or thought leader, paid subscriptions are an effective way to increase sustainable income. Offer tiered membership options inspired by creators Rachel Karten’s “Link in Bio” newsletter.

Premium subscribers may receive perks such as additional weekly editions or bonus content, access to a private Slack or Discord community, one-on-one consultations or question-and-answer sessions, or exclusive reports and data-driven insights.

This model can also work for brands; All you need is a loyal audience, a niche audience that values ​​your expertise.

Frequently asked questions about newsletter trends

Should newsletters expand beyond email to web posts or social networks?

Yes – if you want to increase your reach and visibility, make your newsletter accessible to search engines and AI engines by establishing a presence on a public, web-based platform as opposed to email. Email builds relationships, while the Internet and social networks facilitate discovery. Use your CRM, e.g HubSpotto unify metrics and track engagement across channels.

How often should you send newsletters next year?

There is no uniform frequency for newsletters. Some companies may ship once a week, others ship quarterly. It really depends on your audience and the type of information you share.

I would recommend starting with a bi-weekly or monthly scheduleand then monitor open rates and engagement to find your sweet spot. HubSpot’s reports and analytics can help you evaluate these email metrics and more.

What is the best newsletter format to start with?

Again, this depends on your target audience, but it’s not a bad idea to start modular:

• A personal introduction
• 3-5 curated links or tips
• A deep story
• A strong CTA

This format is flexible, scalable, and easy to personalize over time, especially with HubSpot’s drag-and-drop email templates.

Which AI tasks are safest to automate today?

Start with a strategy and a short text. Think about tasks like:

• Brainstorm topic ideas
• Brainstorming and testing subject lines
• Testing content variations

Have people review the tone, brand direction, and storytelling.

How do you avoid sounding generic with AI?

Create a branded phrasebook, train your AI tools using proprietary examples, and always add personal comments or experiences. Authenticity and originality will be your biggest differentiators. I also recommend adding unique examples, quotes, and mixed media. Find out more here.

The future is (more than just) email

The future of newsletters is personal, data-driven and multi-channel. Whether you’re a solo artist or a brand, the key is to combine automation with authenticity, email with web presence, and measuring every step of the way.

Would you like to build a sustainable newsletter program? Discover the Loop marketing framework to connect your channels and become smarter in 2026.