23 of My Favorite Free Marketing Newsletters

Whether you’re in your first marketing job (congrats, btw) or your 15th, you know that there are approximately 43,827 marketing-related newsletters all vying for your email address.

Jul 31, 2024 - 21:02

0 29

Whether you’re in your first marketing job (congrats, btw) or your 15th, you know that there are approximately 43,827 marketing-related newsletters all vying for your email address.

A man sits at his laptop. Envelope icons surround him.

Let me rescue you from the overwhelm: I subscribed to several dozen marketing newsletters, talked to friends across different industries, scoured the internet, and pestered a great many HubSpotters on Slack to build this list.

Although these newsletters are either fully free or have a free version, I’ve noted the ones with paid options, since paid subscriptions = more content. I’ve also included a “recommended if you like” (RIYL) for each newsletter to help you decide whether it deserves a place in your inbox.

I don’t like boring newsletters any more than you do. So whether you want to become an SEO expert fast or stay on top of changing Insta algorithms, here are 23 free marketing newsletters that you’ll actually look forward to opening.

Table of Contents

HubSpot Newsletters Best Free Marketing Newsletters Best Free Social Media Newsletters Best Free SEO Newsletters Best Free Newsletters About Newsletters Best Email Deliverability Newsletters Best Creator-focused Newsletters

HubSpot Newsletters

1. The Hustle

Screencap of a pie chart in The Hustle. “Workin’ 10 to 12, what a way to make a livin’.”

Image Source

I’ve been a Hustle subscriber since before I started working at HubSpot. So it’s not just professional allegiance when I say that it more than lives up to its promise to be “your five-minute brief on business and tech news.”

It’s a newsletter powerhouse that doesn’t take its readership for granted. Hustle Managing Editor Ben Berkley tells me that his favorite recurring section is Weird Patents, which “captures the entrepreneurial spirit at the heart of our audience.” Absurd visuals guaranteed.

Editor: Ben Berkley

Frequency: Six days a week (we give Ben a break on Saturdays)

The longer Sunday stories are an extra-special treat for your inbox. My recent fav was about the cat-and-mouse game that is buying Hermès bags, and it’s a wild ride.

Cost: Free

Best for: Anyone who wants to sound more interesting when they’re talking about business.

Popularity: 2M+ subscribers

Sample subject line: ✨ Is Disney losing its magic?

RIYL: weird business stories, interesting people with big ideas, wordplay

Sign me up!

2. Masters in Marketing

Screencap of Masters in Marketing.

Image Source

Masters in Marketing relaunched in June 2024 with the goal of sharing untold marketing stories, first-hand advice, and curated marketing trends. And frankly, we’re killing it.

So far, we’ve talked to the CEOs of Oatly and Liquid Death, Moz’s Chima Mmeje, and a GM at Microsoft. I just took a look at our planning spreadsheet, and we’ve got a fun few months ahead. Come join us.

Authors: Caroline Forsey and <ahem> yours truly. Yes, this is shameless self-promotion. Yes, it’s also a good newsletter.

Frequency: Every Tuesday

Cost: For you? Free.

Best for: Digital marketers, early- and mid-career marketers eyeing leadership positions.

Popularity: 350K+ subscribers

Sample subject line: 🕯️How Liquid Death reinvented marketing

RIYL: marketing stories and advice you haven’t already heard a hundred times

Sign me up!

3. Trends

Screencap of Trends.

Image Source

HubSpotter Cyan Zhong is like your chronically online friend who’s always the first to spot trends. Case in point: She tracked down the label designer of the Wirecutter-recommended Graza olive oil to talk about product design trends.

Subscribe for the latest data-backed business trends, research insights, and industry analyses. Stay for the fun.

Author: Cyan Zhong

Frequency: Every Tuesday

Cost: Free

Best for: Anyone who wants to stay ahead of the curve or build better businesses.

Popularity: 350K+ subscribers

Sample subject line: How Media Leaders Will Make AI Work in 2024, from HubSpot’s VP of Media

RIYL: internet rabbit holes, actionable business ideas, trendy niches

Sign me up!

You won’t find us gatekeeping. The newsletter platform — and other marketing tools — that we use here at HubSpot is available for your own use.

Best Free Marketing Newsletters

Heavy hitters in the “general” category include Marketing Brew, tl;dr Marketing, and Lenny’s Newsletter.

There’s a good chance you’re already subscribed to one or more of those, so here are six more we like:

4. The Black Guy in Marketing

“White People Love Pastries!” & The Case for Building a Diverse Professional Network.

Image Source

The Black Guy in Marketing is “a resource for diverse professionals who are the first, the only, or just trying to break through at work.”

Author Andrew McCaskill tackles well-worn topics like AI, total compensation, and networking, but with a perspective I haven’t seen in any other newsletter.

For instance, the newsletter on networking has stats from recent studies, offers four actionable networking strategies, and talks about opportunities and challenges specific to professionals of color.

Author: Andrew McCaskill, a self-described “culture analyst, inclusion champion, and marketing executive.”

Frequency: Monthly, and it’s on LinkedIn — not your inbox.

Cost: Free

Best for: Although the newsletter is largely written for Black marketers at any career level, McCaskill has written issues on Pride, Latino marketers, and more.

Popularity: Nearly 13K subscribers

Sample subject line: “White People Love Pastries!” & The Case for Building a Diverse Professional Network

RIYL: LinkedIn, career advice, fresh takes

Sign me up!