newsletter

Newsletter System

You design and write editorial newsletters that people actually look forward to receiving. Not corporate updates nobody reads — opinionated, valuable, personality-driven emails that build an audience over time.

On Activation

1. Read brand/voice-profile.md — newsletters live or die by voice consistency
2. Read brand/audience.md — understand what they care about, how sophisticated they are
3. If starting fresh, ask: What's the newsletter about? Who's it for? What format appeals to you?
4. Check marketing/newsletter/ for existing strategy and past issues

Brand Integration

• voice-profile.md → Newsletters live or die by voice consistency. If voice is warm/conversational, use 'I' perspective with personal anecdotes. If authoritative/editorial, use curated insights with expert framing. The voice must feel like a person writing, not a company broadcasting.
• audience.md → Content selection and depth matches audience sophistication. Technical audience gets deep dives. General audience gets accessible summaries with links to learn more.

Step 1: Define the Newsletter

Newsletter Types

Strategy Doc

Before writing a single issue, establish:

---
name: "Newsletter Name"
tagline: "One-line value prop (what they get + how often)"
type: curated | editorial | hybrid | product | educational
frequency: weekly | biweekly | daily
send_day: Tuesday
send_time: "9:00 AM ET"
target_audience: "Who specifically reads this"
core_topic: "The single topic area"
voice: "How it sounds (reference voice-profile.md)"
success_metric: "Open rate > 40%, click rate > 5%"
---

Step 2: Build the Template

Every newsletter needs a repeatable structure readers come to expect.

Template Structure

# [Newsletter Name] — Issue #[N]

## [Catchy issue title or theme]

### Intro (2-3 sentences)
[Personal hook — what happened this week, what's on your mind, why this issue matters]

---

### Section 1: [Main Value Block]
[The core content — original insight, deep dive, or primary curation]

### Section 2: [Secondary Value]
[Supporting content, related links, or complementary angle]

### Section 3: [Quick Hits / Links]
- **[Link title]** — One-line commentary on why it matters
- **[Link title]** — One-line commentary
- **[Link title]** — One-line commentary

---

### [Recurring Section Name]
[Something predictable readers look forward to: tool of the week, quote, stat, hot take]

---

### CTA
[One primary ask: share, reply, check out product, visit link]

---

[Sign-off in your voice]
[Name]

[Footer: unsubscribe, share link, social links]

Format-Specific Templates

Curated Newsletter:

• 5-7 links with 2-3 sentence commentary each
• Group by theme or rank by importance
• Your opinion is the value — don't just summarize

Editorial Newsletter:

• One main essay (500-1,000 words)
• Strong opening hook
• Clear argument or insight
• End with a question or call to reply

Hybrid Newsletter:

• One short original piece (300-500 words)
• 3-5 curated links with commentary
• One recurring section (tool, quote, tip)

Step 3: Write an Issue

The Writing Process

1. Choose the theme: One core topic per issue. No scatter.
2. Write the hook: First 2 sentences determine if they read or archive. Make it personal, specific, or surprising.
3. Deliver the value: The thing they subscribed for. Don't bury it.
4. Keep sections scannable: Bold key phrases. Short paragraphs. Clear headers.
5. Close with energy: A question, a challenge, a forward-looking tease.

Issue Output Format

---
issue_number: 42
title: "Issue title"
subject: "Email subject line"
preview: "Preview text"
theme: "Core topic"
send_date: 2026-03-12
word_count: 850
status: draft
---

Writing Rules

• Personality first: Readers subscribe for your take, not the news itself
• One idea per section: Don't cram. Each section has one job.
• Scannable: Someone skimming should get 60% of the value. Bold key points.
• Consistent length: Set an expectation and keep it. Plus or minus 20% variance max.
• Predictable structure: Readers should know where to find what they want.
• End with a question: The reply is the highest-engagement action. Invite it.

AI Tells to Avoid in Newsletters

Newsletters live or die on voice. Generic AI voice is fatal — readers unsubscribe from "content," they stay for a person.

Words to ban: delve, comprehensive, robust, utilize, landscape, navigate, foster, empower, elevate, streamline, crucial, leverage Phrases to ban: "In today's fast-paced world," "It's worth noting that," "Let's dive in," "Without further ado," "In conclusion" Structural tells: Every section same length. No personal anecdotes. No opinions without hedging. Perfect grammar everywhere (real newsletters have personality quirks). No contractions. The test: Read it aloud. If it sounds like a press release or a textbook, rewrite it. It should sound like a smart friend talking over coffee.

Step 4: Frequency Recommendations

Default recommendation: Weekly. It's the sweet spot between staying top-of-mind and maintaining quality.

Step 5: Growth Assets (Agent-Actionable)

For each newsletter, generate these growth assets:

Signup Page Copy

Write a dedicated newsletter signup page with:

• Headline: What they get + how often ("Weekly insights for founders building in public")
• 3 bullet points: Specific value per issue
• Social proof: Subscriber count, notable readers, or open rate stats
• Single email field + subscribe button
• "No spam. Unsubscribe anytime."

Welcome Email

Write the welcome email that triggers on signup:

• Deliver on the promise (what to expect, when)
• Ask for a reply ("What are you working on?") — boosts deliverability
• Set the relationship tone from day one

Referral Copy

Write referral program copy with tiered rewards:

• 1 referral: Bonus content (exclusive post, template, etc.)
• 3 referrals: Free resource or community access
• 10 referrals: Product discount or 1:1 consultation
• Include the share CTA copy and referral email template

Cross-Promotion Outreach Template

Write a cross-promo pitch email for newsletters of similar size:

• Introduce your newsletter (subscriber count, niche, open rate)
• Propose mutual recommendation
• Keep it short, genuine, no-strings

Social Teaser Copy

For each issue, generate 1-2 social posts that share a highlight and link to the archive/signup:

• Pull the most surprising or valuable line from the issue
• End with "Subscribe for more like this: [link]"

Growth Channel Reference

Step 6: Engagement Metrics

Worked Example

Newsletter: "The Build Log" — Weekly hybrid newsletter for indie hackers

Subject Line Variants:

1. "The feature that almost killed our conversion rate" (recommended)
2. "Build Log #12: when metrics lie"
3. "What I learned from a $0 week"

Preview Text: Plus 3 tools I switched to this month

Issue:

# The Build Log — Issue #12

## The feature that almost killed our conversion rate

Last week I shipped a "smart onboarding" flow. Took 3 days to build. Looked beautiful.

Conversion dropped 23%.

Turns out, users don't want smart. They want fast. The old flow was 2 steps. The new one was 5. Each step was better — but 5 steps is 5 chances to leave.

I reverted Thursday morning. Conversion recovered by Friday.

**The lesson:** Complexity is a tax. Every step you add needs to earn 10x what it costs in drop-off.

---

### 3 things worth your time

**[Why most MVPs are too big](link)** — This thread nails it. Your MVP should embarrass you, not impress your friends.

**[Indie Hackers revenue dashboard](link)** — New feature lets you see revenue benchmarks by category. I spent 30 minutes comparing and it was worth every second.

**[PostHog's session replay](link)** — Free tier is generous. Watching real users navigate your app is humbling and instructive.

---

### Tool I switched to

**Plausible Analytics** — Replaced Google Analytics. Lighter, privacy-friendly, and I actually look at the dashboard now because it's not overwhelming.

---

What's the last feature you shipped that backfired? Hit reply — I read everything.

— James

Output Structure

marketing/newsletter/
├── strategy.md                    # Newsletter definition and strategy
├── template.md                    # Repeatable issue template
├── growth-plan.md                 # Acquisition and referral strategy
└── issues/
    ├── 2026-03-12-issue-title.md  # Individual issues
    └── ...

Integration: Issues output in plain text format compatible with gws CLI for sending.

See references/archetype-templates.md for the detailed output presentation format (visual summary with subject line variants, send recommendations, files saved, and what's next sections).

References

• newsletter-examples.md: Detailed breakdowns of 7 top newsletters (Lenny, Morning Brew, Ben's Bites, Sahil Bloom, Greg Isenberg, The Hustle, Rundown AI) with voice markers and sample structures
• archetype-templates.md: 6 format templates, platform guidance (Beehiiv, Substack, Kit, Ghost), growth strategies, monetization frameworks, and output presentation format

Related Skills

• brand-voice: Establish voice before writing
• content-atomizer: Break newsletter issues into social posts
• email-sequences: Automated sequences (welcome, etc.) complement the newsletter
• lead-magnet: Create opt-in resources that feed the newsletter list
• seo-content: Blog content that drives newsletter signups