Alternatives to Email Marketing: Channels That DELIVER in 2025

Email marketing’s remained the workhorse of digital marketing for decades. 

And it should remain a workhorse.

But you know the challenges…

That’s why you’re here. Inbox fatigue is hitting hard. Open rates are dropping. You need some other ideas.

And to be clear, we both know you should not jump ship on email. It's still unbelievably powerful and drives 7-, 8-, and 9-figures in revenue for brands. 

But you can (and should) test other channels to diversify (and then you'll finally appease the Twitter ThoughtBros, which we know you live for). 

We won't be covering SMS marketing here (you're proooooobably not here for that suggestion anyway), but let's explore the alternatives that can supplement email.

Direct Mail: The Channel That (Literally) Delivers

At this point, direct mail is like Klaviyo + Meta together, and major brands are using it as significant revenue drivers across the funnel.

And sure, the largest brands with the largest catalogs are still blasting catalogs (because they’re still incredibly effective), albeit with modern infrastructure, targeting, and faster turnarounds. Like Cozy Earth:

But they’re also sending automated postcards and trifolds, which are damn close to a 1:1 physical version of emails. 

Now, you can plan, design, print, and mail them in a few days. You can A/B test them. Test for incrementality. Send to any RF/RFM segments. Win back customers who’ve seemingly long since churned. Convert anonymous site visitors. Send birthday cards. Check results in live dashboards. 

All just like email.

And there’s no promotions tab in mailboxes. (At least, none that we’re aware of…). 

• Dr. Squatch drove a 10x ROAS with one of their direct mail campaigns targeting customers unengaged with owned channels.
• Beardbrand saw a ridiculous 20x ROI by sending postcards to customers who hadn’t purchased in 6 months and were unsubscribed from email.
• To enhance their Klaviyo post-purchase flow, Country Life Natural Foods sends automated handwritten cards, thanking customers for their first purchases. Those cards are driving an incredible 13x ROAS.

Direct mail works, and it scratches itches (or, uh, targets customers) that email and SMS can’t. 

Push Notifications and Apps: The Direct Line to Your Customers

Mobile apps combined with push notifications offer something email can't: real-time engagement on the device your customers check 144 times a day. And while email open rates hover around 20-40%, push notifications engagement rates (that drive people in-app) are as high as SMS.

TapCart emerged as a leader in helping Shopify brands build mobile apps that actually drive more profitable revenue. 

• Aviator Nation’s seeing a 23% higher CVR in-app vs. on-site. 
• The Hundreds drove over a quarter of a Labor Day sale (at a 13.6% higher AOV) through their app.
• BÉIS found that push notifications drive loyalty and retention while introducing a new type of consumer to their brand. And they’re seeing a crazy 67% higher CVR in-app vs on-site.

Apps live on your customer's most personal device, and push notifications appear directly on lock screens, bypassing the clutter of email inboxes entirely. 

So, they really are a direct line to your customer digitally.

Genuine Organic Content: Building a Brand That Transcends Channels

Longer section incoming.

Other channels push products, but organic content pulls customers in. Brands with the most successful organic content create ecosystems that work across YouTube, blogs, and social media, building audiences that come for the content, often discover the products, and stay for the product education.

Huckberry’s content takes this to a legendary level. They’re masters of the craft.

They've been creating content since 2012, launching their blog in Q1 of that year and their YouTube channel in 2016. Their DIRT series, a travel and food show where "each adventure ends with a feast," regularly pulls in hundreds of thousands to millions of views.

What makes Huckberry's approach so effective? 

At this point, the content is the brand, and the brand is the content. 

They're not creating content to sell products. They're creating a lifestyle that their products naturally fit into. Every DIRT episode features a "shop the look" section where viewers can buy what the host wore, turning aspirational content into sales without feeling salesy.

Granted, this strategy requires patience. 

Huckberry's content is years in the making, and if you were to launch a similar approach, it’s not gonna pay off next quarter. But for brands willing to invest the blood, sweat, and years into organic content, they’re creating an asset that compounds over time. 

Great content continues driving traffic and sales years after publication. Especially if you’re repurposing it effectively (which Huckberry certainly is).

The key is creating content your audience actually wants, not just product demos disguised as entertainment. Huckberry covers everything from "barefoot philosophy" to craft cocktails, topics their audience cares about that happen to align with their product offerings.

Podcast Advertising: The Intimate Digital Ad Medium

Podcast advertising offers something unique: access to highly engaged audiences who actively choose to spend 30-90 minutes with their favorite hosts. 98 million Americans listen to podcasts weekly, with the average listener consuming 11 podcasts per week.

And the numbers tell a compelling story. Podcast advertising increases purchase intent by nearly two times, and in categories with high-ticket products such as cars, by as much as 2.8 times.

Host-read ads dominate the space, and 91% of podcast listeners take action after hearing a host-read ad. Turns out that listeners reaaaally trust their favorite hosts. 

When someone you've spent hundreds of hours listening to personally recommends a product, it carries weight that display ads can't match.

For ecommerce brands, the podcast sweet spot often lies with mid-sized podcasts in your niche. 

A fashion brand might sponsor style podcasts with ~20k downloads per episode rather than competing for spots on massive shows. The audiences are smaller but more targeted, and the hosts often have deeper connections with their listeners.

Events and In-Person Experiences: Where Digital Meets Physical

For ecommerce brands looking to create deeper IRL connections, events offer something no digital channel can replicate: face-to-face interaction with your products and brand.

Pop-up shops have a go-to strategy for online brands testing physical retail. Unlike traditional stores, pop-ups create excitement and urgency by their temporary nature. They're perfect for product launches, seasonal collections, or testing new markets without committing to a lease.

And trade shows remain powerful for B2B ecommerce and brands targeting specific industries. Events like Shoptalk bring together thousands of retailers and brands, creating opportunities for wholesale partnerships and industry connections that email campaigns could never facilitate.

But you don't need a massive budget to leverage in-person experiences. Farmers markets and craft fairs offer low-cost ways to test products, get direct customer feedback, and build local followings. Many successful ecommerce brands (like Bitchin’ Sauce) started at local markets before scaling online.

The beauty of events lies in their flexibility across verticals:

• Beauty brands host makeover sessions and product sampling events
• Food brands set up at farmers markets and food festivals
• Fashion brands create seasonal pop-ups in trendy neighborhoods
• Home goods brands partner with interior designers for showcase events
• Outdoor brands sponsor races and adventure events where their customers gather

These experiences create memories and emotional connections that digital marketing can't replicate. Plus, they generate content for your other channels, Instagram posts, YouTube videos, and customer testimonials that extend the event's impact far beyond its duration.

TLDR (And Direct Your Direct Mail Questions to Us)

Email marketing faces real challenges, but continuing to iterate on it is fundamental.

Start by identifying where email falls short in your marketing. Are customers not opening? Not clicking? Not converting? Test alternatives that address those specific weaknesses. 

You might find that direct mail drives purchases from dormant customers, push notifications improve time-sensitive campaign performance, or organic content attracts higher-quality prospects.

In the meantime… We do direct mail. PostPilot. Check us out.

Launch a full-funnel strategy in less than a week with a dedicated account manager and design resource. 

Or, for more info, read one of our direct mail case studies.