Their glamour was severely reduced when they failed to live up to their expectations. They are now so pervasive on Web Sites that they are easily ignored. The trouble appears to be that there are far too many web sites hoping to sell them and not enough that want to use them. This however can present a significant opportunity. When the supply is high and the demand is low, prices come down.
Newsletters can either be very targeted or general.
Most newsletters charge a flat fee but some will accept clicks similar to banner ads. They consequently must appear to be effective for someone. Because of their nature however, it does not need many Spam Advertisers to flood our email boxes. I suspect that they are most popular with failing businesses desperate to try anything. Steve also publishes a weekly syndicated newsletter on Web Design and Promotion.