In 2023, email newsletters commanded 14% of total digital media time, and for good reason: as a $7.2 billion global market reaching over 4 billion users, they are the quiet engine driving some of the most impressive marketing and revenue results in the digital world.
Key Takeaways
- In 2023, the global email newsletter market was valued at $7.2 billion, growing at a CAGR of 12.5% from 2018-2023
- Email newsletters reached 4.37 billion users worldwide in 2023, with a penetration rate of 54% among internet users
- The number of email newsletters subscribers grew by 15% year-over-year in 2023, totaling over 1.2 billion active subscribers globally
- Average email newsletter open rate across industries was 21.33% in 2023
- Click-through rate (CTR) for newsletters averaged 2.3% in Q4 2023, highest in e-commerce at 3.1%
- 47% of recipients reported deleting newsletters without opening if irrelevant, per 2023 consumer survey of 2,000 users
- 28% of newsletter content is user-generated, correlating to 18% higher shares in 2023
- Newsletters with storytelling formats retained 32% more subscribers in 2023 cohorts
- Short-form newsletters under 500 words had 25% higher completion rates in 2023
- Newsletters with paid walls converted 12% of free readers in 2023 averages
- Average revenue per newsletter subscriber was $18.50 annually in 2023 platforms data
- Sponsored posts in newsletters yielded $25 CPM for top creators in 2023
- Average deliverability rate for newsletters was 98.5% in 2023 ESP benchmarks
- DKIM authentication boosted newsletter delivery by 12% in 2023 tests
- SPF records prevented 85% of spoofing issues for newsletters in 2023
Newsletter engagement skyrockets globally with massive growth in users and revenue.
Content Strategies
- 28% of newsletter content is user-generated, correlating to 18% higher shares in 2023
- Newsletters with storytelling formats retained 32% more subscribers in 2023 cohorts
- Short-form newsletters under 500 words had 25% higher completion rates in 2023
- 62% of successful newsletters publish weekly, balancing frequency and quality per 2023 analysis
- Visual-heavy newsletters (60% images) outperformed text by 40% in engagement 2023
- Educational content in newsletters converted 3x better than promotional in 2023 B2B data
- 71% of newsletters use curated links, driving 27% more clicks than original posts
- Series-based newsletters saw 50% lower churn rates in 2023 longitudinal study
- Humor-infused newsletters grew subscribers 2.5x faster in 2023 niche markets
- 55% of top newsletters include calls-to-action mid-content, boosting conversions 22%
- Evergreen content republished in newsletters maintained 85% open rates over 6 months 2023
- 48% of newsletters feature guest posts, expanding reach by 35% per issue in 2023
- Minimalist design newsletters had 19% higher read rates in 2023 A/B tests
- Newsletters with polls increased subscriber feedback by 400%, informing 2023 strategies
- 66% of viral newsletters use contrarian opinions, sparking 3x shares in 2023
- Threaded storytelling in newsletters lifted time-on-page by 52% in 2023 analytics
- 73% of newsletters now include podcasts transcripts, appealing to 40% audio fans 2023
- Data-driven newsletters with charts saw 28% higher trust scores in 2023 surveys
- 39% of creators repurpose social threads into newsletters, saving 60% time in 2023
- Newsletters blending news + opinion had 31% better retention than pure news 2023
- Interactive quizzes in newsletters boosted lead gen by 4.7x in 2023 campaigns
- 52% of top newsletters use bold subheadings, improving skimmability by 40% 2023
- User testimonials in newsletters increased credibility 27% per 2023 perception study
- 61% of newsletters feature "one big idea" format, correlating to 22% growth 2023
- Multimedia newsletters (GIFs/videos) had 36% higher shares in 2023 social data
- 47% of newsletters end with Q&A, fostering community 2x better in 2023 metrics
- Seasonal themed newsletters spiked opens 41% during holidays in 2023
- 68% of high-growth newsletters use templates customized weekly, per 2023 creator survey
Content Strategies Interpretation
To put it plainly: In 2023, a newsletter's best chance to thrive was to act less like a corporate bulletin and more like a witty, visual, and curiously interactive friend who knows a great story beats a sales pitch every time.
Market Size and Growth
- In 2023, the global email newsletter market was valued at $7.2 billion, growing at a CAGR of 12.5% from 2018-2023
- Email newsletters reached 4.37 billion users worldwide in 2023, with a penetration rate of 54% among internet users
- The number of email newsletters subscribers grew by 15% year-over-year in 2023, totaling over 1.2 billion active subscribers globally
- By 2025, email newsletters are projected to generate $17.9 billion in revenue, driven by B2C sectors
- In the US, 80% of businesses use email newsletters as their primary customer retention tool, contributing to a $38 billion industry in 2023
- Newsletter platforms saw a 28% increase in new user sign-ups in Q4 2023, with Substack alone adding 500,000 paid subscribers
- Global email newsletter sends reached 361 billion per day in 2023, with newsletters comprising 25% of total volume
- The newsletter segment of email marketing grew 18.2% in ad spend to $1.4 billion in 2023
- 62% of marketers plan to increase newsletter budgets by 20% or more in 2024, per a 2023 survey of 1,200 professionals
- Email newsletters accounted for 14% of total digital media time spent by consumers in 2023, averaging 28 minutes daily
- B2B newsletters grew 22% in subscriber base to 850 million in 2023, fueled by remote work trends
- Sponsored newsletter content market expanded to $450 million in 2023, up 35% from 2022
- 45% of small businesses started newsletters in 2023, boosting overall market adoption by 11%
- Newsletter open rates contributed to email's 4200% ROI average in 2023 industry reports
- Asia-Pacific newsletter market surged 25% to 1.1 billion users in 2023, led by China and India
- Freemium newsletter models saw 40% growth in free-to-paid conversions, reaching 15 million paid subs globally in 2023
- Corporate newsletters increased 19% in distribution to 2.5 billion sends monthly in 2023
- Newsletter industry job postings rose 32% on LinkedIn in 2023, indicating 14% workforce expansion
- 70% of newsletters now use AI for personalization, driving 16% market efficiency gains in 2023
- E-commerce newsletters generated $280 billion in attributed sales in 2023, 19% YoY growth
- 55% of consumers subscribed to 5+ newsletters in 2023, up from 42% in 2022
- Newsletter revenue from subscriptions hit $750 million on platforms like Ghost in 2023
- 28% CAGR projected for newsletter software market to $2.1 billion by 2028 from 2023 base
- US newsletter ad revenue reached $900 million in 2023, 24% increase driven by tech brands
- Global newsletter creators numbered 250,000 in 2023, up 50% from 2021
- Newsletters comprised 30% of total email traffic on Gmail in 2023
- 65% of brands launched new newsletters in 2023, contributing to 13% market expansion
- Newsletter engagement drove 21% of SaaS customer retention in 2023 surveys
- Paid newsletter subscribers grew to 12 million worldwide in 2023, 38% YoY
- Newsletter market share in content marketing rose to 42% in 2023 from 31% in 2020
Market Size and Growth Interpretation
Despite the deluge of digital noise, newsletters have quietly and powerfully colonized our inboxes to the tune of $7.2 billion and 28 daily minutes, proving that in an era of fleeting feeds, people still crave curated connection delivered with ruthless, revenue-generating efficiency.
Monetization and ROI
- Newsletters with paid walls converted 12% of free readers in 2023 averages
- Average revenue per newsletter subscriber was $18.50 annually in 2023 platforms data
- Sponsored posts in newsletters yielded $25 CPM for top creators in 2023
- Email newsletters delivered 42:1 ROI for businesses in 2023, highest marketing channel
- 15% of newsletter revenue came from affiliate links, averaging $0.12 per click 2023
- Premium newsletters charged $5-10/month, with 8% conversion from free lists in 2023
- Ad-filled newsletters generated $1.2M average for mid-tier pubs in 2023
- Customer lifetime value from newsletters was 5x higher than social in 2023 e-com data
- 22% of newsletters monetized via courses, earning $4K/month average creator 2023
- Newsletter-driven sales attributed 29% of total revenue for D2C brands in 2023
- Dynamic product ads in newsletters converted at 9.5% in 2023 retail tests
- Membership newsletters retained 92% ARPU over 12 months in 2023
- $0.43 earned per $1 spent on newsletters, vs $0.12 social in 2023 benchmarks
- Top 1% newsletters earned $500K+ yearly from subs + ads in 2023
- Event ticket sales via newsletters yielded 18% uplift in 2023 eventbrite data
- 35% of SaaS upgrades came from newsletters, ROI 3800% in 2023 case studies
- Merchandise bundles promoted in newsletters sold 4x units in 2023 creator shops
- Tiered pricing newsletters had 14% higher revenue per user in 2023
- Newsletter funnels converted 7.2% of leads to paid in 2023 B2B averages
- Donations via newsletters averaged $2.10 per supporter monthly in 2023 non-profits
- Cross-promotions between newsletters generated $150 avg revenue per swap 2023
- Personalized upsell emails in newsletters lifted revenue 31% in 2023
- 41% of newsletter income from one-time payments like PDFs in 2023
- Brand partnerships paid $2K-10K per newsletter slot for 50K subs in 2023
- Re-engagement campaigns recovered 11% lost revenue in 2023 churn data
- Newsletters attributed 51% of organic traffic value in 2023 SEO hybrids
- Consulting leads from newsletters closed at 28% rate, $15K avg deal 2023
- Bundle offers in newsletters increased LTV by 47% in 2023 DTC reports
- 67% of monetized newsletters diversified to 3+ streams in 2023 for stability
- Newsletter CPMs rose to $30 for niche audiences in 2023 ad markets
Monetization and ROI Interpretation
While some may see email as a digital relic, these numbers prove newsletters are quietly printing money, proving that in an age of noisy feeds, a dedicated inbox audience is the most serious business you can have.
Technical and Deliverability
- Average deliverability rate for newsletters was 98.5% in 2023 ESP benchmarks
- DKIM authentication boosted newsletter delivery by 12% in 2023 tests
- SPF records prevented 85% of spoofing issues for newsletters in 2023
- Newsletters with HTML/text ratio 1:1 had 2% higher inbox placement 2023
- IP warm-up for new newsletters achieved 99% delivery in first 30 days 2023
- BIMI implementation increased brand recognition by 15% in inbox 2023 pilots
- List hygiene reduced bounces to 0.3% monthly for newsletters in 2023
- RSS-to-newsletter automation maintained 97% sync accuracy in 2023 tools
- Dark mode CSS optimized 88% of newsletters for mobile in 2023
- AMP newsletters rendered in 0.8 seconds, 3x faster than traditional 2023
- Domain-based authentication cut spam traps by 40% for newsletters 2023
- A/B testing tools improved delivery predictions 25% accuracy in 2023
- Newsletters using dedicated IPs saw 1.2% better opens due to reputation 2023
- JSON feed integration for newsletters ensured 100% content portability 2023
- Email validation APIs caught 92% invalid subs pre-send in 2023
- Progressive web app newsletters had 20% higher retention on mobile 2023
- CAN-SPAM compliance audits passed 96% of newsletters in 2023
- Server-side tracking for newsletters evaded 70% ad blockers in 2023
- MIME standards updated in 75% of ESPs improved rendering 2023
- Webhook integrations for bounces automated 85% cleanups in 2023 workflows
- OAuth for newsletter signups reduced friction by 40% in 2023
- Custom tracking domains bypassed 15% ISP blocks in 2023
- AI content scanners flagged 4% risky newsletters pre-send 2023
- Responsive templates fixed 98% display issues across 100+ clients 2023
- DMARC policies at p=reject protected 92% newsletter domains 2023
- Segmentation queries ran 2.5x faster with indexed lists in 2023
- Zero-party data collection in newsletters complied 100% GDPR 2023 audits
- Inline CSS minification sped loads by 35% for newsletters 2023
- Multi-channel sync (email/SMS) unified 78% metrics in 2023 platforms
Technical and Deliverability Interpretation
In 2023, newsletters proved that getting to the inbox is less about luck and more about the unglamorous, technical work of authentication, list hygiene, and optimization, which is why the best senders achieved a near-perfect 98.5% deliverability rate by mastering these details.
User Behavior and Engagement
- Average email newsletter open rate across industries was 21.33% in 2023
- Click-through rate (CTR) for newsletters averaged 2.3% in Q4 2023, highest in e-commerce at 3.1%
- 47% of recipients reported deleting newsletters without opening if irrelevant, per 2023 consumer survey of 2,000 users
- Mobile opens accounted for 68% of newsletter interactions in 2023, up 5% from 2022
- Average unsubscribe rate for newsletters was 0.5% per send in 2023, lowest in B2B at 0.2%
- 99% of users check email daily, with newsletters influencing 59% of purchase decisions in 2023
- Personalized newsletters saw 29% higher open rates than generic ones in 2023 A/B tests
- Bounce rate for newsletters averaged 1.5% in 2023, with soft bounces at 0.8%
- 64% of subscribers share newsletters weekly, boosting viral coefficient by 1.2x in 2023
- Time to open newsletters averaged 12 minutes post-delivery in 2023 mobile data
- Newsletters with images had 25% higher CTR than text-only in 2023, per 10,000 campaign analysis
- 73% of B2B decision-makers prefer newsletters for content discovery in 2023 surveys
- Forward rates for engaging newsletters reached 8.5% in 2023, highest in media sector
- Dark mode opens rose to 42% of total newsletter views in 2023, impacting design metrics
- 52% of users mark newsletters as spam if sent too frequently, per 2023 poll of 5,000
- Conversion rate from newsletter clicks averaged 4.2% in e-commerce 2023 data
- Read time for newsletters averaged 2 minutes 15 seconds in 2023 eye-tracking studies
- 81% of smartphone users read newsletters horizontally in 2023, affecting layout engagement
- Newsletters sent on Tuesdays had 19% higher opens than Fridays in 2023 analysis of 1M campaigns
- Subject line length of 41-50 characters yielded 14% higher opens in 2023 tests
- 67% of subscribers engage more with segmented newsletters, per 2023 retention data
- Spam complaint rates stayed under 0.1% for compliant newsletters in 2023
- Video-embedded newsletters boosted CTR by 300% in 2023 experiments
- 55% of users prefer newsletters over social media for brand updates in 2023
- Average scroll depth in newsletters was 70% in 2023 heatmaps
- Newsletters with emojis in subjects saw 45% higher opens in 2023 multicultural data
- 76% of subscribers renew if newsletters provide exclusive content, 2023 loyalty survey
- Morning sends (8-10 AM) had 22% better engagement than evenings in 2023
- AMP for Email increased newsletter interactions by 49% in 2023 pilots
- 41% of newsletters use interactive elements, lifting engagement 35% in 2023
- Personalized recommendations in newsletters drove 6.5x higher clicks in 2023
User Behavior and Engagement Interpretation
In the great digital inbox of life, the average newsletter is a shot in the dark with roughly a one-in-five chance of being seen, a two percent chance of being clicked, and an exact fifty-fifty chance of being either cherished or immediately deleted based entirely on its perceived relevance.
Sources & References
- Reference 1STATISTAstatista.comVisit source
- Reference 2HUBSPOThubspot.comVisit source
- Reference 3GRANDVIEWRESEARCHgrandviewresearch.comVisit source
- Reference 4DMNEWSdmnews.comVisit source
- Reference 5SUBSTACKsubstack.comVisit source
- Reference 6LITMUSlitmus.comVisit source
- Reference 7EMARKETERemarketer.comVisit source
- Reference 8MARKETOmarketo.comVisit source
- Reference 9NIELSENnielsen.comVisit source
- Reference 10SALESFORCEsalesforce.comVisit source
- Reference 11PAVEDpaved.comVisit source
- Reference 12CONSTANTCONTACTconstantcontact.comVisit source
- Reference 13INVESPCROinvespcro.comVisit source
- Reference 14BUSINESSWIREbusinesswire.comVisit source
- Reference 15BEEHIIVbeehiiv.comVisit source
- Reference 16MAILCHIMPmailchimp.comVisit source
- Reference 17LINKEDINlinkedin.comVisit source
- Reference 18CAMPAIGNMONITORcampaignmonitor.comVisit source
- Reference 19SHOPIFYshopify.comVisit source
- Reference 20MORNINGCONSULTmorningconsult.comVisit source
- Reference 21GHOSTghost.orgVisit source
- Reference 22MARKETSANDMARKETSmarketsandmarkets.comVisit source
- Reference 23IABiab.comVisit source
- Reference 24CONVERTKITconvertkit.comVisit source
- Reference 25SIMILARWEBsimilarweb.comVisit source
- Reference 26KLAVIYOklaviyo.comVisit source
- Reference 27INTERCOMintercom.comVisit source
- Reference 28PRESSGAZETTEpressgazette.co.ukVisit source
- Reference 29CONTENTMARKETINGINSTITUTEcontentmarketinginstitute.comVisit source
- Reference 30EMAILMONDAYemailmonday.comVisit source
- Reference 31GETRESPONSEgetresponse.comVisit source
- Reference 32ACTIVECAMPAIGNactivecampaign.comVisit source
- Reference 33SENDINBLUEsendinblue.comVisit source
- Reference 34BENCHMARKEMAILbenchmarkemail.comVisit source
- Reference 35RETURNPATHreturnpath.comVisit source
- Reference 36MAILJETmailjet.comVisit source
- Reference 37DEMANDGENREPORTdemandgenreport.comVisit source
- Reference 38SILVERPOPsilverpop.comVisit source
- Reference 39EMAILONACIDemailonacid.comVisit source
- Reference 40MAROPOSTmaropost.comVisit source
- Reference 41NNGROUPnngroup.comVisit source
- Reference 42BLUEHORNETbluehornet.comVisit source
- Reference 43MOENGAGEmoengage.comVisit source
- Reference 44ZEROBOUNCEzerobounce.netVisit source
- Reference 45DRIPdrip.comVisit source
- Reference 46POSTMARKAPPpostmarkapp.comVisit source
- Reference 47BOMBORADYbomborady.comVisit source
- Reference 48MARKETINGDIVEmarketingdive.comVisit source
- Reference 49MAILMODOmailmodo.comVisit source
- Reference 50RETENTIONretention.comVisit source
- Reference 51WOODPECKERwoodpecker.coVisit source
- Reference 52AMPamp.devVisit source
- Reference 53STORYBRANDstorybrand.comVisit source
- Reference 54CANVAcanva.comVisit source
- Reference 55MORNINGTONmornington.com.auVisit source
- Reference 56HUMORINMARKETINGhumorinmarketing.comVisit source
- Reference 57OPTINMONSTERoptinmonster.comVisit source
- Reference 58AHREFSahrefs.comVisit source
- Reference 59GROWTHHACKERgrowthhacker.tvVisit source
- Reference 60CLEANclean.emailVisit source
- Reference 61TYPEFORMtypeform.comVisit source
- Reference 62VIRALNEWSLETTERviralnewsletter.comVisit source
- Reference 63EMAILTHREADINGemailthreading.comVisit source
- Reference 64DESCRIPTdescript.comVisit source
- Reference 65TABLEAUtableau.comVisit source
- Reference 66BUFFERbuffer.comVisit source
- Reference 67NEWSLETTERSnewsletters.orgVisit source
- Reference 68INTERACTQUIZinteractquiz.comVisit source
- Reference 69READABILITYFORMULASreadabilityformulas.comVisit source
- Reference 70TRUSTPILOTtrustpilot.comVisit source
- Reference 71BIGIDEAbigidea.newsletters.comVisit source
- Reference 72GIPHYgiphy.comVisit source
- Reference 73COMMUNITYLEDGROWTHcommunityledgrowth.comVisit source
- Reference 74SEASONALEMAILseasonalemail.comVisit source
- Reference 75MONDAYmonday.comVisit source
- Reference 76DMAdma.org.ukVisit source
- Reference 77AFFILIATEWPaffiliatewp.comVisit source
- Reference 78ADTHRIVEadthrive.comVisit source
- Reference 79BIGCOMMERCEbigcommerce.comVisit source
- Reference 80TEACHABLEteachable.comVisit source
- Reference 81ATTENTIVEattentive.comVisit source
- Reference 82DINAMIZEdinamize.comVisit source
- Reference 83PATREONpatreon.comVisit source
- Reference 84LENNYSNEWSLETTERlennysnewsletter.comVisit source
- Reference 85EVENTBRITEeventbrite.comVisit source
- Reference 86CHURNZEROchurnzero.comVisit source
- Reference 87GUMROADgumroad.comVisit source
- Reference 88CLASSYclassy.orgVisit source
- Reference 89SWAPSTACKswapstack.coVisit source
- Reference 90BRAZEbraze.comVisit source
- Reference 91KO-FIko-fi.comVisit source
- Reference 92NEWSBREAKnewsbreak.comVisit source
- Reference 93CUSTOMERcustomer.ioVisit source
- Reference 94CLARITYclarity.fmVisit source
- Reference 95MORNINGBREWmorningbrew.comVisit source
- Reference 96ADOGYadogy.comVisit source
- Reference 97MAIL-TESTERmail-tester.comVisit source
- Reference 98VALIMAILvalimail.comVisit source
- Reference 99DMARCdmarc.orgVisit source
- Reference 100EMAILKARMAemailkarma.comVisit source
- Reference 101SENDGRIDsendgrid.comVisit source
- Reference 102MIMECASTmimecast.comVisit source
- Reference 103NEVERBOUNCEneverbounce.comVisit source
- Reference 104PROOFPOINTproofpoint.comVisit source
- Reference 105OPTIMIZESMARToptimizesmart.comVisit source
- Reference 106MAILGUNmailgun.comVisit source
- Reference 107JSONFEEDjsonfeed.orgVisit source
- Reference 108HUNTERhunter.ioVisit source
- Reference 109PWA-STATSpwa-stats.comVisit source
- Reference 110FTCftc.govVisit source
- Reference 111PIXELYOURSITEpixelyoursite.comVisit source
- Reference 112EMAILSTANDARDSemailstandards.orgVisit source
- Reference 113AUTH0auth0.comVisit source
- Reference 114GOOGLEgoogle.comVisit source
- Reference 115GLUEUPglueup.comVisit source
- Reference 116BEEFREEbeefree.ioVisit source
- Reference 117DMARCIANdmarcian.comVisit source
- Reference 118AIRTABLEairtable.comVisit source
- Reference 119IUBENDAiubenda.comVisit source
- Reference 120PREMAILERpremailer.dialect.caVisit source
- Reference 121TWILIOtwilio.comVisit source
