Key Takeaways
Ownership and Control: Email newsletters offer full ownership of content and contacts, providing a more secure and customizable channel compared to LinkedIn newsletters.
Visibility and Audience Reach: LinkedIn newsletters benefit from a vast user base and Google indexing, potentially increasing visibility and initial audience growth.
Publishing and Accessibility: Email newsletters allow for more frequent and flexible publishing with no restrictions, while LinkedIn newsletters are publicly accessible, offering a preview to potential subscribers.
Final Verdict: Despite LinkedIn’s broad reach and visibility, email newsletters prevail for their ownership, direct communication, and monetization potential. A strategic blend of both platforms can maximize reach and engagement.
What is LinkedIn Newsletter?
The LinkedIn newsletter feature allows LinkedIn users to subscribe to your articles.
Publishing your first newsletter prompts LinkedIn to automatically generate a page for it.
You can customize your newsletter’s title, description, logo, and publishing frequency.
This page is accessible to all LinkedIn users, even if they’re not signed in, displaying all your past newsletters.
However, subscriptions require signing in.
LinkedIn Newsletter vs Email Newsletter
Both content channels offer distinct advantages and limitations.
While their value is undeniable, they do not offer the same benefits to every marketer or company.
You own your email newsletter and all the contacts in it
A major difference is that you own your email newsletter and all its contacts.
In contrast, with LinkedIn newsletters, you don’t own the newsletter nor have access to subscriber contact information.
If you get banned or if LinkedIn discontinues the feature, your efforts could be lost.
LinkedIn newsletters are indexed by Google
LinkedIn newsletters are indexed by Google, meaning they must meet similar criteria to blog posts for appearing in search results.
An authoritative LinkedIn profile can further boost visibility.
LinkedIn newsletters are hosted on a platform with a vast user base
LinkedIn boasts over 1 billion users, offering a massive audience to tap into.
This can significantly accelerate the growth of your LinkedIn newsletter compared to an email list, especially from scratch.
The use of LinkedIn newsletters saw a 51% increase in Q3 2022 compared to Q2 2022.
Email newsletter is an established monetization channel
From the consumer perspective, email newsletters are a familiar terrain.
Unless it’s your inaugural dive into this medium, the expectations are clear upon subscription.
Typically, you’ll be pitched products or services, with the standout newsletters offering a mix of sales pitches and value-adding informational content.
Conversely, the LinkedIn newsletter represents a newer channel still under exploration by many.
While basic marketing tenets apply, navigating its effectiveness largely involves trial and error.
You can only send one LinkedIn newsletter every 24 hours
For most marketers, publishing more than once daily isn’t necessary, but flexibility is always beneficial.
Unfortunately, LinkedIn’s restriction aims to curb spam, unlike the more liberal email newsletters.
LinkedIn newsletter pages are public for everyone to see
I count this as a strong advantage.
Prospective subscribers can peruse past issues before deciding to subscribe, filtering in only those truly engaged with your content.
These subscribers are more likely to convert and offer a rewarding business relationship.
Final Verdict – Which One is Better?
The email newsletter wins in my eyes due to the permanence of the email list you build.
While LinkedIn newsletters offer significant advantages, the value of complete ownership favors email newsletters.
Yet, the optimal strategy might be embracing both platforms.
Use a LinkedIn newsletter to direct traffic to your website and email list, leveraging both channels to amplify your reach without relying solely on external platforms.
Email remains a powerhouse in digital marketing, offering direct, unmediated communication with your audience.
Respect this channel, and your access to your audience will be enduring.