Why your email list should be a top priority in 2026, and how to build it with Kieryn Wang, Founder of ALLMOST

I once heard one of my favorite founders say that despite her huge social following, the channel that actually moves her business forward is her email list. Most of us already know email matters. But how many of us truly understand why?

I brought Kieryn Wang, Founder of ALLMOST, to the podcast to help answer two questions:

Why should founders treat email as a core growth channel?

And how do you actually start building one from scratch?

Kieryn has over 13 years of experience in some of the hardest industries to market, like cannabis, alcohol, sex tech, where social accounts get shut down all the time. She learned early that owned channels simply aren’t optional. They’re critical for survival.

Half of our conversation is super tactical. Kieryn walks through how to get from zero to your first 500 subscribers, what makes a newsletter worth opening, and how to understand your metrics so they become a source of insight instead of insecurity. I actually implemented one of her tips right after we recorded and saw immediate conversion — so trust me, it works.

But this episode goes beyond newsletter best practices.

One of the reasons that email is a core growth channel is that it gives founders clarity. It tells you what resonates, what’s confuses, and what moves customers to buy. Even more so, email is one of the few tools that protects future you.

Kieryn shares her learning lesson that working on the business is just as important as working in the business. Most founders only do the work that keeps the business alive today, but the results of that work don’t show up until 30–90 days later. The same is true in reverse: when you stop building channels or nurturing an audience, the consequences show up 90 days later when you have no pipeline.

That’s why systems like email matter. It’s one of the few channels that keeps nurturing, compounding, and generating demand while you’re operating the business.

So if you’ve been stuck while trying to build your own newsletter, or it’s something that’s on your radar for 2026 goals, this episode is going to teach you not just how to do it, but also why it’s critical that you stay on top of it.

Connect with Kieryn:

Website: https://www.itsallmost.com

Social: https://www.instagram.com/itsallmost

Membership Community: The Conversion Club

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