Latest / The Newsletter Podcast with Fexingo: Substack, Beehiiv, and Email Newsletter Business / Why Newsletters Are Using Audio Editions to Grow Subscribers
Transcript
- Lucas: So we've talked a lot about how newsletters are adding new formats—polls, surveys, community comments. But there's one format that's quietly becoming a serious growth lever, and it's audio editions. Luna: You mean like, a newsletter you can listen to instead of read? Lucas: Exactly. A growing number of Substack and Beehiiv writers are adding an audio version of their newsletter—often a 10-minute summary read by the author. And the data is starting to show that it's not just a nice to have. It's actually driving paid conversions. Luna: I've seen a few writers I follow do this. Some just record themselves reading the post, others add a bit of commentary. But what's the conversion data you're seeing? Lucas: Let me give you a concrete example. A finance newsletter called 'The Daily Brief'—about 80,000 subscribers, mostly on Substack—added a 10-minute audio summary to every paid post back in January. Within three months, their paid conversion rate from free to paid went up by 15 percent. And when they surveyed new paid subscribers, over a third said the audio option was a key reason they upgraded. Luna: That's a pretty big jump. But is it just the novelty factor? Or is there something deeper about how people consume content now? Lucas: I think it's deeper. Look, we're in a world where attention is fractured. People are commuting, doing chores, exercising. Reading a full newsletter takes dedicated time. Audio turns that dead time into consumption time. For a busy professional, being able to 'read' a newsletter while driving to work is a real value-add. Luna: Right, but recording a high-quality audio edition takes effort. You need a decent mic, editing time, maybe a quiet room. For a solo writer putting out three newsletters a week, that's a significant investment. How do they justify it? Lucas: That's the key question. And the answer is: it depends on your monetization model. If you're running a paid newsletter, audio can be a premium feature that justifies a higher price. Some writers are offering audio-only bonus episodes for paid subscribers, similar to how podcasters do it. Others are using it as a loss leader—free audio for everyone, hoping it hooks listeners into subscribing. Luna: I've also seen writers repurpose their newsletter audio as a podcast feed. That way they're distributing on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, reaching a whole new audience who might not even know they have a newsletter. Lucas: Exactly. That's a smart distribution play. Beehiiv actually has a native feature that lets you turn any post into an audio file and push it to podcast platforms. Substack has its own audio player within the app, but it's more locked into their ecosystem. So if you're on Beehiiv, you can get that cross-platform reach more easily. Luna: Let me play devil's advocate though. Most newsletter readers are already time-pressed. If they're subscribed to a written newsletter, they've opted into reading. Are we sure they actually want to listen instead? Or is this solving a problem that doesn't really exist? Lucas: Fair point. But the data from Substack's internal analytics shows that newsletters with audio editions have about 20 percent higher engagement metrics—time spent, click-through rates—compared to text-only newsletters. And the audio itself gets about a 30 percent listen rate on average. That means roughly one in three subscribers is actually clicking play. Luna: So it's not a majority, but it's a meaningful segment. And for paid subscribers, that segment might be more loyal. Lucas: Precisely. And here's where it gets interesting from a business standpoint. The newsletters seeing the biggest lift from audio are in verticals like finance, tech, and health—where the content is dense and readers might want a quick summary. Lifestyle and culture newsletters see less of an effect, probably because the reading experience is part of the appeal. Luna: So if I'm a writer considering this, what's the minimal viable product? Do I need to produce a polished podcast? Or can I just record myself on my phone? Lucas: The bar is lower than you think. Substack's audio feature literally lets you record right from the editor. Beehiiv has a text to speech option, though it's robotic. The best approach is probably a middle ground: use a decent USB mic, record in one take without heavy editing, and keep it to 10 minutes or less. Listeners are forgiving if the content is valuable. Luna: I've noticed that some writers add a personal touch—like they'll do a short intro that's different from the written version. It feels more conversational. That seems to drive engagement too. Lucas: Yes, and that's actually a key insight. The audio edition shouldn't just be a robotic reading of the text. The best ones add value—a quick anecdote, a clarification, a reaction to something that happened after the newsletter went out. That makes it feel like a bonus, not a duplicate. Luna: And if they're worried about cannibalizing their written content? I mean, if someone listens, they might not read. Does that hurt the 'stickiness' of the newsletter? Lucas: It's a valid concern, but the data suggests the opposite. Listeners are more likely to also read the newsletter later, especially if they find the audio compelling. It becomes a gateway. Plus, for paid newsletters, the audio is often a premium feature—so it actually incentivizes upgrades rather than cannibalizing. Luna: I want to zoom out for a second. We're seeing this convergence between newsletters and podcasts. Spotify's been pushing into podcasting, but newsletters have this direct relationship with the audience that podcasts often lack. Do you think audio editions could be the newsletter industry's answer to the podcast boom? Lucas: It's possible. The newsletter has a built-in distribution channel—email—which podcasts don't have. But audio adds a new consumption mode. If a newsletter can be both read and listened to, it's essentially a hybrid product. And that gives it a competitive advantage over pure-play podcasts or pure-play email. Luna: So what's the downside? Besides production time, are there any risks? Lucas: The biggest risk is inconsistency. If you start offering audio and then stop because it's too much work, you disappoint the listeners who came for that. So you need to be sure you can sustain it. Also, not all content translates well to audio—data-heavy charts, tables, or complex diagrams are hard to describe. You have to adapt your writing style. Luna: You know, thinking about this episode—if these marketing conversations have sparked something you've actually used, like maybe you've started recording audio for your own newsletter, consider supporting the show. It's what keeps us ad-free and independent. You can find us at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. Every little bit helps us keep digging into trends like this. Lucas: Absolutely. And we genuinely appreciate it. Okay, back to audio editions. I want to talk about one more data point that surprised me. A tech newsletter called 'The Interface' started offering audio only to paid subscribers, and within two months, their churn rate dropped by 25 percent. That's huge. Luna: So audio isn't just for acquisition—it's for retention too. That makes sense. If you're paying for something, you want to get as much value as possible. Audio gives you another way to consume it. Lucas: Right. And that's the real story here. Audio editions aren't just a feature—they're a relationship tool. They deepen the connection between writer and reader. When you hear someone's voice, you feel like you know them better. That trust is hard to build through text alone. Luna: I've definitely felt that with a few newsletters I follow. The voice adds personality in a way that text sometimes can't. It's like the difference between a letter and a phone call. Lucas: Exactly. And for independent writers competing with big media brands, that personal connection is their moat. Audio just makes it stronger. Luna: So if someone listening is thinking about trying this, what's the one piece of advice you'd give them? Lucas: Start small. Pick one newsletter per week, record a 5-minute summary, and see how your audience responds. Use the built-in tools on your platform—Substack or Beehiiv—so you don't have to invest in new software. And most importantly, ask your subscribers what they think. A simple poll can tell you if it's worth scaling. Luna: Good advice. And if they do see a lift in conversions or retention, they'll know it's working. Lucas: Exactly. The trend is clear: audio is becoming a standard part of the newsletter toolkit. Not every newsletter needs it, but for those in the right niche, it could be a game-changer.