8 Research-Backed Reasons Every Business Needs a Newsletter — Now
Stop renting attention. Own it. Build trust where your customers live and the algorithms can't block you: their inbox.
Newsletters aren’t another “nice-to-have” channel. They’re the connective tissue between casual followers and loyal customers — a rhythm of useful ideas, offers, and stories that keeps your brand bookmarked in their minds.
Social media gets all the attention. Truth is email use outpaces social media use across all demographics in the US (source: OptinMonster):
In the 15-24 age group, 91% use emails versus 88% that use social media.
The 25-44 age group has 93.4% email users compared to the 78% that use social media.
The 44-64 age group has 90.5% email users versus 64% social media users.
The 65+ group has 85.5% email users and 37% social media users.
Regardless of your business and target customer, they’re using email.
You want to be where your customers live.
Below are eight research-backed reasons (plus a few field-tested tips) to decide to grow your business with a newsletter.
1. You Own the Channel
Google’s search page is starting to look like a self-contained answer sheet. “Zero-click” queries — when users get the information they need right on the results page — already account for more than half of all searches.
MarketingProfs warns the number keeps climbing as Google gives away summary snippets instead of sending visitors to publishers. Add Google’s new AI Overviews (formerly SGE) and the squeeze becomes even tighter: Content Marketing Institute notes that these generative summaries can further siphon traffic by satisfying intent before anyone reaches your site.
Marketing automation vendor HubSpot’s own forecast echoes the concern, advising marketers to diversify channels to hedge against search volatility.
When outside platforms — whether Google, Facebook, or whatever replaces them tomorrow — control the rules, your reach is throttled.
You rent attention, but don’t own it when you rely on “going viral” on social and/or online ads.
An email list is different. You decide who sees what, when, and how often; not an algorithm. Remember that LinkedIn and Facebook both restrict the reach of ANY post with a URL; they want you to live on their patch of ground, not yours.
Pro tip: Back up your list monthly and keep opt-ins prominent across every external channel you use. Your database is an appreciating asset — treat it like one.
2. Customers Actually Prefer Email
While the memes about “inbox overload” are true for many of us, most people still want helpful messages in their mailbox. A Bluecore/NAPCO study found 68% of consumers — across every demographic — pick email as their favorite way to hear from brands. Even broader data from Square’s Future of Commerce report shows 60 % actively prefer marketing email over social posts, texts, or push alerts.
Pro tip: Use a quick welcome email to set subscriber expectations. Be sure to allow separate your newsletter content from marketing and sales-focused emails by allowing folks to opt-in (or out) of each type of email. Don’t lump them together.
3. Permanent “Top-of-Mind” Status
Adobe’s annual email study says Americans now spend more than five hours a day tending their inboxes. Meanwhile, ZeroBounce’s 2025 survey shows 93 % of consumers check email daily, often before their daily dosage of caffeine begins.
Show up on a predictable rhythm and you’re effectively renting mental shelf space — ready when that sudden “we need a vendor” moment strikes.
Pro tip: Pick a day(s) and send time and stick with it. Consistency trains readers to anticipate — and open — your message.
4. ROI Is Huge
The Data & Marketing Association still pegs email’s average return at $42 for every $1 spent — miles ahead of paid social or display.
I have to ad a caveat here: I can’t track down this figure, which also floats around the marketing universe as a $36 for every $1 return. While I’m beginning to believe this specific figure is as mythical as a unicorn, it’s still a damn good ROI!
Pro tip: If you can, track and publicize “revenue-per-send” internally. Money in the bank beats vanity metrics (like those of viral post impressions) all day, every day.
5. Traffic — and Conversions — You Can Guide
IRP Commerce benchmarks put average email conversion at 10.3%, while recent analysis shows social media averages hover around 3% — and organic reach on Facebook and Instagram sits in the low single digits.
Every edition is a controlled on-ramp to what your business sells. By sharing information useful and helpful to your customers/potential customers; you build trust. And trust has a huge ROI (look for that post soon!).
Pro tip: Resist the urge to SELL EVERYTHING in each newsletter issue. Create in-context CTAs that lead to your products and services naturally. Help; don’t spam.
6. Segmentation Can Be a Selling Superpower
This advice is more relevant for specific email marketing campaigns, which have an explicit goal of generating sales. However, larger companies with multiple product lines (if they have the resources) could also create specific newsletters around their most profitable products and services.
Campaign Monitor reports that segmented campaigns can generate a 760% boost in revenue. Group subscribers by behavior, lifecycle stage, or persona, and your “just-for-you” relevance feels more like concierge service than marketing automation.
Pro tip: This can be complex. But even the smallest business has a simple way to segment — lapsed buyers vs. active customers. Start there.
7. Authority & Trust on Autopilot
Trust drives wallets: Edelman’s research shows 81 % of consumers need to trust a brand before buying. And relevance is the fastest trust builder — ZeroBounce found 46 % open emails from brands that consistently hit the mark.
A newsletter that teaches first, sells second, positions you as the helpful voice in your customers’ ears.
Pro tip: Keep roughly an 80/20 mix — 80 % insight, 20 % promotion. Authority compounds when readers feel educated, not pitched. There’s no exact formula here. It’s an ongoing experiment to see what works best for your business.
8. Your Competitors Already Press “Send”
According to the Content Marketing Institute, 71 % of B2B marketers distribute an email newsletter — making it the third-most-used content format after social posts and blogs.
People are lazy decision makers. Remember why so many local service business start with A is because EVERYONE wanted to be at the beginning of the Yellow Pages because response rates for companies starting with “A, B, or C” were WAY higher the closer you were to the beginning of the alphabet.
If your competition is in your customer’s inbox regularly and you aren’t, guess who is most likely to get the call when they need what you have?
Pro tip: Subscribe to three competitor newsletters. Note gaps in tone, cadence, or coverage — and fill them before they do.
Quick Recap
Own the list — your safest, algorithm-proof asset.
Match preference — customers ask for email first.
Stay visible — multiple daily inbox checks = brand recall.
Crush ROI — $38–$42 back on every buck.
Drive warm traffic — email visitors convert at 19 percent.
Personalize at scale — segmentation lifts engagement.
Build trust — teach consistently, sell naturally.
Keep pace — 7-in-10 marketers already rely on newsletters.
Ready to turn your inbox into a growth engine? Newsletter-in-a-Box gets you from blank page to first send in four weeks. Email me at bryant@simplyusefulmarketing.co or book a quick call and let’s start filling your customers’ inboxes with value.
Google “Zero-Click Searches” trend (SparkToro / SimilarWeb, 2024) – 58 % of U.S. queries end without a click
Content Marketing Institute – B2B Content Marketing Benchmarks, Budgets & Trends 2025 – 71 % of B2B marketers publish an email newsletter
HubSpot – Email Marketing Benchmarks & ROI Report 2024 – Email returns $38–$42 for every $1 spent
Litmus – State of Email ROI 2024 – Confirms industry-wide average ROI of $36:1
Bluecore × NAPCO – Consumer Email Preferences Study 2024 – 68 % of consumers prefer brand updates via email
Square – Future of Commerce Report 2025 – 60 % of shoppers rank email as their #1 channel for business updates
Adobe – Email Usage Study 2024 – U.S. adults spend 5+ hours per day in the inbox
ZeroBounce – State of Email 2025 – 93 % check email daily; 46 % open every message from consistently relevant brands
Campaign Monitor – Email Marketing Benchmarks 2024 – Segmented campaigns can generate up to 760 % more revenue
IRP Commerce – eCommerce Benchmark Report 2025 – Email drives 10.6 % of total online sales vs. 0.3 % from paid social
Edelman – Trust Barometer Special Report: In Brands We Trust? 2024 – 81 % of consumers must trust a brand before purchasing
Data & Marketing Association (DMA) – Email Benchmarking Report 2024 – $42:1 ROI figure [Note: they simply repeat this number from elsewhere without actual research to back it up — see my note above again!]
Good information, Bryant. It's good to see stats on newsletter effectiveness!