inbox armageddon

A common argument in favor of newsletters:

Your reach is not controlled by an algorithm.

(like it is on social media)

Except…

That’s a lie.

Because Google, Yahoo, and other ESPs do, in fact, use sophisticated algorithms to decide what goes in your Primary inbox vs Social, Promotions, Spam, etc.

This is based on:

- Sender reputation
- Content analysis
- And user interaction

In other words…

Same game, different sandbox.

But we may soon be entering the next level.

Here’s why:

I recently read an article written by Adam Ryan, the founder of Workweek, which is a creator-first media company operating 10+ newsletters in multiple verticals…

Wherein he makes the case that the next big shift in email is:

AI-powered curation of the inbox.

To quote Adam directly:

This is a slightly terrifying idea for folks like you and me.

Google’s already begun experimenting with a ‘Summarize this email’ button inside the inbox.

However, as with all things AI…

Nobody really knows exactly how it’s going to play out.

There is one thing I do know for sure, though:

Traditional newsletters based on hard value (aka giving away ‘how-to’ information for free) are going to get hit the hardest.

Why?

Because they’re the easiest to summarize in a few bullet points.

Meanwhile, story-driven emails infused with entertainment and personality will continue to offer something the machines can’t effectively hack and slash. 

So if you’re looking to inoculate yourself against a potential AI inbox armageddon…

I urge you to embrace the Email Storyselling system I lay out in my book.

Otherwise, your newsletter may become a casualty.

Jim Hamilton

P.S:

If you’d like to read the rest of the Workweek article, you can check it out here.