diff --git a/ghost/admin/app/components/settings/newsletters.hbs b/ghost/admin/app/components/settings/newsletters.hbs
index 4c60897fc1..282d02e729 100644
--- a/ghost/admin/app/components/settings/newsletters.hbs
+++ b/ghost/admin/app/components/settings/newsletters.hbs
@@ -59,7 +59,7 @@
                                 </div>
                             </div>
                         {{else}}
-                            <div class="gh-setting-richdd-container gh-setting-rich-dropdown form-group">
+                            <div class="gh-setting-richdd-container gh-setting-rich-dropdown form-group" data-test-select="default-recipients">
                                 <Settings::MembersEmail::DefaultRecipientsSelect
                                     @recipients={{this.recipientsSelectValue}}
                                     @segment={{this.settings.editorDefaultEmailRecipientsFilter}}
diff --git a/ghost/admin/app/utils/publish-options.js b/ghost/admin/app/utils/publish-options.js
index 5bd5abfd33..d7593ea459 100644
--- a/ghost/admin/app/utils/publish-options.js
+++ b/ghost/admin/app/utils/publish-options.js
@@ -162,13 +162,16 @@ export default class PublishOptions {
     }
 
     get defaultRecipientFilter() {
-        const defaultEmailRecipients = this.settings.get('editorDefaultEmailRecipients');
+        const recipients = this.settings.get('editorDefaultEmailRecipients');
+        const filter = this.settings.get('editorDefaultEmailRecipientsFilter');
 
-        if (defaultEmailRecipients === 'disabled') {
+        const usuallyNobody = recipients === 'filter' && filter === null;
+
+        if (recipients === 'disabled') {
             return null;
         }
 
-        if (defaultEmailRecipients === 'visibility') {
+        if (recipients === 'visibility' || usuallyNobody) {
             if (this.post.visibility === 'public') {
                 return 'status:free,status:-free';
             }
@@ -188,7 +191,7 @@ export default class PublishOptions {
             return this.post.visibility;
         }
 
-        return this.settings.get('editorDefaultEmailRecipientsFilter');
+        return filter;
     }
 
     get fullRecipientFilter() {
@@ -240,6 +243,16 @@ export default class PublishOptions {
         if (this.emailUnavailable || this.emailDisabled) {
             this.publishType = 'publish';
         }
+
+        // When default recipients is set to "Usually nobody":
+        // Set publish type to "Publish" but keep email recipients matching post visibility
+        // to avoid multiple clicks to turn on emailing
+        if (
+            this.settings.get('editorDefaultEmailRecipients') === 'filter' &&
+            this.settings.get('editorDefaultEmailRecipientsFilter') === null
+        ) {
+            this.publishType = 'publish';
+        }
     }
 
     @task
diff --git a/ghost/admin/mirage/factories/member.js b/ghost/admin/mirage/factories/member.js
index f828d0c35e..b6f2fafc14 100644
--- a/ghost/admin/mirage/factories/member.js
+++ b/ghost/admin/mirage/factories/member.js
@@ -10,7 +10,6 @@ export default Factory.extend({
     name() { return `${faker.name.firstName()} ${faker.name.lastName()}`; },
     email: faker.internet.email,
     status: 'free',
-    subscribed: true,
     createdAt() { return moment(randomDate()).format('YYYY-MM-DD HH:mm:ss'); },
 
     free: trait({
@@ -23,5 +22,12 @@ export default Factory.extend({
 
     comped: trait({
         status: 'comped'
-    })
+    }),
+
+    afterCreate(member, server) {
+        const newslettersToSignup = server.schema.newsletters.where({subscribeOnSignup: true});
+
+        member.newsletters = newslettersToSignup;
+        member.save();
+    }
 });
diff --git a/ghost/admin/mirage/fixtures/newsletters.js b/ghost/admin/mirage/fixtures/newsletters.js
index 6776353ca5..9b12c6837c 100644
--- a/ghost/admin/mirage/fixtures/newsletters.js
+++ b/ghost/admin/mirage/fixtures/newsletters.js
@@ -3,6 +3,8 @@ export default [
     {
         id: 1,
         name: 'Default newsletter',
-        slug: 'default-newsletter'
+        slug: 'default-newsletter',
+        status: 'active',
+        subscribeOnSignup: true
     }
 ];
diff --git a/ghost/admin/tests/acceptance/editor/publish-flow-test.js b/ghost/admin/tests/acceptance/editor/publish-flow-test.js
index b844ba8a76..ea95265e12 100644
--- a/ghost/admin/tests/acceptance/editor/publish-flow-test.js
+++ b/ghost/admin/tests/acceptance/editor/publish-flow-test.js
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import {disableMailgun, enableMailgun} from '../../helpers/mailgun';
 import {disableMembers, enableMembers} from '../../helpers/members';
 import {disableNewsletters, enableNewsletters} from '../../helpers/newsletters';
 import {expect} from 'chai';
+import {selectChoose} from 'ember-power-select/test-support/helpers';
 import {setupApplicationTest} from 'ember-mocha';
 import {setupMirage} from 'ember-cli-mirage/test-support';
 import {visit} from '../../helpers/visit';
@@ -167,6 +168,39 @@ describe('Acceptance: Publish flow', function () {
         it('can publish');
         it('can schedule publish');
 
+        it('respects default recipient settings - usually nobody', async function () {
+            // switch to "usually nobody" setting
+            // - doing it this way so we're not testing potentially stale mocked setting keys/values
+            await visit('/settings/newsletters');
+            await click('[data-test-toggle-membersemail]');
+            await selectChoose('[data-test-select="default-recipients"]', 'Usually nobody');
+            await click('[data-test-button="save-members-settings"]');
+
+            const post = this.server.create('post', {status: 'draft'});
+            await visit(`/editor/post/${post.id}`);
+            await click('[data-test-button="publish-flow"]');
+
+            expect(
+                find('[data-test-setting="publish-type"] [data-test-setting-title]'), 'publish type title'
+            ).to.have.trimmed.text('Publish');
+
+            expect(
+                find('[data-test-setting="email-recipients"] [data-test-setting-title]'), 'publish type title'
+            ).to.have.trimmed.text('Not sent as newsletter');
+
+            await click('[data-test-setting="publish-type"] [data-test-setting-title]');
+
+            // email-related options are enabled
+            expect(find('[data-test-publish-type="publish+send"]')).to.not.have.attribute('disabled');
+            expect(find('[data-test-publish-type="send"]')).to.not.have.attribute('disabled');
+
+            await click('[data-test-publish-type="publish+send"]');
+
+            expect(
+                find('[data-test-setting="email-recipients"] [data-test-setting-title]'), 'publish type title'
+            ).to.have.trimmed.rendered.text('1 subscriber');
+        });
+
         it('handles Mailgun not being set up', async function () {
             disableMailgun(this.server);
 
@@ -191,6 +225,7 @@ describe('Acceptance: Publish flow', function () {
 
         it('handles no members present', async function () {
             this.server.db.members.remove();
+            this.server.db.newsletters.update({memberIds: []});
 
             const post = this.server.create('post', {status: 'draft'});
             await visit(`/editor/post/${post.id}`);