Newsletter Advertising Enters a New Growth Phase
A new Paved report shows newsletter advertising surging in performance, revenue and rebooking intent as brands shift budgets to first-party channels.
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Paved has released its 2026 Newsletter Ad Performance Report, pointing to a sharp acceleration in newsletter advertising as brands redirect budgets towards high-engagement, first-party media channels.
Drawing on analysis of millions of pounds in ad spend and surveys of more than 1,500 advertisers, the report finds that newsletters are moving decisively from experimental line items to core components of the media mix—driven by performance, accountability and predictable outcomes.
“Newsletter advertising is one of the few channels outside the walled gardens where performance maps cleanly back to outcomes,” said John McLaughlin, founder and chief executive of Paved. “As macroeconomic pressure forces marketers to scrutinise every pound, that accountability has pushed newsletters into a central role.”
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Strong Growth Across Revenue and Demand
Based on campaign data spanning thousands of advertisers and verticals, the report highlights broad-based momentum across the ecosystem:
- Newsletter publishers generated 30 per cent more revenue year on year, fuelled by rising advertiser demand and stronger results.
- Marketers ran 40 per cent more newsletter ad campaigns, reflecting sustained investment in the channel.
- Advertisers reached an 80 per cent larger subscriber base as the Paved Marketplace expanded.
- Unique users across the Paved Ad Network grew 84 per cent year on year, delivering billions of native email ad impressions.
- Advertiser rebooking intent rose 53 per cent, signalling growing confidence and longer-term budget commitment.
What the Best Newsletter Ads Do Differently
Survey responses from more than 1,500 advertisers reveal consistent patterns behind high-performing campaigns. The most effective newsletter ads tend to be short and scannable, lead clearly with value, and blend naturally into the editorial tone of the publication rather than relying on disruptive formats.
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Taken together, the findings underline newsletters’ core advantage: highly engaged, first-party audiences in brand-safe environments that deliver measurable performance. Adoption is accelerating, with 64 per cent of marketers now using newsletter advertising—up 25 per cent year on year—making it one of the fastest-growing digital ad channels.
At the centre of that growth is Paved’s network, which reaches more than 253 million subscribers across 3,000-plus publishers, including The Washington Post, NBC, Adweek, Morning Brew, Bloomberg and TechCrunch. Brands including Uber, DoorDash, Salesforce and Marriott use the platform to scale newsletter sponsorships without the friction of traditional insertion-order buying.
As marketers grapple with signal loss, declining referral traffic amid the rise of large language models, rising acquisition costs and tighter media scrutiny, the report’s conclusion is clear: newsletter advertising has moved beyond niche and is now a scalable, performance-driven channel.
