How do you approach email marketing when you want to sell products?
According to Neil Patel's data about influencer marketing, newsletter/email is the most effective channel when it comes to ROI (attached infographics; source)
But not so many influencers own newsletters; in most cases, only social media channels.
I also run my weekly newsletter, where I claim several sponsorships, but I usually offer it as a way of increasing awareness, as I do not consider myself an influencer.
P.S. I like the "invasive" approach to the company's newsletter by @Eight Sleep – they are consistent and are designing it very well.
I would like to know from the perspective of the companies/startups here:
1) How do you handle email marketing and possible collaboration with influencers who own a newsletter for distribution? If you are open to sharing what tactic helped you the most, I will be thankful. 🙏
2) What do you cover in your company's newsletter? (e.g. updates, interesting tricks, etc.)
3) How often do you sell your product directly?
(E.g. what are the common ways of placing/exposing your brand? I have in mind several options:
– specialised/exclusive article on a certain topic where the product is mentioned? (product placement)
– affiliate program via link within the newsletter?– logo placement at a certain position with a link to your product?
– banner within the newsletter with a special offer/promo?
Replies
Great question, Nika.
In my experience, email consistently delivers stronger ROI compared to social channels, which aligns with Neil Patel’s data. What has worked best for us is approaching the newsletter as a value-driven channel rather than a direct sales tool.
Collaboration with influencers – Co-authoring content or including a dedicated section within an influencer’s newsletter has been more effective than simple logo placement. It feels authentic and builds trust.
Content balance – Our newsletters usually mix insights, practical tips, and case studies with occasional product mentions. This keeps readers engaged while still allowing for subtle promotion.
Sales frequency – A good ratio for us has been one direct promotional email for every three or four value-focused newsletters. This helps maintain interest without overwhelming subscribers.
We have also seen better results when product mentions are tied to educational content or case studies rather than appearing as standalone banners.
I would be interested to hear how others are balancing education and promotion in their newsletters.
@shehanweheragoda can you name the influencer with the newsletter you collaborated with? (+ segment) ATM, I am more on Substack but it seems that creators here are famous for any other contribution, e.g. Lenny's podcast.
@busmark_w_nika One example that worked well for us was a collaboration with a niche SaaS-focused newsletter on Substack. Instead of just a mention, we co-created a short insight piece that positioned our product in context. That format felt more authentic and drove more engagement than a banner or logo placement.
I’ve also noticed that smaller, specialized newsletters with highly engaged readers tend to perform better than broader, general-interest ones.
@shehanweheragoda what amount of money are you willing to pay for a small creator (e.g. with 2k subs)?
1) How do you handle email marketing and possible collaboration with influencers who own a newsletter for distribution? If you are open to sharing what tactic helped you the most, I will be thankful.
I've got a newsletter of around 16k and I'll sometimes swap newsletter stories with others who also have a newsletter or folks who I want to promote. I've not pushed any paid collabs yet as I've not treated the process much like a business, but seeing tools like Beehiiv come about and seeing how others are running things it's definitely given me ideas on where I want to take things from here. I think having a media kit with "services" and pricing laid out isn't a bad place to start. I created one for myself but used it mostly to make people go away by putting very high rates out lol.
2) What do you cover in your company's newsletter? (e.g. updates, interesting tricks, etc.)
I like to continue delivering value in a familiar form like videos or tips and I tend to get more personal with the story telling or expand deeper than I otherwise do on social media where attention spans are shorter and the objective is to slow the scroll vs deepen a relationship.
3) How often do you sell your product directly?
I'm not a huge Gary V fan, but his jab, jab, jab, left hook analogy makes a lot of sense where you're giving value (jabbing) most of all and occasionally jumping in with a pitch (left hook) and generally doing it this way will keep unsubscribes to a minimum and people understand how the game works. This is something I could do a lot better at because personally I don't like the idea of being salesy, but I put up with a lot of crap in my inbox and I think people are more tolerant than I am willing to admit.
@mattbrattin Hey Matt, thank you for the detailed explanation (and also the connection on LinkedIn)! :) Regarding mailing service/platform – where do you curate your newsletter? Today, I had a chat with one guy who wants to start Beehiiv because of their quite good monetising model (I need to agree with him), tho I use Substack that is more for writers (I love writing). :)
@busmark_w_nika I use Kajabi for a full suite of tools that hosts some of my microsoft excel courses, newsletter, website builder, payment gateways, etc. The newsletter functionality leaves a bit to be desired, which may lead me to try out out Beehiiv at some point, but for now I'm able to do what I need. I've heard great things about substack as well, but I admittedly know less about it.