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Why you should enrich your subscriber list periodically
More data doesn't mean more noise, if you use it right. Here's why enrichment matters and how to do it smartly.
The power of enriching your subscriber list
Today we’ll talk about how enriching your subscriber list can unlock deeper insights, better segmentation, and smarter growth for your newsletter.
Quick Hits
Meta plans full AI-powered ad creation by 2026 (probably wiping out ad agencies in the process)
I highly recommend this piece from the Every Newsletter: Knowledge Work Is Dying—Here’s What Comes Next
Why and how to enrich your list
Your subscribers are your most valuable asset.
They’ve already said yes. They’re inside. And if you want to turn that attention into impact (whether that’s revenue, feedback, or influence) you need to know who they are.
But collecting that data isn’t always easy.
Post-subscription surveys: Great but limited
The most common and effective method is to ask new subscribers a few questions right after they sign up. These post-subscription surveys are a powerful way to gather first-party data from day one.
Last week we talked about why first-party data is crucial when growing your newsletter and how to get it using post-subscription surveys.
If you do it right, you should be getting a 60% to 75% response rate. That’s high-quality data coming in at the right moment, when the person is most engaged.
But there’s a limit. You can’t ask 15 questions without overwhelming them. If you try, even with optional fields, your completion rate will drop to the 20s or lower.
You could also send follow-up surveys over time. That works, but you risk annoying your audience or training them to ignore anything that isn’t the newsletter itself.
So how do you keep learning about your subscribers without burning them out?
Enrichment: The alternative way to learn more about your subscribers
That’s where enrichment comes in.
Subscriber enrichment is the process of adding new information to an existing contact using data from external sources. You start with an email address, and you use tools to find public or third-party information tied to that address.
What kind of data?
Name and location
Job title and company
LinkedIn profile
Recent social posts
Phone number or other contact info
Industry or tech stack
Seniority level
Once enriched, that same subscriber becomes 10x more valuable, because you know more, and can act accordingly.
With enriched data, you can:
Segment smarter. Create Beehiiv segments like “People who work in SaaS” or “Subscribers at enterprise companies.”
Send targeted content. If someone’s a founder, they probably want different content than someone who’s a growth marketer.
Reach out directly. Personalized outreach is far more effective when you know what the person does, where they work, and what they’ve recently posted.
Spot hidden patterns. Maybe 30% of your readers work in a niche you hadn’t considered. That’s a new angle for content or monetization.
Enrichment is often the most scalable way to increase the depth of your subscriber data without constantly asking for it.
Make enrichment work for you
If you’re already collecting some data with post-subscription surveys, enrichment becomes even more powerful. More initial data gives enrichment tools better input to work with.
Here’s how to do it:
Use Clay + Beehiiv + Webhooks:
Set up a webhook in Beehiiv to trigger when a new subscriber joins.
Send that data to Clay.
Clay looks up public information and enriches the contact in real time.
Store enriched data in Clay, or loop it back into Beehiiv via Zapier or Make.
Enrich existing subscribers retroactively:
Export your Beehiiv subscriber list as a CSV.
Upload it into Clay.
Enrich in bulk. You can then re-import updated data, or use Clay as a master list.
Other tools you can use:
Make sure to test with a small sample before enriching your entire list.
Pro tip: don’t abuse the data
When you see all that data flowing in, it’s tempting to send a bunch of messages right away. Don’t.
Instead, export the enriched data and use a tool like ChatGPT or Claude to surface insights. Ask things like:
What are the common job titles in this list?
Which industries are most represented?
Which segments are likely to be most profitable or engaged?
Then plan your communication accordingly, with care, not noise.
Final thought
Enrichment isn’t just about having more data. It’s about having the right data to act strategically.
As third-party data continues to lose relevance, owning and understanding your first-party data becomes your edge. Your moat. Your leverage.
And newsletters, by nature, are perfectly positioned to build that edge—quietly, consistently, and with permission.