[Podcast] Email Newsletters for B2B: Strategy, Growth & Engagement

Host: Richard Fallah: CEO @ VBOUT

Guest Speaker: Jaina Mistry – Email, Content & Brand Marketing Leader

In this insightful session, we hosted Jaina Mistry, a brand content and email marketing expert with a deep background in B2B SaaS and startup growth. Jaina explored how marketers can build effective email newsletter programs, from strategy to deliverability, while keeping a human voice front and center.

Jana kicks off by stressing the importance of starting with the fundamentals:

• Define roles: Who owns the strategy, content, design, and sending?
• Set clear goals: Different emails (newsletters, lifecycle, transactional) have different success metrics.
• Understand your audience: Know who you’re talking to and tailor your content accordingly.

“If you can lay all this down on one document, you’ve got your foundation.”

One of the most common challenges? Growing a subscriber base from scratch. Jana shares several strategies:

• Don’t buy lists – they often harm your sender reputation.
• Add sticky opt-in forms on your website, especially in blog posts and case studies.
• Use smart popups — conversion rates can reach 4.65% (source: WisePops).
• Create a dedicated landing page for your newsletter with visuals and social proof.
• Leverage social media – but offer value before asking for an email.

Richard adds how VBOUT users have turned newsletter snippets into short videos on Instagram and Facebook, then used comment-based DM automation to collect email leads natively.

Jana outlines two primary newsletter types:

• Editorial: Personal, opinion-driven content that builds trust and thought leadership.
• Curated: A collection of links (yours and others’) with your commentary, ideal for content distribution.

Even with curated content, she recommends injecting your brand’s unique voice to avoid sounding like a generic feed.

Different subscribers need different content:

• Top-of-funnel: Intro guides, platform how-tos
• Bottom-of-funnel: Case studies, customer wins
• Existing customers: Feature updates, product tips

Your email should meet them where they are in the buying cycle.

Email length? As long as it needs to be to deliver value.

But Jana notes:

“Anything over 102KB gets cut off in Gmail—watch your code size.”

For frequency, it’s better to start with what you can consistently maintain. Weekly or bi-weekly is ideal. Less than once a month? Not recommended if you’re trying to build engagement and inbox reputation.

Your platform should align with your goals:

• Substack, LinkedIn Newsletters: Great for editorial, wide reach, and simplicity.
• Marketing automation platforms like VBOUT: Better for segmentation, automation, and data-driven strategy.

Richard notes that with VBOUT, users can manage design, segmentation, and performance tracking all in one place, especially useful when scaling.

Some essential tips to ensure your emails hit the inbox:

• Authenticate your domain with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC.
• Avoid sending to old or purchased lists.
• Keep your email code under 102KB.
• Don’t spike your send volume; warm up gradually.
• Watch engagement trends over time, not just per-send.

“Open rates are like compliments from your boss; you never fully trust them, but you still want them.”

Jana shares that cold emails rarely win her over, unless she already knows the brand. Relevance and timing matter more than personalization tricks.

Richard adds a story about how automation sent emails referencing posts from four years ago, proving that data freshness matters.

AI is helping with tasks like:

• Drafting and summarizing content
• Segmenting audiences
• Testing subject lines

But it can’t replace human connection.

Jana warns:

“Just because AI can personalize doesn’t mean it can connect.”

She also discusses Gmail and Apple’s AI-generated previews, advising marketers to structure content and CTAs with semantic clarity for better visibility.

Key metrics to track (based on your goal):

• Editorial newsletters: Forwards, replies, read time
• Lead nurturing: Clicks, engagement, conversions
• Community-building: Replies, shares, unsubscribe trends

Recommended benchmarks:

• Open Rate: 30–40% (opted-in lists)
• CTR: 2–5% (over 5% = excellent)
• Click-to-open: 10–20%
• Unsubscribes: Under 2%
• Spam complaints: Below 0.3%

Jana sees newsletters shifting from email campaigns to content strategies:

• Fewer but better emails
• More editorial and personal storytelling
• Building community over chasing clicks
• Newsletters as brand trust vehicles rather than sales blasts

“Trust doesn’t come from algorithms. It comes from showing up consistently as a human.”

Newsletters are far from dead—they’re becoming one of the last authentic channels where brands can build real relationships.

Jana’s advice:

“Use AI as your collaborator, not your creator. Let your voice shine through.”

About Jaina Mistry

Jaina Mistry is a Brand, Content, and Email Marketing leader with a background in B2B, SaaS, and startup growth. She specializes in connecting the dots between brand storytelling, marketing tech, and buyer behavior. Jaina believes the next era of digital will be defined by emotional resonance, not just personalization. Her work and insights have been featured in MarTech, MediaPost, Chief Marketer, and Demand Gen Report.

Connect with Jaina on LinkedIn

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