2025: The Year Newsletter Sponsorships Grew Up
From “do newsletters work?” to “how do I make them work” and what else actually changed this year.
This is the final edition of 2025. I’ll be off next week to Arizona, then California, before returning to celebrate the new year.
Instead of chasing one more hot take, I wanted to pause and look back at what actually mattered this year.
What we heard in early 2025 was that newsletter sponsorships either worked or they didn’t. What we’re hearing now, heading into 2026, is a very different question.
How do I make newsletter sponsorships work?
That shift matters more than any new tool or tactic.
If you want to revisit any past editions, you can find the full archive here:
View the Newsletter Sponsorship Insider archive
Nearly every edition this year explored that same question from a different angle.
Closing the Measurement Gap Is the Real Opportunity
Most newsletter sponsorships that do not perform well do not fail loudly. They just fade.
Not because newsletters do not work, but because teams cannot see enough to trust what is happening.
When campaigns are judged solely by last-click conversions, there is no confidence. No way to optimize. No clear explanation for why a program should continue.
The opportunity is not better newsletters or more creative.
It is closing the gap between what happens after the click and what gets measured.
Close that gap and everything changes. You can learn faster, explain performance clearly, and make decisions without guessing.
Upper Funnel Data Changes Everything
Upper-funnel data is the most practical way for teams to close that measurement gap.
These are the actions that show early intent after a click: Button clicks. Email signups. Product views. Quiz starts. Form opens.
They matter because lower funnel conversions take time. Waiting for them slows learning and wastes budget.
Upper funnel signals give you feedback sooner. They show which newsletters are worth continuing and which are not, long before a sale happens.
That is why teams using them optimize earlier, cut waste faster, and build confidence sooner.
Testing Volume Matters More Than Any Single Placement
One newsletter rarely tells you anything useful.
Real performance only shows up after testing across many newsletters, cutting what does not show real engagement, and scaling what does.
Most programs stall not because newsletters do not work, but because they never reach enough volume to learn anything meaningful.
Publishers Feel the Same Pain, Just Later
When marketers lack confidence, publishers feel it downstream.
Campaigns pause. Renewals slow. Revenue becomes unpredictable.
Underneath both sides is the same issue. Visibility.
Thank You
If you read all the way to the bottom of this newsletter, thank you.
Whether you read one edition this year or every week, thank you.
If you’re a newsletter publisher working with Wellput, thank you.
If you’re a marketer working with Wellput, thank you.
If you’re a publisher or marketer not working with Wellput, why not?! :-)
Writing this newsletter each week has been one of the hardest things I’ve done this year. Being a CEO is no easy task. The ideas for this newsletter come from working with some of the greatest people in our industry every day. We’re very fortunate.
If you want to explore any of those conversations again, the full archive is here:
View the Newsletter Sponsorship Insider archive
We will pick this back up in January with more curiosity, observations, and some committed resolutions.
Until then, happy holidays and new year!
Craig
Monetize unsold inventory with premium brands on a performance (CPC) basis.
Find newsletter sponsors here →
Learn how Wellput makes newsletter sponsorship campaigns perform for marketers.
