4.5 billion reasons email isn't dead

Hey there!

Three years ago, a beauty brand did something insane.

Lush—the company known for bath bombs and body scrubs—logged off social media. Not just one platform. All of them. Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Snapchat, X. Gone.

Their chief digital officer, Jack Constantine, said the tech billionaires running these platforms "don't really care" about anything except making money. He was tired of renting attention on borrowed platforms that could change the rules overnight.

So Lush went all-in on what they could control: email and their app.

Today, they have 6 million email subscribers and 1.75 million app users. No algorithm. No ad spend to Meta. No begging for reach.

Today we’re covering what Christian leaders need to understand about this move and why it matters for your organization, your audience, and your long-term growth.

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People have been predicting email's death for 30 years.

Let me show you the timeline:

• 1995: Email is too technical for regular people.

• 1999: Spam will ruin email forever.

• 2002: Instant messaging is faster; email is done.

• 2007: Social networks will make email obsolete.

• 2014: Slack will replace email at work.

• 2018: This is peak email; it's all downhill from here.

• 2023: AI assistants will kill email.

And yet, here we are.

Email users didn't decline. They grew. From a few million in the '90s to 4.5 billion users today—and that number is projected to hit 4.8 billion by 2027.

Email isn't dying. It's thriving. And the leaders who understand this are building audiences that don't disappear when an algorithm shifts or a platform bans their account.

Here's what Lush understood that most brands miss.

Social media is a landlord's game. You're renting followers you don't own, paying rent in ad dollars, and praying the algorithm doesn't evict you.

Mark Zuckerberg doesn't wake up thinking, "How can I help Pastor Dave's nonprofit reach more people today?" He wakes up thinking, "How do I keep 3 billion people scrolling past Pastor Dave's post so they see more ads?"

Lush saw this. So they torched their Instagram account (900,000 followers), walked away from TikTok, and redirected every dollar into their email list and app.

The result was zero begging for reach. Zero algorithm anxiety. Just 6 million people who said, "Yes, send me stuff," and actually open it.

The inbox is the most valuable real estate on the internet.

Your inbox isn't where you kill time. It's where you manage your actual life. Payroll. Mortgage.

That passive-aggressive email from Karen in accounting. Leave me alone, Karen.

By contrast, social media is the digital equivalent of flipping through a magazine in a dentist's waiting room. You're not there to do anything. You're there because you're bored and your phone is closer than that 2019 copy of Better Homes & Gardens.

59% of consumers say emails influence their purchases. Not Instagram ads. Not LinkedIn carousels. Not whatever nonsense is happening on Threads this week.

Emails.

Because when someone subscribes to your list, they're not passively scrolling. They're raising their hand and saying, "Yes, I want to hear from you."

Email delivers a 3,600% ROI, but most leaders waste it.

For every $1 you spend on email, you get back $36.

Meanwhile, most Christian organizations treat their email list like that drawer in the kitchen where you shove mystery keys and a single AA battery you're pretty sure still works.

They send sporadic "ministry updates" that read like shareholder reports. They blast the same generic message to everyone—donors, volunteers, the guy who signed up three years ago and hasn't opened an email since.

And then they wonder why their open rate is 11% and nobody's clicking.

Here's the truth: email is a relationship tool, not a megaphone.

The orgs crushing it write like humans. They segment their lists. They give value before they ask. They treat subscribers like people, not line items in a CRM.

And they see results social media will never deliver.

What Lush did (and what you can do).

When Lush left social media, they didn't just ghost their audience. They replaced rented platforms with owned assets.

Here's their playbook:

1. They built their email list aggressively. Today, they have over 6 million subscribers who opted in because they wanted product updates, exclusive offers, and content from Lush.

2. They created an app that rewarded loyalty. 1.75 million people downloaded it. They offer early access to products, rewards points, and hyper-local notifications from the shop nearest to them. It's like social media, but they control it.

3. They doubled down on word-of-mouth marketing. Lush runs an affiliate program that rewards customers who talk about their products—even on platforms Lush no longer uses. They let their audience be their marketing team.

4. They reviewed their strategy regularly. Every quarter, they assess which platforms still align with their values. If something changes, they're ready to pull out.

How you can apply this tomorrow.

You don't have to leave social media to take control of your audience. But you do need to stop treating social as your primary platform.

Here's how to start building an audience you actually own:

✅ Treat your email list like your most valuable asset. Because it is. Every piece of content you create should have one goal: get people onto your email list. Once they're there, you control the relationship.

✅ Offer something worth subscribing for. A weekly encouragement email isn't enough. Give people a lead magnet—a free resource, a short email course, a toolkit—that solves a real problem. Make opting in feel like a no-brainer.

✅ Write emails people actually want to read. No one wants another corporate announcement. Write like you're talking to one person. Be personal. Be helpful. Be human.

✅ Segment your list so you can speak to specific needs. Not everyone on your list wants the same thing. Donors, volunteers, and first-time visitors all need different messages. Segment your list and send relevant content.

✅ Track what works and optimize. Open rates, click-through rates, conversions—these numbers tell you what's working. If something isn't resonating, change it. Email marketing is a conversation, not a broadcast.

The bottom line: Own your audience, or rent it forever.

Lush's move wasn't radical.

They just saw what most brands are too scared to admit: Zuck will always prioritize his bottom line over yours.

Algorithms change on a Tuesday because some VP in Menlo Park wanted to "boost engagement." Features you built your entire strategy around could be gone in an update. Accounts get nuked for reasons you'll never understand. Organic reach drops from 30% to 3% overnight.

And when that happens, you're stuck refreshing your analytics like it's a slot machine.

But your email list is yours.

No one can throttle your reach because they're having a bad quarter. No one can shadowban you for using the wrong hashtag. No billionaire can decide your content "doesn't align with community standards" and delete six years of work before breakfast.

If you're a Christian founder, executive, or organizational leader, here's the question: Are you building a house, or are you renting a room in someone else's hotel?

Because 30 years from now, email will still be here.

Can't say the same for whatever Elon's calling Twitter this week.

~

Keep building what matters,

— Payton

P.S. Did you see companies are desperately seeking storytellers?

Want to do this on your own?
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