This post was significantly updated in June 2025 to reflect new information. An archived version from 2013 is available for reference here.
In a creator economy spinning faster by the day, one piece of advice refuses to die: “The money is in the list.”
But here’s the honest truth—that phrase doesn’t mean what it used to.
Back in 2013, building your email list meant plugging in a Mailchimp form, offering a free ebook, and watching the numbers go up.
Growth was the metric. Bigger was better. Your email list was your digital war chest.
Now, in 2025, the game has changed.
Substack, Beehiiv, ConvertKit, and even LinkedIn’s newsletter tools are swarming with creators trying to “own their audience.”
But owning isn’t connecting. And more subscribers doesn’t mean more impact.
We need to ask a better question than “How do I get more emails?”
We need to ask: What kind of connection am I building, and is anyone still listening?
The problem: email is crowded—and trust is harder to earn than ever
Here’s what bloggers are up against in 2025:
- Subscriber fatigue is real.
According to GetApp’s 2024 Advertising Preferences Survey, 40% of U.S. consumers unsubscribe from marketing emails or texts at least once a week.
- High-frequency campaigns trigger mass opt-outs.
More than 56% of U.S. consumers say they’ll unsubscribe if they receive four or more marketing messages from the same sender in a 30-day period.
- AI spam is flooding inboxes.
With generative content tools everywhere, readers are tuning out generic newsletters that feel templated or soulless.
- List size ≠ engagement.
It’s not uncommon to see open rates dip below 10%, especially when creators prioritize growth hacks over relevance or relational trust.
- Pop‑ups have gone from persuasive to punitive.
The once‑standard email popup is now so common it’s often ignored—or worse, resented.
Let’s be blunt: email marketing isn’t dead—but lazy email marketing is.
The real solution: shift from extraction to invitation
If the old model was “capture,” the new model is “invite.”
In 2025, successful bloggers aren’t growing lists, they’re growing trust ecosystems.
Their focus isn’t just on what the email delivers, but how it feels to subscribe in the first place.
What’s working now?
- Position your newsletter as a destination, not a drip.
Newsletters like Dense Discovery or Not Boring by Packy McCormick aren’t begging for subscribers. They’re offering a lens—a curated view of the world. Think about what your newsletter represents, not just what it contains. - Create meaningful entry points.
Instead of generic “Get my latest updates” forms, use a single-topic magnet with long-term value. Example: A 5-day email series that helps readers do one thing well—without upselling. - Focus on identity, not transactions.
People don’t subscribe to content. They subscribe to alignment. The more clearly your blog stands for something—ethically, stylistically, emotionally—the more likely people are to say: “Yes, I want this voice in my inbox.” - Treat your welcome email like a handshake, not a pitch.
First impressions stick. Avoid automation fatigue. Instead, offer a personal message, a quick story, and a reason to reply.
Don’t fall for the noise: what to leave behind
In trying to grow an email list, creators often revert to outdated (and counterproductive) tactics. Let’s call them out.
- Stop prioritizing growth hacks over relevance.
Buying lists, offering bait-and-switch freebies, or running contests just to inflate numbers? It’s a fast way to burn trust. - Stop sending emails that say nothing.
AI makes it easy to produce content, but that doesn’t mean you should. Readers don’t want a weekly brain-dump, they want thoughtfulness. Don’t publish just because it’s “newsletter day.” - Stop obsessing over open rates.
With Apple Mail Privacy Protection and other filters, open rates are becoming a vanity metric. Focus on replies, forwards, and conversations instead. - Stop assuming the list is yours.
Yes, you “own” your email list in the sense that no algorithm hides it from you. But you don’t own someone’s attention. That has to be re-earned in every send.
Final thought: grow a list that actually matters
Too many creators are chasing metrics that don’t matter.
The goal isn’t to have 10,000 subscribers who never open your emails.
The goal is to have 500 who hit “reply.”
That shift—from quantity to quality of connection—is where the real power lies in 2025.
We’re not just writing for inboxes. We’re writing for humans—overwhelmed, skeptical, and longing for voices they can trust.
So build your list. But build it like it matters.
Because if your blog is the fire, your email list is the campfire that keeps it warm.
