Why You Need to Start a Newsletter: 6 Essential Reasons

Written By Alannah Ferris
Female hands typing on a keyboard. It's insinuated from the title that this woman is starting a newsletter for her business.

Have you thought about starting a newsletter but never got past the planning stage?


You know it would be good for your business. You know it would build more rapport with your audience. You might even know that it would make you more money.


But your hands are full, you don’t know where to start, and you’re not one hundred percent convinced a weekly (or monthly) newsletter would make that much of a difference.


Listen. I’m not here to tell you what to do. You know your business better than anyone. All I want to do is offer some perspective about what I’ve seen work for companies around the world. But if I’m speaking from experience, I can tell you that a newsletter is, in fact, worth the time and effort.


If you’re dead set on keeping a minimalistic online presence, I probably won’t change your mind. But if you’re on the fence, hopefully, I can nudge you in the right direction. In all my years of email copywriting, I’ve discovered six important reasons to start a newsletter, no matter who you are or what kind of business you have.

#1. You Won’t Have to Rely on Social Media

A phone with social media apps. Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

Possible TikTok ban aside, online platforms controlled by large corporations are finicky and fleeting. The truth is, we don’t know what our online world will look like 10-20 years from now. 


Sure, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and TikTok can be valuable in establishing an online presence, but at the end of the day, if our account gets banned, flagged, hacked, or worse–we can lose all that hard work tomorrow.


Think of your email list as a form of diversification. Relying on your social media followers means all your eggs are in one basket. Starting a newsletter spreads the risk around so that you’ve got a little extra insurance if something happens.


Remember, you OWN your email list. It is 100% yours. No one can take it from you. Who sees your content is not subject to Zuck, Elon, or the algorithm gods.

#2. A Newsletter Is a Weekly Love Letter to Your Audience

A handwritten note next to a cup of coffee on a wooden table. This picture implies that sending a newsletter is like writing a thank you note or sending a love letter.

Your customers are your lifeblood. They deserve to be appreciated, nurtured, and supported. Starting a newsletter is another way to provide value–whether it be through exclusive discounts, key insights, or a quick check-in to see if they need anything.


It’s also an opportunity to connect personally. I always recommend that business owners write their newsletter as if they are speaking to one person. It’s much more intimate than “Hey everyone, don’t forget to buy my product!”


On social media, your customers know they are one in a couple of thousand people seeing your content. It’s like sitting in a virtual stadium. The information might be valuable, but it’s not personalized. Receiving a newsletter is like getting a handwritten note mailed directly to their inbox. It’s personal, familiar, and a great opportunity to build trust and rapport.

#3. Starting a Newsletter Will Give You More Opportunities to Sell and Market Effectively

A white board with the word "Audience" written on it. There are three arrows pointing toward the word, implying that starting a newsletter will help you market to your audience better.

With an email list, you’ll be able to sell more and market more effectively for a few reasons:

  1. Targeted Marketing: Many newsletter platforms include a feature to segment your audience based on interest, behavior, and demographics. This allows you to personalize your newsletter even further. If a customer is interested in a specific service, you can show them more of that content. Or, if you’re selling a product catered toward a particular gender or age range, you can ensure you’re promoting it to the right audience. (Because trust me, 23-year-old Jessica from New York does not want to see your men’s hair loss products.)

  2. Special Promotions and Offers: You can incentivize customers to join your mailing list by offering special promotions, discounts, and first looks. This fosters a feeling of exclusivity and can even create a sense of urgency for people to purchase. 

  3. Valuable Data and Analytics: Whether from click-thru rates or customer surveys, having a newsletter gives you useful data on what your audience likes, dislikes, wants, and responds to. You can use this to continually improve your messaging, marketing, and user experience.

  4. Cost-Effective Marketing: Starting an email newsletter can be a low-cost way to advertise to your customers compared to other, more traditional marketing methods.

#4. You Can Turn Cold Leads Into Warm Leads 

Someone is looking at their phone and their computer at the same time. They are probably deep in a work flow and getting a lot done.

Starting a newsletter helps you convert cold leads into warm leads. Over time, regular communication with your customers reinforces your relationship with them and keeps your brand top-of-mind.


Newsletters also play a crucial role in sales funnels. A curated email sequence can educate, inform, and gradually move cold leads from awareness to purchasing to retention and advocacy. 


Even if your subscribers don’t make a sale, you can follow up with them by sending personalized messages. A newsletter provides many touch points to nurture your leads and move them closer to conversion.

#5 Statistically, You’ll Make More Money

Someone is pointing at a computer screen, perhaps to demonstrate how their business is becoming more profitable thanks to a newsletter.

According to Litmus, for every $1 marketers spend on email marketing, they receive $36 in return. That’s a pretty good ratio if you ask me. 


This increases to $42 for marketing, PR, and advertising agencies and $45 for retail, e-commerce, and consumer goods.


Starting a newsletter is a great way to boost your sales with relatively low overhead!

#6 You’ll Prove Yourself as Someone Reliable and Trustworthy

Woman smiling at a coffee shop looking at her computer.

This is perhaps the most important reason to start a newsletter. By showing up for your customers week after week and month after month, you’ll prove yourself as reliable and trustworthy. 


Not only does this boost your reputation as a brand, but your customers will be more inclined to purchase your product or service because they know they can depend on you. 


Then, there’s the rule of reciprocity at play. By providing free value to your email subscribers over time, they’ll be more likely to reciprocate through brand loyalty, engagement, or, ultimately, sales.


Here are a few things you can incorporate into your newsletter to both prove yourself as trustworthy and create buy-in with your customers:

  • Offer free, valuable content like eBooks, guides, and articles. The key is to make sure the content is high-quality and genuinely helpful.

  • Provide exclusive subscriber-only discounts or loyalty programs.

  • Share valuable tools and resources to help solve their pain points.

  • If you really want to go the extra mile, you can send personalized thank you notes and birthday messages.

Hire Me to Write Your Newsletter

I help my clients structure and write weekly newsletters for their businesses. I also help create content like eBooks, guides, checklists, and articles to further enrich the customer experience.


You can inquire about my newsletter writing packages here.

Alannah Ferris
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