What Is A Newsletter Archive? + How It Benefits Your Business
Hey, so… you know all those newsletters you’ve been sending to your email list?
Have you ever thought about what happens to them after you hit send?
If you’re like most business owners, those emails get opened by a portion of your list, maybe replied to, and then… *poof*.
They disappear in the inbox graveyard, soon to be buried under 49247 other emails.
A newsletter archive changes that. It gives your email content a permanent home online where people can find it, read it, and share it long after it’s sent.
What Is a Newsletter Archive?
A newsletter archive is basically just a published collection of your past email newsletters where subscribers and new visitors can browse and read them.
They can be hosted anywhere, but newsletter archives most commonly live on the business owner’s website, a publishing platform like Substack, or a public database on something like Notion.
Some email platforms also offer a “publish to web” feature that can automatically create a public archive of past newsletters.
What a newsletter archive is NOT:
- The campaign history inside your email service provider
- An internal list/database inside a project management tool that’s only accessible to you
- A replacement or substitute for blogging
What Does a Newsletter Archive Do?
Okay, so now you know what a newsletter archive IS. But what does it actually DO?
Here’s why you might want a newsletter archive for your business:
→ Makes your email content discoverable and shareable
Instead of saying “I wrote about this in a newsletter 3 months ago,” you’ve got a clean URL you can instantly share.
→ Turns your newsletter into a binge-able library
When someone new joins your email list, they don’t have to wait for your next scheduled newsletter to drop. They can go to your archive and read past emails right away.
→ Extends your content’s lifespan
Your emails will no longer disappear after one send. They’ll keep working for you, building trust and bringing new people into your orbit for weeks, months, or even years.
→ Lets people try out your content before subscribing
An archive gives people a way to browse a few of your past newsletters to decide if they like it/vibe with it before subscribing.
→ Strengthens your marketing funnel
Email is usually a mid-funnel marketing channel, but making your past newsletters public in an archive turns them into top-funnel discovery content that can attract new people to your business.
→ Turns your newsletters into a brand narrative
A newsletter archive makes it easier to build on past stories and run multi-part email series. It also lets new subscribers in on context that they would’ve otherwise missed. All of this works together to strengthen a cohesive brand narrative so people know, like, and trust you more.
If you’re still not convinced of the benefits, I made a full case for why you need a newsletter archive here → Why You Should Archive Your Email Newsletter
Newsletter Archive Examples
The concept of a newsletter archive may sound nice, but it might be hard to picture what having one actually looks like in practice.
Let me show you some real life examples:
Website-hosted archive
The Less Hustle, More Joy archive by Dannielle Cresp lives directly on her website on a blog-style feed (but separate from her actual, main blog).
WHY THIS EXAMPLE WORKS: Each newsletter gets its own URL that’s hosted on her website. She gets SEO benefits from publishing content directly on her site, and it keeps everything under one roof with the rest of her brand.
Substack archive
The Rough Draft archive by Amy Hanneke at Hello & Co Creative is hosted on Substack. It’s its own thing, separate from her business website, but still pretty and functional.
WHY THIS EXAMPLE WORKS: Substack’s interface is clean, with newsletters automatically listed by date, and it’s mobile-friendly. It requires very little upkeep from her, and there’s built-in discoverability through the Substack platform itself.
Public database archive
The Sounds Like Brunch archive by Adrienne Cruz lives in a public Notion database. This is a super creative example of a newsletter archive — it can look and be organized just about any way you want it to be.
WHY THIS EXAMPLE WORKS: It’s simple, functional, and allows her to make use of a project management tool she’s already using (eliminating the learning curve/setup time of hosting it elsewhere).
Email platform archive
The Behind The Brand archive by Catie at Cedar June uses her email marketing platform’s built-in publish to web feature.
WHY THIS EXAMPLE WORKS: Simple, functional, and the fastest option (IF your email software offers it as a feature). It requires basically no extra work and everything happens right from the platform she’s already sending emails.
Ready to Archive Your Newsletter?
A newsletter archive is a way to make sure all the stories, tips, and insights you send off in your emails doesn’t just vanish after one send.
Archiving your newsletter in one central location makes your emails evergreen so they can keep working for you – building trust and connection with your audience, growing your email list, and bringing in new leads.
Want to set up a newsletter archive? This guide will walk you through your options and how to approach it → Email Newsletter Archives: Everything You Need To Know
Want a newsletter archive but don’t want to set it up yourself? I can handle it for you! I help creative entrepreneurs build newsletter archives and can even take over monthly maintenance afterward – so if it’s something you want but don’t have the capacity for, I’m your girl!
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