How Newsletter Creators Can Unlock New Revenue: Craft + Commerce 2025
Last week, the Ezoic team had the opportunity to sponsor and speak at Craft + Commerce, an intimate and inspiring event hosted by Kit in Boise, Idaho. Held at the historic Treefort Music Hall, the three-day conference brought together 350+ creators, writers, podcasters, video storytellers, and solopreneurs, to connect, learn, and build thriving businesses from their content.
Ezoic’s Gavin Bechtold (Enterprise Partnerships) and Charlie Stoever (Yield Strategist) led a workshop titled: From Subscriber to Site Visitor: Unlocking Ad Revenue Through Newsletter-Fueled Traffic, highlighting one powerful theme: your newsletter audience is more valuable than you think.
The Untapped Opportunity in Newsletter Traffic
Everyone attending Craft + Commerce already understands that email is the heartbeat of their business. It's how they sell courses, build trust, and promote content. But one big opportunity often gets overlooked: monetizing the 90–95% of subscribers who don’t convert to paying customers.
As Gavin shared during the session, “Many creators rely on newsletters to drive sales or promote services, but few realize how valuable programmatic ads on their websites could be, especially for the majority of their audience who never buy.”
By simply adjusting how they send their emails (e.g. linking to “Read More” on a website instead of embedding full articles and A/B testing titles to improve CTR), creators can dramatically increase site visits. And with those visits comes a monetization path powered by high-value first-party data and programmatic advertising. Win-win.
Why This Matters Now
Timed with the event, Ezoic announced a new integration with Kit, making it easier than ever for creators to sync their newsletter audiences with website monetization strategies. Through this partnership, creators using Kit can now seamlessly connect their subscriber data to web advertisers and unlock a new revenue stream.
This is especially impactful for creators who might not have a traditional blog or haven’t explored ads before. As Charlie put it, "newsletter operators are in a very unique position to make money off their website whether they already have one or not. Advertisers want to spend top dollar on websites with first-party data, and most of the open web isn’t using it. That gives newsletter creators a massive head start.”
Human Connection Still Wins (Even in the AI Era)
Beyond monetization tactics, Craft + Commerce fostered deeper conversations around authenticity, burnout, and the balance between creativity and business. One clear trend? AI is everywhere but it is not replacing creators.
Attendees shared excitement about using AI to improve productivity and idea generation, but reaffirmed that human identity and storytelling remain central to content that resonates. As Charlie noted, “People want real connection, not automation. AI is a tool, not a replacement.”
Another refreshing takeaway from the crowd: “Time > money, energy > hustle.” With the right tools, creators are finding ways to think smarter, not harder, by focusing on platforms and strategies that give them leverage.
Final Thoughts
Craft + Commerce proved what we already believe at Ezoic: creators are running real businesses, often across multiple revenue streams and there’s huge untapped value in newsletter-fueled website traffic.
We were thrilled to meet so many creative, strategic minds in person, and even more excited to see where they go next using Ezoic’s monetization tools and our integration with Kit. Whether you’re just starting out or already have a thriving email list, we’re here to help you turn that attention into income on your terms.
Hope to see you next year, Boise!