If 2025 taught us anything, it’s this: when online platforms zig, email zags – and wins. While algorithms shapeshifted and AI tried to “answer” the internet without a click, the inbox kept doing what it’s always done best: delivering trusted, owned conversations at scale. This year, at Upland Adestra we doubled down on that truth – through blogs, webinars, and publisher playbooks – so our audience could navigate a noisy market with calm, confident execution. 

Here’s just some of the insights we shared: 

Google Zero & AI Overviews: When search clicks vanish, relationships matter 

Many online publishers felt the pinch of Artificial Intelligence in 2025 — it stole half of their search traffic for a start. With AI Overviews answering queries directly on‑page, traffic dipped, and affiliate revenue took a hit. In our posts “How Do Publishers Solve a Problem Like Google Zero?” and “AI Overviews Killing Your Affiliate Revenue?”, we mapped the way forward and encouraged marketers to double down on owned audiences, email‑led discovery, and monetization that doesn’t depend on search generosity.  

Next steps (action guide): 

• Own your discovery: Turn your newsletter into the first stop for product reviews, buyer’s guides, and “shop the edit” features.
• Rewire CTAs: Embed clear “buy now,” “subscribe,” “comment,” and “share” actions in every article – then echo them in email.
• Diversify revenue: Pair affiliate with sponsorships, memberships, and gated premium content promoted via email. 

Email vs. the algorithm: Own your audience – or be owned by it 

When you’re playing football in someone else’s back garden, you’re at the mercy of their rules – they can move the goalposts or even take the ball away at any time. The same is true when you post content on social media. Two blog posts anchored the conversation here: “Email vs. the Algorithm: A Publisher’s Guide to Staying Seen,“and “Email Newsletters vs. Social Algorithms: Why Marketers Are Returning to the Inbox.” The message resonated across both articles: social feeds are volatile; the inbox is intentional. As a result, newsrooms and brands have re‑centred newsletters as the stable route to reach, loyalty, and revenue – especially as social referral traffic has softened.  

Next steps (action guide): 

• Cadence beats chaos: Commit to a publishing rhythm that your audience can rely on. 
• Segment for intent: Split newsletters by audience needs (news, commerce, expert analysis). Personalize by role, topic, and recency. 
• Close the loop: Use email to stitch long‑form content, videos, and events. Add “finish the story” CTAs that land readers back on site. 
• Own your list growth: Promote subscriptions across site templates, events, and promotions. 

Evergreen content isn’t dead – undercooked evergreens are 

Evergreen content was once the lifeblood of the marketing industry. You published it once, and it steadily brought in leads seemingly forever. Not so much anymore. In our blog post “Is Evergreen Content Dead? Not Quite – But It’s Definitely Changing,” we challenged the set‑and‑forget mindset. Good evergreen content still grows lists and revenue – if you maintain it, align to intent, and attach irresistible CTAs. The shift is simple: publish, then polish with quarterly refreshes, new assets, smarter distribution. 

Next steps (action guide): 

• Publish‑and‑polish calendar: Refresh top evergreen posts quarterly; add updated stats, examples, and downloadable checklists. 
• Attach value: Pair evergreen guides with lead magnets (templates, calculators), then place them in welcome journeys. 
• Redistribute smartly: Feature refreshed evergreen in newsletters; repackage as short videos and carousel posts with email CTAs. 

Deliverability went from “best practice” to “board‑level” 

When would be the worst time for a platform to enforce strict new compliance rules? A few days before the busiest marketing period of the year? Yep. Just as peak season hit, Gmail moved from guidance to enforcement. Our post “Gmail’s Compliance Crackdown: What It Means for Your Holiday Campaigns” put the essentials front and centre: harden authentication (SPF/DKIM alignment, DMARC required), enable one‑click unsubscribe, keep complaint rates low, and maintain steady send volumes. This is no longer theory or simple best practice. non‑compliant traffic faces outright SMTP rejection, not just spam placement. 

Next steps (action guide): 

• Audit authentication: Verify SPF/DKIM alignment; publish DMARC (p=none minimum); align From: domains. 
• Enforce list hygiene: Enforce one‑click unsubscribe, honour opt‑outs <48h, and remove inactives that inflate complaint rates. 

Self‑guided buyers: Don’t pitch – prove 

The lines between sales and marketing have always been blurred—especially now that nobody wants the hard sell. Most buyers complete the bulk of their research before they’ll even consider speaking to sales. That means your email program has to deliver credible proof through segment‑smart messaging and frictionless journeys. In “Optimizing Email Marketing for the Self‑Guided Buyer,” we reframed email as a guided self‑service channel – linking directly to pricing, implementation timelines, ROI calculators, and case studies  

Next steps (action guide): 

• Map the proof path: Add pricing FAQs, timeline snapshots, ROI calculators, and case studies to nurture emails – no form gymnastics.
• Segment like a pro: Role, industry, pain point, and lifecycle stage; swap generic blasts for dynamic content. 
• Remove friction: Fewer fields, clearer CTAs, instant access to resources. If it feels like work, they won’t do it. 
• Measure substance: Track content consumption, assisted pipeline, and time‑to‑decision – not just opens and clicks. 

Bot clicks: Stop measuring ghosts 

Not all bots are malicious. Some are designed to protect us. But even these friendly bots can still cause problems. In “Bot Clicks Sabotaging Your Email Metrics: A Necessary Evil or Disruptive Threat?,” we called out the distortion and urged marketers to update analytics logic, throttle click‑triggered automations, and validate engagement with real outcomes (time‑on‑site, scroll depth, conversions).  

Next steps (action guide): 

• Filter patterns: Watch for suspicious activity like instant clicks, multiple links in seconds, and “click storms.” Block known bot user agents where possible. 
• Gate automations: Only trigger nurture paths after real human actions, such as time spent on a page or completing an event. 
• Re-baseline KPIs: Focus on meaningful metrics – conversions, replies, and site engagement – over raw click-through rates. 

The Email Ecosystem: Newsletters, Marketing, Transactional – know the difference 

An email is an email is an email… right? Wrong. Not all emails are created equal. In “Mastering the Email Ecosystem: Newsletter vs. Marketing vs. Transactional Emails,” we broke down governance, tooling, and deliverability across distinct streams – why many brands use separate ESPs, how role‑based permissions prevent accidents, and where transactional systems deserve their own guardrails. 

Next steps (action guide): 

• Stream by purpose: Separate newsletter, promotional, and transactional sends – distinct IPs, policies, and cadences.
• Transactional sanctity: Keep system‑critical messages lean, fast, and isolated from marketing traffic.
• Operational telemetry: Monitor each stream’s deliverability, complaints, and reputation separately; don’t mask a problem with averages. 

Email is still a growth channel 

Still not got the memo? We cannot overstate the importance of this final article – email is still a growth channel. 

Our article “Email: A Decade of Growth (And Beyond) – The Channel That Refuses to Fade” highlights how email isn’t just holding its ground – it’s growing stronger. Over the past decade, the global email audience has surged from around 2.6 billion users in 2015 to nearly 4.6 billion today, with billions more messages sent every single day. And the trend continues: forecasts show email hitting 4.85 billion users by 2027. 

Compare that to social media and messaging apps. Social growth has slowed, and messaging remains fragmented. Email, on the other hand, is universal, interoperable, and fully under your control. It’s also delivering unmatched ROI – often $36 to $40 for every dollar spent. 

Bottom line: Email isn’t just relevant; it’s essential. As we move into 2026, the winners will be those who pair this proven channel with smarter strategies – think dynamic-personalization, robust compliance, and campaigns designed to convert. 

Ready to make email your growth engine in 2026? 

Don’t just read about the trends – act on them.  

If our year-in-review has inspired you to do more with your email marketing, it’s time to book a strategy call with one of our email marketing experts and turn that insight into action.