Are Newsletters Still Worth It? A Private Chef’s Honest Take

Once upon a time—okay, maybe two years ago—I believed launching a newsletter was the next logical step in growing my platform. I had a podcast, a blog, a decent following, and over a thousand people on my mailing list. I figured, why not pull it all together in a slick little newsletter? Share updates, promote my stories, drive some traffic. Sounded good in theory.

In reality? It bombed. Miserably.

Within a few weeks, more than 75% of my subscribers had unsubscribed. Not one new person joined the list. Not one. Zero new clicks to my site. Zero engagement. Just me, writing to a ghost town every week like a digital lighthouse keeper no one asked for.

I poured time into it. Polished the layout. Tailored content. Tracked open rates that dipped lower than my enthusiasm. Eventually, I shut it down—no farewell email, no final send-off. I didn’t announce it. I didn’t have to.

Because no one noticed.

We’re in a 30-second TikTok world. Attention spans are shorter than a sneeze. People scroll, skim, and swipe, but rarely read. And that’s okay. I’ve accepted that newsletters, for me at least, were more about ego than effectiveness. A way to feel like I was “doing what successful people do.”

Turns out, success doesn’t live in your inbox.

If you’re thinking about starting a newsletter, my advice? Be brutally honest with yourself about why you’re doing it—and who it’s really for. Otherwise, you might just end up writing to no one… and paying for the privilege.

Have you ventured into the world of newsletters? Whether you’re a fellow writer, creative, or someone navigating the challenges of chronic illness, I’d love to hear your experiences. Drop a comment below or subscribe for more candid tales from the kitchen and the keyboard. Let’s navigate this journey together.