Why first-party data is your newsletter’s superpower

First-party data is a true moat. Understanding its benefits and knowing how to collect it are key parts of running a successful newsletter.

May 30, 2025

How to supercharge you newsletter using first-party data

Collecting first-party data is the true moat in the AI era.

Quick Hits

  • Anthropic’s CEO warns about AI eliminating millions of jobs in the near future.

  • The best tools to set up subscription funnels for your newsletter.

Newsletters and first-party data

When you use tools like Meta or LinkedIn Ads, you rely on third-party data to reach your audience. These platforms know what people are browsing, track their behavior, and target them with your ads.

Sounds pretty effective, and it actually is. This model has brought social media companies to impressive valuations.

But the third-party data days are fading fast. Cookies, the backbone of third-party data, are dying. Privacy regulations are tightening and platforms are locking down their data.

In the middle of all that, there’s one strategy that stands out: first-party data.

First-party data (FPD) is information you collect directly from your audience, like names, locations, interests, behaviors, and preferences. It’s clean, permission-based, and yours to keep.

Third-party data, on the other hand, comes from external sources. It's rented, not owned. It's often vague, outdated, or aggregated. And it’s getting harder to use well.

Own your data. Build your moat.

When you build your newsletter audience, you’re not just growing a list. You’re building a dataset of people who’ve explicitly chosen to hear from you. That’s powerful.

Newsletters are one of the most effective ways to collect first-party data. By setting up proper data collection systems, you can:

  • Ask readers why they signed up.

  • Run short surveys and polls.

  • Track clicks and segment based on behavior.

  • Create custom fields that enrich your understanding of each subscriber.

Over time, you learn what they care about, what they buy, what they skip, and what they respond to. All directly, without relying on algorithms.

If you haven’t started collecting FPD through your newsletter, now’s the time:

  • Add one or two optional questions to your signup form.

  • Run a simple Typeform or Beehiiv survey asking about interests or challenges.

  • Start segmenting your audience based on clicks or tags.

You don’t need a CRM or a full data team. You just need a habit of asking and storing the right info.

Over time, this compounds into a real advantage.

If you remember well, when you subscribed to this newsletter, you came across (and probably filled out) a post-subscription survey.

That’s a real example of building FPD collection systems.

Data Is a Moat in the AI Age

We’re entering a world where everyone has access to the same tools. AI can write, design, and even strategize. But the one thing it can’t replicate is your unique insight into your audience.

That insight is built from first-party data.

The better you understand your subscribers, the better you can serve them with content, offers, recommendations, or products. And the more that loop tightens, the more defensible your newsletter becomes.

Pro tip: FPD is what makes newsletters attractive to sponsors. You have a direct channel with an audience that a specific company wants to reach, and you have information about them.

This is how newsletters turn into serious businesses. Not just reach, but relevance.

Keep growing your newsletter!

Dani