Online business and marketing insights from what's working out there, researched and handed to you every Thursday.
🤯 Social Media Isn’t Yours
|
You can’t control social media platforms, but you CAN control your email list. That’s true, Reader, and that’s where your power lies. Take the recent TikTok ban, for example. Many US creators might have lost their way to connect with fans overnight if it had continued. But an email list isn’t exactly the same as a social platform, right? So, what’s the key takeaway here? The control and loyalty. Think of your email list as your most loyal fans, these are people who actually want to hear what you have to say. Not only do you have a direct line to friends who care about your message, but you completely own and control this list, making it an invaluable asset for your business. Okay, but do people still read emails? You’re reading this, right? So yes, people still read emails! And in numbers: Nearly 4.5 billion people use email worldwide in 2025, with projections to reach over 4.8 billion by 2027. 88% of users check their email multiple times a day, with 39% checking it 3–5 times daily. More than that, for every $1 spent on email marketing, the average return is $36. That’s what we call ROI (return on investment), and it’s quite good compared to other channels. So is that the only reason why building an email list matters? There are 3 main reasons: 📌 Talk Directly to Your Fans: Email lets you connect with your audience, without social media getting in the way of who sees your messages. 📌 See What Works: You can easily tell how many people open your emails and click your links, helping you understand what your readers love most. 📌 You’re in Charge: Unlike social media where your posts might get lost, with email you decide exactly when to reach out to your readers and what to say. The best way to build an email list? Start a newsletter. Pick a topic you know well, create a valuable freebie for subscribers, set up an email provider, and craft a welcome series. Then invite your social media/blog/website followers by making signup easy: Add clear CTAs (a bio link), share newsletter previews, and run subscriber-only campaigns. Show them why your email list is worth joining. I know this takes more steps, so TalkBitz already has a simplified guide for you. Cheers, Minosh PS: Even if you don’t have a big social media following, you can still start a newsletter and open up some decent opportunities to earn a living online. |
TalkBitz Newsletter
Online business and marketing insights from what's working out there, researched and handed to you every Thursday.
Most of us were told the same thing at the start. Don’t go too niche, you’ll cut down your market. Sell to more people and you’ll get more sales. Sounds logical. But real life is starting to look different, maybe a lot. Shopify surveyed 18,000 shoppers across nine countries for its holiday report, and 65% said they’re likely to use AI for at least one shopping task this season. That’s not Google, not scrolling Amazon for an hour. They just describe what they need to ChatGPT or whatever they...
There’s a salt works in Malden, West Virginia. Population about 3,000 and surrounded by the Appalachian Mountains, sitting on top of an ancient ocean buried underground for hundreds of millions of years. A sister and brother revived their family’s salt business there in 2013. Everything is done by hand, brine pumped up from 350 feet below, dried in sun houses, raked, packaged, shipped right from the farm. A staff of fewer than a dozen people. Their salt ships to high-end restaurants in Tokyo...
You know how everyone starting an online business tries to appeal to everyone? Their about page says they help teens, parents, office workers, and retirees. Their product does five things. Their content covers whatever felt interesting that week. And I get it. Saying no to a type of customer feels like leaving money on the table. Thing is, Coca-Cola just proved the opposite. Mr. Pibb, a soda that has existed since 1972, became the fastest-growing brand of 2026. Not a new product, not a viral...