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For a decade or~so I subscribe to newsletters and had skip inbox rules that archived them in a folder about the subject. Eventually I never really looked at the

by 6510 2mo ago

For a decade or~so I subscribe to newsletters and had skip inbox rules that archived them in a folder about the subject. Eventually I never really looked at the folders but it never bothered me as I don't really see them. Not sure if that means it works or not.

wofo 2mo ago
Hahaha it could well be that people are merely hoarding newsletter emails. I hope readers derive _some_ value from the emails, but since I'm not doing it to drive up "engagement metrics" I don't really mind.
- 6510 2mo ago
  There was a time when google toolbar had a search gmail button. I would use it to open gmail using whatever query was inthere. It happened quite often that it found newsletters matching the query. It takes quite a bit of hoarding to accomplish. Perhaps it is even a better solution than website that vanish eventually. I might one day make a newsletter with links like: example.com?re=you@yourwebsite.com&article=1234 Then mail you the requested article. With RE: and the same title they will even be threaded.
Swizec 2mo ago
> Eventually I never really looked at the folders but it never bothered me as I don't really see them Most people don't read most newsletters. Some people read some. This Saturday I sent an email. It has since been opened by 26% of my subscribers, that's 4,600 people. 780 people clicked on a link. I tweeted the same email as a link and got pretty good engagement! 20 likes, 2 retweets – that's decent for me these days. It was seen 1400 times. 78 people clicked on a link. I have roughly the same number of followers as I do email subscribers.
- sebastiennight 2mo ago
  > It has since been opened by 26% of my subscribers, that's 4,600 people Sadly, open rates are no longer a useful metric in the absolute, at all. Some email providers will block all tracking pixels (so those people look like they never open anything, unless they click the link) and others will proxy all images, so they fire all tracking pixels systematically (so these people look to you as if they open every single email). The only use you can make of open rates today is relative: "was the open rate higher or lower this month than last month?" But it's extremely unlikely that your actual open rate (and list of who actually opened) is anywhere close to what the stats show. The only thing that still makes sense is click rates.

by 6510 2mo ago

wofo 2mo ago

Hahaha it could well be that people are merely hoarding newsletter emails. I hope readers derive _some_ value from the emails, but since I'm not doing it to drive up "engagement metrics" I don't really mind.

6510 2mo ago
There was a time when google toolbar had a search gmail button. I would use it to open gmail using whatever query was inthere. It happened quite often that it found newsletters matching the query. It takes quite a bit of hoarding to accomplish. Perhaps it is even a better solution than website that vanish eventually. I might one day make a newsletter with links like: example.com?re=you@yourwebsite.com&article=1234 Then mail you the requested article. With RE: and the same title they will even be threaded.

Swizec 2mo ago

> Eventually I never really looked at the folders but it never bothered me as I don't really see them Most people don't read most newsletters. Some people read some. This Saturday I sent an email. It has since been opened by 26% of my subscribers, that's 4,600 people. 780 people clicked on a link. I tweeted the same email as a link and got pretty good engagement! 20 likes, 2 retweets – that's decent for me these days. It was seen 1400 times. 78 people clicked on a link. I have roughly the same number of followers as I do email subscribers.

sebastiennight 2mo ago
> It has since been opened by 26% of my subscribers, that's 4,600 people Sadly, open rates are no longer a useful metric in the absolute, at all. Some email providers will block all tracking pixels (so those people look like they never open anything, unless they click the link) and others will proxy all images, so they fire all tracking pixels systematically (so these people look to you as if they open every single email). The only use you can make of open rates today is relative: "was the open rate higher or lower this month than last month?" But it's extremely unlikely that your actual open rate (and list of who actually opened) is anywhere close to what the stats show. The only thing that still makes sense is click rates.