30 Jul 2026
Why every artist needs an email newsletter (and how to actually start one)
You have followers. You have streams. Maybe you have a decent crowd at your gigs. But if Instagram went down tomorrow, or Spotify changed its algorithm again, how many of those people could you actually contact?
For most artists, the answer is zero.
That’s the problem. And an email newsletter is probably the simplest way to fix it.
Your followers aren’t really yours
This isn’t a controversial take anymore, but it’s worth saying clearly: followers on social media are not your audience. They’re the platform’s audience, and the platform decides how many of them see what you post.
For most artists, the answer is zero.
That’s the problem. And an email newsletter is probably the simplest way to fix it.
Your followers aren’t really yours
This isn’t a controversial take anymore, but it’s worth saying clearly: followers on social media are not your audience. They’re the platform’s audience, and the platform decides how many of them see what you post.
The numbers on this are pretty grim. Average organic reach on Instagram is around 5%. So if you have 1,000 followers, roughly 50 of them see a given post. On Facebook it’s even worse: closer to 2.5%. You’ve spent years building that following and the platform shows your stuff to a fraction of them.
Email is different. When you send a newsletter to your list, it lands in their inbox. There’s no algorithm filtering it out. Average open rates for small email lists are 40 to 60%. That means if you have 200 people on your email list, 80 to 120 of them are actually reading what you send. Compare that to 200 Instagram followers, where maybe ten see your post.
And here’s the bit that really matters: you own the list. If you move to a different email tool, the list comes with you. If a social platform shuts down or changes its rules, your list is still right there. It’s yours. Vine died, MySpace died, TikTok keeps getting threatened with bans, but your email list doesn’t care about any of that.
“But nobody wants emails from artists”
This is the objection that comes up every time, and it’s half right. Nobody wants unsolicited spam from artists they don’t care about. That’s true. But an email newsletter isn’t spam. It’s opt-in. Someone has to actively choose to sign up. These are people who already like your music and want to hear from you. They’re raising their hand and saying “yes, keep me in the loop.”
“But nobody wants emails from artists”
This is the objection that comes up every time, and it’s half right. Nobody wants unsolicited spam from artists they don’t care about. That’s true. But an email newsletter isn’t spam. It’s opt-in. Someone has to actively choose to sign up. These are people who already like your music and want to hear from you. They’re raising their hand and saying “yes, keep me in the loop.”
Think about it from the fan’s perspective. If your favourite band is playing a small gig twenty minutes from your house next month, would you rather find out about it from an email directly from the band, or hope that Instagram’s algorithm decides to show you the post in time? Most people would pick the email. The problem isn’t that fans don’t want to hear from you, it’s that most artists never give them the option.
What an email newsletter actually does for an artist
Forget the marketing jargon. Here’s what a newsletter practically does:
It fills rooms. When you announce a gig to your email list, you’re telling people who already like you, directly, with nothing in between. That’s how shows get sold out — not through Instagram posts that reach 5% of your followers, but through direct messages to people who actually want to come.
What an email newsletter actually does for an artist
Forget the marketing jargon. Here’s what a newsletter practically does:
It fills rooms. When you announce a gig to your email list, you’re telling people who already like you, directly, with nothing in between. That’s how shows get sold out — not through Instagram posts that reach 5% of your followers, but through direct messages to people who actually want to come.
It sells music and merch. Email click-through rates are 3 to 5 times higher than social media. When you email your list about a new release on Bandcamp or a limited vinyl run, more people see it and more people act on it than if you post about it on any social platform.
It builds something that lasts. Social media is great for getting in front of new people (discovery). But email is how you keep the people who already found you. Every gig, every release, every bit of news compounds over time if you have a way to reach the people who care. Without a list, you’re starting from scratch every time.
It’s free, or nearly free. Most email newsletter tools have a free tier for small lists. You can start collecting emails today and send your first newsletter tonight. There’s genuinely no financial barrier.
How to start (the practical bit)
This is where most artists stall. The idea makes sense but the “how” feels vague. So here’s a straightforward way to do it.
1. Pick a tool and create a subscribe page
You need somewhere for people to sign up and a way to send emails. There are plenty of options. The important thing is to just pick one and start. Don’t spend three weeks researching tools. The tool matters far less than actually using it.
How to start (the practical bit)
This is where most artists stall. The idea makes sense but the “how” feels vague. So here’s a straightforward way to do it.
1. Pick a tool and create a subscribe page
You need somewhere for people to sign up and a way to send emails. There are plenty of options. The important thing is to just pick one and start. Don’t spend three weeks researching tools. The tool matters far less than actually using it.
You’ll get a subscribe page, which is a simple web page with a form where people can enter their email. This is your sign-up link. You’re going to put it everywhere.
2. Put the link everywhere
This sounds obvious but most artists skip it. Your subscribe link should be in:
2. Put the link everywhere
This sounds obvious but most artists skip it. Your subscribe link should be in:
- Your Instagram bio (or Linktree or equivalent)
- Your Bandcamp page
- Your website, if you have one
- Your Spotify bio or “about” section
- The description of your YouTube videos
Anywhere a fan might end up, the option to sign up should be within a click or two.
3. Collect emails at gigs
This is the single most effective thing you can do. The people at your gig are your warmest possible audience. They already like you enough to show up. Letting them leave without a way to hear from you again is genuinely the biggest missed opportunity most artists have.
A few ways to do it:
3. Collect emails at gigs
This is the single most effective thing you can do. The people at your gig are your warmest possible audience. They already like you enough to show up. Letting them leave without a way to hear from you again is genuinely the biggest missed opportunity most artists have.
A few ways to do it:
- QR code on your merch table. Print a QR code that links to your subscribe page. Stick it on a card, tape it to the table, put it next to the merch. People can scan it in five seconds.
- Old-fashioned clipboard. A sheet of paper with “Want to hear from us? Leave your email” works surprisingly well. Some people actually prefer it.
- Mention it from the stage. At the end of your set: “If you want to know when we’re playing next, we’ve got a sign-up sheet at the merch table.” Quick, easy, and it works because you’re saying it at the moment when people are most enthusiastic about your music.
Even if you only get 5 to 10 sign-ups per gig, that adds up fast. Play twice a month and you’ve got 120 to 240 people on your list in a year. 240 people who actually want to hear from you and will probably open what you send.
4. Send your first email
Don’t overthink this. Your first newsletter doesn’t need to be a masterwork. It just needs to exist. Here’s a template that works:
Hi,
Thanks for signing up. We’re [band name] and we’re going to send you the occasional email when we’ve got something worth sharing — gigs, new music, that kind of thing. We won’t spam you.
[Something personal — a quick update on what you’re working on, a thanks to people who came to a recent gig, whatever feels natural.]
Talk soon,
[Name]
That’s it. Send it. You’ve started.
5. Keep going
The hardest part of a newsletter isn’t starting it, it’s the second email. And the third. Here’s the secret: just write like you’re emailing a mate. Nobody signed up to your newsletter expecting a press release. They want to hear from you, the actual person or people making the music.
Things worth writing about:
- Upcoming gigs (the most obvious one — and the one that directly drives ticket sales)
- New music, with a bit of context about how it came together
- Behind-the-scenes stuff such as rehearsal clips, writing sessions, gear photos
- A story about a gig that went sideways, or a song that nearly didn’t get finished
- What you’re listening to right now
- An honest update on where you’re at
Aim for roughly once a month. That’s frequent enough to stay in people’s heads without burning yourself out or annoying anyone. If you have more to say, say it. If you don’t, wait until you do. There’s no algorithm penalising you for not posting on a schedule.
The maths that should convince you
Here’s a simple comparison. Say you have 1,000 Instagram followers and 100 people on your email list.
You announce a gig:
- Instagram post: ~50 people see it (5% organic reach). Maybe 2 to 3 click through.
- Email to your list: ~50 people open it (50% open rate). Maybe 5 to 10 click through.
Your email list is ten times smaller but delivers roughly the same or better results. Now imagine what happens when the list grows to 500. Or 1,000.
And those numbers are averages. In practice, a small music newsletter often does better because the people on it self-selected. In other words, they specifically asked to be there. These aren’t passive followers who happened to click “follow” once and forgot about you. They’re people who typed in their email address because they wanted to hear from you.
50 is enough to start
You don’t need thousands of subscribers for a newsletter to be worth it. 50 people who open every email, buy tickets, share your music, and bring a friend to your gig are worth more than 5,000 followers who scroll past your posts.
Start collecting emails at your next gig. Send your first newsletter this week. Keep it simple, keep it honest, keep it human.
The artists that build something sustainable almost always have one thing in common: a way to reach their audience directly, without needing anyone’s permission.
John
John