Stop the blogs vs newsletters debate

In recent times, publishing online has been more frustrating.

Traditional blogs are under attack as search engines use AI to steal clicks before readers ever reach our sites, reducing the ad revenue that most creators rely on.

And algorithm changes also make SEO feel like shooting at a moving target in the dark.

Meanwhile, newsletters have become popular and cool again, like in the early 2000s, giving creators a way to reach their audience without algorithms getting in the way.

This environment made some creators abandon their blogs, with many more asking if newsletters are replacing blogs.

But that's the wrong way to look at this situation.

Advantages of newsletters

Of course, newsletters have several advantages.

The first is creating a deeper connection with your audience because when someone subscribes, they give you permission to reach out via email.

This creates a more personal relationship than someone stumbling across your blog.

Plus, readers can hit reply to start a conversation with you, making this a two-way relationship.

With a blog, the relationship is mostly passive since visitors rarely interact with you, nor do you have a direct way to reach them again.

On top of that, newsletters are shorter and require less work to produce than articles.

The average article is over one thousand words and takes longer to research and write.

And sometimes, sending a newsletter as quickly as possible becomes an advantage if it's news-related or you are sending a discount, for example.

This way, newsletters can be shorter and more conversational, as you don't need to write an essay about every topic.

There's also a behavior change we need to acknowledge regarding blogs: people are spending less of their time on websites reading articles.

Unlike the early 2000s and 2010s, people now spend more time on social media and forums consuming and discovering content.

Meanwhile, almost everyone still checks their email several times a day.

Newsletters limitations (why you need a blog)

Despite these advantages and the rise in popularity, newsletters still have limitations.

For example, how do you grow a newsletter?

Whether through recommendations from readers, advertisements, posting on social media, website traffic, or other methods, it's rare for a newsletter to grow on its own without support from at least one of these channels.

Also, do you remember when I said that people are reading blogs less than before?

That's true, but when you write something great on a blog, people will read, share, and link to it.

Links are the backbone of the internet and are essential, but if you don't publish what you write on a website, you can't expect to earn those links.

Also, even though SEO is getting harder, having a blog still gives you a chance for people to find you organically.

Whereas if you only have a newsletter, readers may find it hard to discover your content unless they already know about you.

Another positive of blogs is that they also serve as your online home.

It's where people can always find you, regardless of whether your social media accounts get hacked or deleted.

And these are some examples of things that newsletters alone cannot offer.

Also, if you rely only on social media to grow your newsletter, it will feel like you are on a treadmill that doesn't stop, or everything falls apart.

This happens because most social media content tends to have a shelf life of minutes or hours.

Most videos or tweets you post will get most of the views on the first day, meaning you must keep publishing to be relevant.

In contrast, when you publish on your site, it can be more like you are planting seeds.

It may take a bit of time for the post to flourish and get some visitors.

In some cases, you may even need to update it when you have newer information, but the main point is that articles can have a longer shelf life.

The solution (newsletter + blog)

So, should you focus on having a blog instead of a newsletter, right?

No.

You should do both.

You might worry that doing both would double your workload, but it doesn't have to.

The content can overlap significantly as you can send similar content via email or just share a shorter version of your blog posts by email, giving you the best of both worlds.

But Tiago... you said writing an article is more work and people are reading them less.

Yes, but you can write newsletters and publish them as blog posts. It won't hurt you or cost more money in most cases.

Having both a blog and a newsletter is a powerful advantage.

Your blog lets people find you organically through search engines and gives people who may have never heard of you a chance to find you online.

It also gives other websites and creators the opportunity to link to your content if they like what you write instead of linking to your social media profile, for example.

While your newsletter builds a strong and direct relationship with readers, a blog is like leaving traces of your work on the internet for other people to eventually find.

The two things work together as complementary tools instead of working against each other.

Also, you don't need separate tools for your newsletter and blog.

Many platforms now combine functionality for both things.

Ghost, beehiiv (20% off with my code EB20), and even Substack make it possible to publish content on a website and send it by email.

Depending on your situation, you can also use separate tools for a newsletter and a blog, although this is not necessary.

Another nice thing about newsletters is that most tools usually have a free plan that is enough to start growing a following.

This is in contrast to blogging tools that usually weren't free and took a bit of time to set up.

Usually a newsletter tool with blogging capabilities is the cheaper option. Watch this video next to see some of the best options you can use.

For all these reasons, I think creators will be in a stronger position by having a newsletter AND a blog, rather than just 1 of those.