Why We're Declaring 2024 The Year of the Newsletter

We’re back, and we’ve got something to say. Clears throat. 2024 is the year of the newsletter.

And no, it’s not because we recently marked (with reverence) the 25th anniversary of “You’ve Got Mail” (though it doesn’t hurt). It’s because, in a media landscape that’s losing trust, the inbox reigns supreme. Read on for more on the power of newsletter as a deeply personal, implicitly trusted, intimate way to reach and engage with millennial women. Let’s open up ??…

PANEL'S IN SESSION

Why are newsletters so hot rn? We tapped two female leaders to break it down?— our own CRO Mary Murcko , and growth marketing expert Paula Grussi of Thrive Causemetics Inc.

How important is a newsletter when it comes to building trust & affinity with your audience?

Mary: In a world where digital media has become increasingly impersonal, intrusive, and ineffective, newsletters are intimate and inviting, offering brands an opportunity to forge a deeper, more personal, and ultimately more authentic connection with consumers.

How do you compare the cost-effectiveness of newsletters to other channels in your media mix?

Paula: While other channels may offer more efficient CPMs and a broader reach, the value of reaching a more concise and highly-motivated audience right in their inbox offsets the premium paid for newsletters. Unlike paid social advertising, for example, which puts a brand’s creative assets among unknown and sometimes unrelated content, newsletters guarantee a more captivated audience.?

Do you find newsletters offer unique opportunities for engagement??

Paula: Yes —?because a newsletter’s reader is particularly engaged, calls-to-action like surveys and polls tend to be very successful. What’s more, a newsletter reader is more likely to respond positively to these CTAs and be excited by promotions because they recognize that they are being presented with a unique offering, one that only readers of their specific newsletter receive.?

How will the loss of the cookie impact future media spending?

Mary: Hugely. Publishers and advertisers will need to find new ways to track and target customers across the internet. And email —?a wealth of first-party data —?offers a unique solution. I predict it will be a major part of many plans this year and beyond.?

Do you see newsletters playing a more significant role in your marketing strategy in the future?

Paula: Definitely. As the company continues to grow and with new product offerings every month, newsletters will continue to be an invaluable avenue to uniquely connect to our audience base. Especially as consumers seek more transparency and direct communication, newsletters provide a platform where we can build and nurture the relationships we have with our audience.

CASE STUDY

The Campaign

Last year at theSkimm, we caught our very own white whale: the elusive, dreamy, so-good-you-can-almost-taste-it RFP. 惠而浦 was promoting their work to combat nationwide chronic absenteeism by providing washing machines to schools, and they wanted our help.

The Numbers

1 in 3 students are chronically absent from school (aka miss at least 10% of the school year). 1 in 5 students don’t have access to clean clothes, making them more likely to miss school. And for each year that a student is chronically absent, their odds of dropping out nearly double. With Whirlpool’s program, Care Counts, they’ve installed washers and dryers in more than 150 schools across 40 states, and increased participating students’ attendance by an average of 16 days.

The Newsletter

For this campaign, we leaned heavily on the stats above to tell the story. Why? Because newsletters require you to grab the reader quick. And that’s what eye popping stats or facts can do. Contextualize them with clever, concise copy, and you’ve got a recipe for success specifically within newsletters. This tried-and-true tactic, paired with innovations like integrating video into the inbox, was a winner for Whirlpool. Our advice? Rinse and repeat.

COFFEE TALK

Whether your “water cooler” is actually a snack closet or a craftily-named Slack channel, gathering with colleagues to share recs, swap links, and talk shop is one of the best parts of work. Here are a few things we’re chatting about these days.

• Out: Imposter syndrome. How do you get over imposter syndrome? You don’t. At Glamour , one woman explains why it’s just another misogynist scheme.
• In: Email. Learn more about why email will be bigger than ever in 2024 at Performance Marketing World .
• Let’s connect. This article at Chief explains how genuine relationships are key to professional (and personal) success.
• Congrats, grads. The 2023 brand yearbook from Sara Wilson and Michelle Goad break down who was most likely to get the attention of Gen Z — and how they can keep it.
• Love, us. ICYMI: Valentine’s Day is right around the corner. Need a last-minute gift? We’ve got you.
• For the group chat. This deep dive explores how text threads took the world by storm.

That’s all for now. From our sent box to your inbox and beyond, here’s to unlocking the power of email in 2024. PLS FWD.

?? Until next time,?

Your friends at SKM Lab (who are we? Glad you asked)