The harsh truth about your followers
Imagine you have a LinkedIn company page with 10,000 followers. You’ve spent years building it. You’re proud of it. But tomorrow morning, LinkedIn decides to change its algorithm (as it has done many times before). Your reach drops from 50% to 2%. Or worse – your account gets blocked for “violating terms” you never even read.
What are you left with? Nothing. You have no way to reach those people. You can’t call them. You can’t write to them.
In marketing, there’s a comparison for this: “Building a house on rented land.” Social media is great for getting to know customers. It’s like a noisy party. But you can’t build a business on it, because it doesn’t belong to you.
In 2026, with organic reach at a historic low, the winners are companies that understand the power of owned media. And the king of owned media is good old email.
Why email is still “sexy” in 2026
You might be thinking: “Emails? Does anyone still read them? I delete all of mine.” The stats are clear: email still has the highest return on investment (ROI) of all marketing channels. Up to 42 euros for every 1 euro invested.
Here’s why:
- You are the algorithm: In the inbox, Zuckerberg doesn’t decide whether the customer sees your message. You and the customer do.
- Intimacy: Social media is a town square. Email is a living room. When someone lets you into their inbox, they’re placing huge trust in you.
- Sales: People go to TikTok to be entertained. They go to their inbox to work and get things done. That’s where they’re mentally set up to buy.
Newsletter 2.0: forget the flyers
The reason you think newsletters don’t work is that most companies do them badly. They send digital flyers: “Buy this! 10% off! Clearance sale!”
In 2026, the newsletter has turned into a medium. Companies don’t create ads, they create valuable content people look forward to.
Real-life example (B2B): Instead of sending a brick offer every week, a construction company sends a short tip on Tuesday morning: “3 insulation mistakes that will cause mold in 5 years.” Architects and investors open an email like that because it saves them money. And when they buy bricks six months later, who will they remember? The company that gave them advice.
Funnel strategy: from a like to an email
Your job isn’t to leave social media. Your job is to use it as a fishing net and move the catch into your own pond.
How?
- Create a lead magnet: Something valuable you give away for free in exchange for an email. (An e-book, a checklist, a video guide, a calculator.)
- Bad: “Sign up for our newsletter.” (Nobody wants news.)
- Good: “Download 10 contract templates for real estate agents.”
- Promote it on social media: Use the reach of Instagram or LinkedIn to get people to your website and into your database.
- Pamper them: Once you have their email, don’t send spam. Build a relationship.
The math of freedom
Imagine you have a database of 2,000 contacts – people interested in what you do. When you launch a new product, you send one email. With an average open rate of 30%, 600 people read it. For free. Instantly. Without waiting for ad approval.
To reach 600 people organically on Facebook, you’d need a page with roughly 20,000 fans (at today’s reach of 3%).
Your own database is your insurance policy. It’s an asset that increases the value of your company if you ever sell it.
Bottom line: start collecting contacts yesterday
The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The best time to start building an email list is today. You don’t need expensive tools. All it takes is Mailchimp, SmartEmailing, or Ecomail and a good reason for customers to give you their email.
Stop being a tenant on social media. Become the owner of your audience.
Not sure what to write in your newsletter? At Tronos, we’ll help you set up a content strategy so people don’t mark your emails as spam – they forward them to colleagues.
