HubSpot’s 2025 State of Newsletters Report [data from 400+ newsletter pros]

The inbox is having her moment again. Newsletters have made a full-blown comeback, and the rules of play have gotten a little more … complicated.

The concept of newsletters has evolved from just sending emails to a sophisticated ecosystem of automated platforms, personalization strategies, and monetization models.

To help break down the latest trends, we surveyed 400+ newsletter professionals to understand exactly how today’s creators are growing subscribers, generating revenue, and preparing for an AI-driven future.

Here’s what you need to know from HubSpot’s 2025 State of Newsletters Report.

Table of Contents

Want to take a closer look? Download the full report here:

Fast Facts about the State of Newsletters

• AI is changing the game: 28% of creators are using 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, outpacing traditional email (42%).
• Personality influences performance: Newsletters featuring personal opinions and hot takes generate the highest open rates, click rates, and conversion rates.
• Word of mouth is driving new subs: 42% rank direct recommendations from current subscribers as the most effective growth strategy.
• Personalization pays off (literally): 7% of respondents who don’t use any personalization based on subscriber demographics are among those bringing in lower revenue.
• Revenue growth is real but vulnerable: 25% saw substantial profit growth last year, yet 55% believe earning newsletter revenue will become significantly harder by 2030.

Top Newsletter Strategies

Newsletters are H-O-T right now, and there’s a lot to keep in mind when building out a good strategy. Here are the topics that the pros are regularly following to inform their approach:

• 45% said news or trends related to the newsletter platform or channel, like Substack or LinkedIn Newsletters.
• 30% said generative AI/automation trends in the newsletter space.
• 27% said news about email or subscriber data privacy shifts, like GDPR and Gmail Privacy Updates.

Basically, keeping a pulse on industry trends helps them decide which platforms and new features are available, and stay current on the most recent developments in AI and data privacy.

Content Focus Areas

In the spirit of staying in the know, we found that the majority of our respondents (30%) are using their industry-related personal opinions, tips, or hot takes to anchor their content strategy. News and trends, along with original data and research, are tied for second.

As far as topic coverage goes, 42% of newsletter pros are all in on content related to their industry, professional field, or similar career paths. Content mixing is also popular, with 25% of respondents covering a blend of content related to their career, hobbies, and/or entertainment.

Popular Tools & Channels

To distribute said content, the following channels surfaced as the three most popular for publishing:

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

And when it comes to content consumption, subscribers are overwhelmingly using Gmail over other email inboxes to read your newsletters. Our survey revealed a 120% jump in usage by 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 that newsletter creators who leverage these platforms will get ahead of those who are focused solely on the inbox.

Outside of email hosting platforms, newsletter pros told us they’re getting the most ROI out of 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% said social listening tools or other trend-based dashboards to follow the latest trends in their newsletter industry.
• 21% said editorial tools to help write and edit compelling content.

Just a few things to consider for your newsletter tech stack if you haven’t already.

Subscribers, Preferences, Personalization

Now, let’s get personal. Because personalization is the name of the newsletter game these days. We found that 90% of newsletter creators actively tailor their strategy to their most prominent subscriber demographics.

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

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

• Formatting newsletters or experimenting with newsletter formats that align with how core demographics prefer to consume content.
• Aligning topics with the biggest demographics that subscribe to newsletters.
• Scheduling newsletters to publish at a time, day, or cadence when core demographics are most active.

Despite these strategies, newsletter pros are still facing challenges with subscriber growth, especially as the newsletter industry becomes more saturated.

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

The Cost & Revenue Breakdown

Before we move on from the subject of personalization, we decided to do some digging into the revenue differences between newsletter creators who cater to their subscribers’ preferences and those who don’t.

For respondents who don’t use any personalization, we found that they are among those generating lower revenue — 23% report making $0 per month, and 43% report earning between $1 and $100 per month.

In other words, it literally pays to personalize.

Here are some other revenue trends to note:

• The primary way that respondents’ newsletters earn money is through the sale of products, services, or memberships marketed within their newsletters.
• One-fourth of respondents experienced substantial profit growth from their newsletters over the past year, and 45% also expect their newsletter profits to increase significantly over the next 12 months.
• However, 55% also agree that earning newsletter revenue will become substantially more difficult by 2030.

For those who are dabbling with newsletter ads and wondering if they’re on the right track, I have some good news. 46% of respondents agree that newsletters generate ad revenue more quickly than podcasts, videos, or websites.

How the Pros Are Tracking Performance

Shifting gears to performance, surveyed newsletter pros said the metrics they most often track are views (58%), followed by clicks or click rate (35%) and engagement metrics (30%).

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

We also found that newsletters featuring industry-related personal opinions, tips, or hot takes drive the highest open rates, click rates, and conversion rates — so, it’s no surprise that creators are leveraging this content strategy the most.

Mixed-media newsletter content (i.e., text combined with video or imagery) is also driving the highest performance among the newsletter pros surveyed.

Where AI Comes Into the Fold

Congrats! You 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 pros how, if at all, they’re using AI in their newsletter processes. Here’s what they said:

• 28% said they use AI brainstorming and planning — coming up with ideas for their newsletter, creating outlines, or making suggestions.
• 25% said they use AI for content creation — writing newsletter copy, creating images, or developing promotional content.
• 23% said they do not yet use AI in their newsletter strategy but plan to do so within the next 12 months.

Plus, 42% of newsletter pros who use AI said it saves them between one and three hours a week on average.

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

What’s Next for Newsletters

The newsletter industry is moving fast. Our pros predict that the main factors driving the evolution of newsletters over the next year will be AI integration, personalization and customization, increased competition and saturation, and a growing demand for valuable and authentic content in the era of AI.

As for the state of newsletters, I can’t lie. It’s a little … chaotic (but in a good way). As long as you continue to show up consistently and deliver genuine relevance to your audience, you’ll always be well-equipped to ride the next industry wave.