For more than a decade, Jennifer Chiu has been a familiar face in the beauty space, known for her trusted tutorials, product picks, and thoughtful takes on the industry. While she often shares glimpses of motherhood and lifestyle moments, beauty has always been at the heart of what she does.
But over time, Chiu noticed a trend where algorithms started dictating what her followers see (and what they don’t see). The more she relied on social platforms, the less control she had over her audience.
The deeper conversations about beauty routines, burnout, and motherhood that truly worked were getting lost. Chiu wanted a direct line to her audience – a place that felt personal where she had full ownership.
“I wanted a place that felt like mine. I wanted to be able to talk to my audience like they were sitting in my kitchen and share what really matters, without fighting an algorithm,” explained Chiu.
That decision led her to launch her newsletter.
A Shift in Audience Behavior
The early numbers were promising. Chiu’s first few sends saw solid open rates, but the real change came in how her audience engaged.
Readers were no longer just scrolling through quick clips. They were slowing down and replying. They shared stories about parenting wins, asked follow-up questions about skincare routines, and sent messages about how Chiu’s content helped them feel less alone.
Chiu explained, “My audience isn’t just skimming. They’re reading and responding. That feedback changes how I think about everything.”
What started as another content channel quickly became the most important part of her business.
The beehiiv Engine
Great content without a system will stall. Chiu used beehiiv to turn audience attention into meaningful outcomes.
Automation workflows turned Instagram Reels into email signups by offering instant downloadable guides.
Affiliate partnerships with ShopMy and LTK allowed her to recommend products in a way that felt authentic and earned high conversions.
The beehiiv Ad Network provided a new stream of passive income through sponsorships.
Content repurposing tools helped her transform short social content into long-form, context-rich newsletters that created lasting impact.
The results speak for themselves. One newsletter issue sent to roughly 20,000 subscribers produced:
A 60 percent open rate, compared to an industry average of 42 percent
A 7 percent click-through rate, more than triple the industry benchmark of 2 percent
More than 4,000 total clicks, without any paid promotion
ROI That Goes Beyond Revenue
Email has transformed Jennifer Chiu’s business in ways that go far beyond financial returns.
Her Instagram audience has grown from 190,000 to 203,000. Brands that used to only ask for Instagram posts now approach her for dedicated newsletter placements. Why? Because they know that email converts.
“Social clips start awareness. The newsletter turns that awareness into trust, and trust drives action,” shared Chiu.
Email did not replace her social platforms. It made them more powerful by giving her an owned channel to deepen relationships and convert her audience when it matters most.
Key Lessons From Jennifer Chiu’s Approach
Email compounds in value. Each send builds trust and leverage that carry forward into future campaigns.
Trust is more powerful than clicks. Authentic recommendations and meaningful storytelling beat pure promotion.
Depth matters more than virality. Short-term spikes fade, but consistent email-driven connection lasts.
Chiu explained, “Virality fades fast. It doesn’t build a business. Email builds connection, and connection scales.”
Chiu’s newsletter works because it feels personal. It is not glossy or overproduced.
Instead, the newsletter delivers practical skincare advice, honest stories about motherhood, and product recommendations that readers know they can trust.
Every issue feels like advice from a friend over coffee. That level of intimacy and authenticity is why Chiu’s audience is not just opening her emails. They are clicking, they are buying, and they are sticking around.
The newsletter made Chiu rethink what she is really building – value over virality.
In her own words: “I’ve had a lot of videos go viral. My highest hit 12 million on YouTube and 17 million on Instagram, with dozens more crossing the million-view mark. And as much as that dopamine hit feels good, it’s short-lived. You’re constantly chasing the next big moment.
What the newsletter reminded me is that real content—the kind that solves a painful problem and makes someone feel seen, builds trust. That path is slower than virality, but it goes deeper. It creates connection. And long-term, that’s what gives you staying power in this space,” Chiu revealed.
Email Benchmarks in Context
To appreciate Chiu’s results, it helps to see the industry context.
According to Growth-onomics, the average open rate across industries is roughly 42 percent. The average click-through rate is around 2 percent, with top campaigns hitting 5 percent.
Chiu’s 60 percent open rate and 7 percent click-through rate show what is possible when a creator stops chasing algorithms and starts building trust through email.
Final Thoughts
Jennifer Chiu was already a successful beauty creator, but beehiiv helped her become a content operator.
Chiu’s newsletter became the foundation of her business, the channel that compounds in value, and the bridge between audience attention and real outcomes.
If you are a creator, her story is a blueprint. Own your channel. Build trust. Focus on depth, not vanity metrics. Email is where that happens.
Subscribe to Jennifer Chiu’s newsletter here!
Start where Chiu did. Sign up for beehiiv today.
