Inbox Influence: Building Thought Leadership
A funny thing is happening in the inbox. People are actually reading again.
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Founders, CEOs, and solo creators are reading to better themselves. It’s part of a bigger shift and proof that the best personal brands are being built in inboxes, not just on Instagram.
Audiences want ideas, not just offers
In 2025, we’re seeing more founders become front-facing, bringing audiences and customers on a journey with them. Hence the whole “build in public” trend.
Customers want perspective. They want to hear why you started your brand. What you’re thinking about. What trends you’re watching. What excites you—and what keeps you up at night.
And that’s where the rise of the founder email comes in.
Whether it’s a quick insight, a behind-the-scenes reflection, or a note on lifestyle, these emails turn founders into real people, not brand mascots.
Authenticity is hard to scale on social—but not on email
Social media may be where you get discovered—but email is where you build trust and monetize.
The problem with social is that it’s performative. Your ideas are packaged for shareability. You’re playing to the algorithm, not your best self.
But in an email, you control the frame. There are fewer distractions. You’re not writing for likes or comments. It’s just you and your audience, week after week.
This is where the deepest loyalty forms.
Thought leadership isn’t about expertise—it’s about thinking
The best founder emails do three things:
Illuminate a tension (“Everyone’s using AI—but nobody’s saying how soulless it feels.”)
Offer a lens (“Here’s how we’re thinking about product design for XYZ.”)
Invite alignment (“If you think like this too, you’ll love what we’re building.”)
That’s how you move from a product brand to a people brand.
Start small, think long-term
If you’re a founder who feels like email is too formal or too complicated, start with one short note per week. Something you’d share if you were sitting across from your ideal customer.
Because in a noisy, automated world, there’s one thing people still crave— your voice.