What is the rationale behind it? I don't subscribe to a single newsletter myself, so I'm a bit puzzled about the benefits of running one.
Ask HN: Do newsletters work? Why do websites push them so much?
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Re: Ask HN: Do newsletters work? Why do websites push them so much?
#2Look at my audience of 1000+ people/emails that are potentially interested in your product, which i can shill or plainly advertise on my newsletter for a fee.
Re: Ask HN: Do newsletters work? Why do websites push them so much?
#3If you're smart about your strategy (don't spam, think twice about when to send a mail, lead with interesting content, visually appealing), a mailing list can be a huge asset to any business. People tend to not want to follow companies on Twitter or Instagram, if they want to stay up to date, a lot of them might want news in their easily filterable inbox, in my experience.
Re: Ask HN: Do newsletters work? Why do websites push them so much?
#4I get it, but I do wish sites would give it a rest with the Newsletter pop-ups.
Re: Ask HN: Do newsletters work? Why do websites push them so much?
#5Its the only way to actually own your audience. Rather than asking permission to access someone else's audience.
For example, I get emails from some people for the last 10 years. I would have forgotten about them many times over.
Having a Facebook page with a lot of likes use to mean you could get on their feed, now you are lucky to get any views without paying for them.
Re: Ask HN: Do newsletters work? Why do websites push them so much?
#6Re: Ask HN: Do newsletters work? Why do websites push them so much?
#7It's "push" instead of "pull" for content authors. A casual visitor my read one of your posts, then never visit your site again. If they sign up, you can send them monthly content. I get it, but I do wish sites would give it a rest with the Newsletter pop-ups.
Re: Ask HN: Do newsletters work? Why do websites push them so much?
#8Re: Ask HN: Do newsletters work? Why do websites push them so much?
#9Another way is RSS feeds, but many companies seem to consider that there's not enough users for the trouble.
Re: Ask HN: Do newsletters work? Why do websites push them so much?
#10* Because other platforms own you, but you own your newsletter.
* Not everyone opens a newsletter, but everyone checks their email. So if they don't open the newsletter, at least they see something from you.
* It's near zero cost.
I don't like it when sites push their newsletter constantly, but I do like educational content pushed to where I often am (my inbox).