5 ms·

Peak Newsletter? That Was 80 Years Ago

56 points by samclemens 6y ago

marban 6y ago
When it comes to Newsletter success, consistency, and by that I mean daily, is everything. I started mine* about a year ago and while it's still considered a hidden in gem in comparison to those who raffle of Teslas as a growth-hack, three hours of daily work have gotten me quite a list of renowned subscribers. We're far away from the peak — the problem is that too many people think they're interesting. Bonus: Don't use Substack — Own your shit from day one. * https://briefingday.com/ https://briefingday.com/
- benatkin 6y ago
  "When it comes to Newsletter success, consistency, and by that I mean daily, is everything." My favorite newsletter so far was Ruby Weekly, which I read every week for several years, and I can say I wouldn't have been interested in it for daily. So I disagree that "daily is everything".
  - petercooper 6y ago
    Was? :-D Haha, but yes, I think your opinion is the most common one amongst readers. To be fair, Ruby has stablized/plateaued to such a point that even weekly is pushing it in terms of quality sometimes. There are ways to approach daily newsletters in quiet niches that can work, but it always helps if it's a fast moving space (so "tech news" is ideal for daily, say).
    - benatkin 6y ago
      I don't use Ruby much anymore, and my regular inbox is cluttered. Just signed up for JavaScript, React, Node, and Golang weekly in my hey.com account :)
- mroset 6y ago
  I strongly disagree with "daily is everything." I think the appropriate frequency is (should be) derived from the subject matter. Some subjects deserve daily coverage, but the vast majority do not. Nearly all of the newsletters I subscribe to and actually read are weekly, with a couple of exceptions for highly news-driven content, which does make sense (for me) on a daily basis.
  - marban 6y ago
    Yes, I was referring to the current understanding of newsletters — Agreed on the varying special interest frequency.
- azizsaya 6y ago
  Hi, Great to see you here! I just love your newsletter, especially the quirky links generally at the bottom.
  - marban 6y ago
    Ha :) Yeah, Sometimes I think I'll just post these and call it a day.
indeyets 6y ago
The article is really nice and I'm going to find some of the examples of those newsletters from 40's and 60's. … and then it felt like it turned into advertisement of certain publishing service. It would sound much better if they mentioned several rival services instead of one or if they didn't mention any one at all

56 points by samclemens 6y ago

When it comes to Newsletter success, consistency, and by that I mean daily, is everything. I started mine* about a year ago and while it's still considered a hidden in gem in comparison to those who raffle of Teslas as a growth-hack, three hours of daily work have gotten me quite a list of renowned subscribers. We're far away from the peak — the problem is that too many people think they're interesting. Bonus: Don't use Substack — Own your shit from day one. * https://briefingday.com/ https://briefingday.com/

benatkin 6y ago
"When it comes to Newsletter success, consistency, and by that I mean daily, is everything." My favorite newsletter so far was Ruby Weekly, which I read every week for several years, and I can say I wouldn't have been interested in it for daily. So I disagree that "daily is everything".
- petercooper 6y ago
  Was? :-D Haha, but yes, I think your opinion is the most common one amongst readers. To be fair, Ruby has stablized/plateaued to such a point that even weekly is pushing it in terms of quality sometimes. There are ways to approach daily newsletters in quiet niches that can work, but it always helps if it's a fast moving space (so "tech news" is ideal for daily, say).
  - benatkin 6y ago
    I don't use Ruby much anymore, and my regular inbox is cluttered. Just signed up for JavaScript, React, Node, and Golang weekly in my hey.com account :)
mroset 6y ago
I strongly disagree with "daily is everything." I think the appropriate frequency is (should be) derived from the subject matter. Some subjects deserve daily coverage, but the vast majority do not. Nearly all of the newsletters I subscribe to and actually read are weekly, with a couple of exceptions for highly news-driven content, which does make sense (for me) on a daily basis.
- marban 6y ago
  Yes, I was referring to the current understanding of newsletters — Agreed on the varying special interest frequency.
azizsaya 6y ago
Hi, Great to see you here! I just love your newsletter, especially the quirky links generally at the bottom.
- marban 6y ago
  Ha :) Yeah, Sometimes I think I'll just post these and call it a day.

indeyets 6y ago

The article is really nice and I'm going to find some of the examples of those newsletters from 40's and 60's. … and then it felt like it turned into advertisement of certain publishing service. It would sound much better if they mentioned several rival services instead of one or if they didn't mention any one at all