Berbay has long been a proponent of email marketing, particularly the value of sending consistent, highly relevant e-newsletters to targeted audiences. For professional services firms, email has served as a reliable way to reinforce thought leadership and stay top of mind with clients and referral sources. But recent conversations have raised the same question repeatedly: Is email marketing even working anymore?
There are many reasons this is getting asked. Inboxes are more crowded than ever. Engagement rates are dipping. Email suppression and privacy changes have made performance harder to track. And even more unsettling, many firms report that their newsletters have led to zero or almost no conversions. So, we can easily trash all of our newsletter efforts, right?
Berbay’s answer is no, and this view rests on a flawed premise. While it’s understandable to want a clear, measurable outcome such as new business, is that the only metric that determines whether your email marketing is successful or not?
Why “Is It Converting?” Is the Wrong Question
Clients rarely hire a firm because of a single touchpoint. Decisions are influenced over time by credibility, familiarity and perceived expertise. Marketing in professional services is cumulative, not transactional.
Email marketing supports that long-term visibility. It provides another vehicle to share your expertise, remind audiences of your capabilities and maintain your consistent presence. Expecting email to behave like a paid search ad (a true conversion driver) ignores the realities of how professional services are bought.
Like other aspects of your marketing and PR program, email marketing generally shouldn’t be thought of as a straight-line business development tool. Even if it were, it’s a fool’s errand to draw a direct line between your new client and them reading your newsletter. If the only acceptable measure of value is signing a new client, email marketing will almost always fall short.
What E-Newsletters Are Actually Designed to Do
At their core, e-newsletters function as an owned media channel – a platform your firm controls. That distinction matters more today than it did even a few years ago. Earned media has become increasingly competitive, and at the same time, paid media costs continue to rise, potentially pricing out smaller firms. An e-newsletter provides a dependable way to reach your target audience without relying on a reporter’s coverage or an advertising algorithm. It allows firms to shape their narrative, highlight priorities and maintain visibility on their own terms.
E-newsletters also play an important role in what we often describe as the PR ripple effect – amplifying other marketing and PR efforts already underway. Media placements, speaking engagements, blog posts, awards and rankings, and firm announcements gain a longer shelf life and are given additional exposure. If you’re already creating content, why not milk it for all it’s worth?
It’s also important to recognize that people consume information in different ways. Some may rely on LinkedIn to stay current on firm news, while others prefer to receive updates directly in their inbox. And people are busy, so it’s unrealistic to assume your audience is logging into any single platform regularly, let alone seeing every post your firm publishes. Diversifying how you share content ensures your message reaches audiences where and how they are most likely to engage.
How to Analyze Email Marketing Stats
It’s true that engaging with your audience has become more challenging. Enhanced spam filters and Apple and Google’s privacy changes are suppressing emails, and traditional metrics such as open rates are no longer entirely reliable. This makes the interpretation (not abandonment) the real challenge. But firms that know how to implement best practices and analyze the data can still gain significant value.
Segmenting your audience allows you to tailor content to different groups, increasing relevance and engagement. Maintaining a healthy, up-to-date contact list ensures your messages actually reach real readers, while A/B testing subject lines, send times and content formats can uncover what resonates best.
Alternative indicators can also provide a more complete picture of success:
- Replies, even informal ones, signal engagement and interest.
- Follow-up conversations initiated by email content mean that your awareness campaign is working.
- Website traffic spikes tied to newsletter sends reveal interest in specific topics.
- New social follows from your newsletter demonstrate that people want to continue to stay in the loop on what your firm is doing.
These practices help firms make data-driven decisions and maximize the effectiveness of emails even when direct conversions aren’t happening. Tracking data alone isn’t enough. If you’re tracking the data but not acting on it or adjusting your strategy when needed, then it’s meaningless.
For more on maintaining deliverability and avoiding common email marketing pitfalls, read our blog Email Marketing: From You’ve Got Mail to Email Suppression.
When Email Marketing Isn’t Worth It
While e-newsletters can be a powerful tool, there are times when sending emails may not be the right choice. Firms should pause or reconsider if any of the following apply:
- No segmentation: If you are blasting everyone with everything and it’s not targeted to the audience. This is the #1 mistake we see and a primary reason your emails may not get engagement.
- Content is purely self-promotional: Emails that only highlight your firm’s achievements without providing value to the reader risk people hitting the unsubscribe button.
- Disconnected from broader objectives: If your email sends are not aligned with larger marketing or PR goals, you probably won’t be able to justify the time and resources required.
- Metrics aren’t tracked or acted upon: To reiterate what we said above, if you aren’t monitoring performance or using the data to adjust your strategy, your email engagement won’t improve over time.
Email Marketing Still Delivers When Done Right
At Berbay, we believe that email marketing remains a valuable tool when treated as a strategic asset rather than just a box to check on your to-do list. Done thoughtfully, e-newsletters, client alerts and other marketing emails reinforce thought leadership, keep your firm top of mind and amplify the impact of all your marketing and PR efforts.
Partner with a Trusted Marketing and PR Agency
Berbay Marketing & Public Relations has three decades of experience providing law, real estate and financial firms with strategic marketing and public relations services that propel your business forward. Berbay’s dedicated team has demonstrated success securing media placements, achieving nominations and rankings, revitalizing websites and social media, obtaining speaking engagements, and more.
Looking to grow your firm with a proven marketing and PR team? Contact Berbay at 310-736-9168 or info@berbay.com
By Megan Braverman, Owner & Principal, Berbay Marketing & Public Relations
Megan has led hundreds of successful marketing and PR campaigns for leading law firms, real estate companies and financial services organizations throughout the U.S. Under her leadership, Berbay was named the Top Public Relations Agency in The Recorder Best Of 2025 Awards, underscoring the agency’s reputation as the go-to partner for professional services firms seeking results-driven marketing and PR. Megan was also selected to the Los Angeles Business Journal’s LA 500 list, highlighting her as one of the region’s most influential executives.
