In today's digital age, building a following online has become essential for businesses and individuals alike. But when it comes to long-term sustainability and influence, which platform is truly superior: email newsletters or social media giants like Twitter?
Would you rather have 100,000 email newsletter subscribers?
OR
1,000,000 Twitter followers?
I would take the email subscribers any day.
That seems crazy. But let me explain why...
The best businesses are impenetrable to competitors. They have what Warren Buffett calls a “moat”:
Nobody can dictate how they operate.
They are invulnerable to competition.
They have a captive customer base.
Social platforms are the opposite:
There's always an algorithm filtering your content from your audience.
Even if you have an audience of 1M followers, posts may only be seen by 5,000 them.
You’re constantly fighting competitors. Millions of people post similar things to you daily, and if their posts win in the algorithm, you get drowned out.
And this doesn’t just happen with social media…
Google’s search algorithms can suddenly change. Your traffic can disappear overnight.
Email, on the other hand, is:
Direct line to your audience's inbox
Free and open decentralized protocol that can't be taken away
100,000 subscribers = direct line to 100,000 people's inboxes at the moment you send the email instead of being at the mercy of algorithms.
Of course, there are inbox filters, spam, and the dreaded “promotions” folder.
But you can overcome these. It’s much better to be in the inbox than never seen because an algorithm.
My point is…
An engaged email newsletter makes you uncancellable.
It creates what I call a Personal Monopoly.
You see, things can go wrong in life.
You can lose social media accounts.
Your website traffic can disappear.
Your business can fail.
You can lose all your money.
But there's one thing you can't lose. And it gives you an insane advantage.
Your email list.
Nobody can take away your list.
As long as those subscribers agree to receive emails, you own an audience.
Why is this powerful?
This means:
You can launch a new business to thousands of people for free with one simple email.
You can monetize the attention of your subscribers with sponsors or affiliate offers.
This is a profound advantage in life.
When most people launch their businesses, it's like a fart in the wind.
They make a tweet to their 100 followers.
They try to get in the press.
They buy a few small ads.
Usually, nobody notices.
But with an email newsletter, you can instantly reach 10,000, 100,000, or even 1,000,000+ people in seconds.
All you need is 1,000 true fans, and you're set for life.
This is more powerful than money.
I'd rather have 10 million engaged email subscribers than $10,000,000.
(Because with 10 million subscribers, I can make $10M+ every year and positively impact millions of people).
But growing an email newsletter is a lot of work.
Creating content is stressful and time-consuming.
Growing your newsletter without an existing audience or a big ad budget is hard.
Monetizing with sponsorships and getting subscribers to buy your product is more complicated than most people think.
Conclusion
While social media can be a valuable tool, email newsletters offer a more sustainable and powerful way to build a lasting online presence. By focusing on building an engaged email list, you can create a personal monopoly, reach your audience directly, and achieve long-term success.
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