Workspace Context
Read bootstrap context before asking questions: strategy/brand.md for brand, audience, offer, channels, tools, constraints, and metrics; about/me.md for personal voice; content/ideas.md and content/calendar.md for content planning. Use legacy product-marketing context files only as fallback. Save generated drafts to content/<platform>/drafts/YYYY-MM-DD_short-topic-slug.md, and route durable learnings back to strategy/brand.md, about/me.md, or content/ideas.md.
Operating Contract
This skill is self-contained for its frontmatter scope: use its local instructions, references, scripts, and assets as the playbook; ask only for missing task-specific inputs; hand off to adjacent skills instead of expanding scope; and return an actionable artifact, decision, plan, draft, or diagnostic.
Build, curate, and grow recurring newsletters that create genuine value for subscribers.
The 6 Newsletter Formats
1. Curated / Link Roundup
Share 5–15 curated links with commentary per link.
Structure:
- Opening: Personal note or insight
- 5–10 curated links with your take (not just a description)
- Closing: Personal sign-off
## This Week's Top Picks
### [Article Title](url)
One to three sentences on why this matters and what the reader
will get from it. Add your take — don't just describe.
Best for: Building authority, staying top-of-mind | Time: 30–45 min
2. Story-Driven
Tell a personal story that teaches a lesson.
Structure: Hook → Story → Lesson → Application → Closing
Best for: Building connection, teaching through narrative | Time: 45–60 min
Example: "How I learned the hard way about delegation"
3. Educational / Deep Dive
Teach a specific concept, framework, or analysis (300–1,000 words).
Structure: Hook (why this matters) → Concept/Analysis → Examples → Application → Closing
## The Big Story
[300-500 word analysis of the week's most important topic]
## Also Worth Reading
- **[Title](url)** — One sentence commentary
Best for: Establishing authority, providing value | Time: 60–90 min
4. Interview / Q&A
Feature a customer, expert, or practitioner.
Structure: Introduction → Q&A (5–10 questions) → Key Takeaway → Closing
Best for: Social proof, diverse perspectives | Time: 90–120 min (including interview)
5. Data-Driven / Trends
Share data, research, or trend analysis.
Structure: Surprising finding → Data presentation → Analysis → Application → Closing
Best for: Establishing authority, providing insights | Time: 60–90 min
Example: "2024 Remote Work Trends: What the Data Shows"
6. Personal Update
Share what you're working on, learning, and thinking about.
Structure:
- What I'm working on
- What I'm learning
- What I'm thinking about
- A recommendation (resource, tool, article)
- Closing
Best for: Authenticity, personal connection | Time: 30–45 min
Issue Structure (Full Template)
# [Newsletter Name] — Issue #[N]
## 👋 Hello
[2-3 sentences of personal intro — what's on your mind,
what this issue covers, why it matters right now]
## 🔥 The Big Story
[Featured content — your deepest analysis or most important
curated piece with commentary]
## 📚 Worth Reading
### [Title 1](url)
[2-3 sentence commentary with your take]
### [Title 2](url)
[2-3 sentence commentary]
## 💡 Quick Hits
- [One-liner + link](url)
- [One-liner + link](url)
## 📊 Stat of the Week
[One compelling data point with context]
## 💬 From the Community
[Reader reply, question, or discussion point]
---
That's it for this week. If you found this useful, forward
it to a colleague who'd enjoy it.
[Your name]
P.S. [Relevant insight, question, or recommendation]
Content Sourcing
Use web search tools to find content for your niche: industry news, research reports, and trending discussions on Reddit/HN.
Source Categories
| Source Type | Best For |
|---|---|
| News (industry press) | Breaking developments |
| Research (papers, reports) | Data-backed insights |
| Blogs (engineering, personal) | Practitioner perspectives |
| Social (Twitter/LinkedIn threads) | Hot takes, discussions |
| Community (Reddit, HN) | Ground-level sentiment |
Curation Quality Filter
For each piece, ask:
- Would I send this to a colleague 1-on-1?
- Does it teach something actionable?
- Is the source credible?
- Is it timely/relevant this week?
- Can I add commentary that adds genuine value?
If any answer is no, skip or find something better.
Writing Commentary
Commentary is what makes a newsletter worth reading — not just the links.
❌ Describing: "This article talks about React Server Components."
❌ Restating: "React Server Components are here."
✅ Context: "This is the first production teardown I've seen. Key insight:
they reduced initial JS bundle by 60%, but added build complexity."
✅ Your take: "I'm skeptical about the migration path here. Most teams
I've talked to are waiting for better tooling."
✅ Connecting dots: "This pairs with Vercel's announcement last month —
the ecosystem is converging on this pattern."
Formula: [What happened] + [Why it matters to the reader] + [Your take or prediction]
Sending Cadence
Weekly is the sweet spot — same day, same time, every week.
| Frequency | Best For |
|---|---|
| Weekly | Most newsletters — highest open rates |
| Bi-weekly | Deep analysis and essays |
| Monthly | Research roundups |
| Daily | News-focused short formats (high risk) |
Best days: Tuesday > Thursday > Wednesday. Avoid Mondays (inbox overload) and Fridays (weekend mode).
Subject Lines
| Formula | Example |
|---|---|
| Issue # + teaser | "#47: The framework nobody's talking about" |
| Number + topic | "5 tools that changed my workflow this month" |
| Question | "Is TypeScript dying?" |
| Direct value | "The SQL optimization guide I wish I had" |
Keep under 50 characters — mobile truncates at ~35.
Growth Strategies
| Strategy | How |
|---|---|
| Cross-promotion | Partner with complementary newsletters |
| Social distribution | Post key insights with a subscribe CTA |
| Referral program | "Forward to 3 friends" or formal rewards |
| SEO archive | Publish newsletter issues as blog posts |
| Lead magnet | "Subscribe and get [free resource]" |
| Consistent quality | The most reliable long-term growth lever |
Social Teasers
Create social teasers that highlight 2-3 key items from the newsletter with a subscribe CTA. Example:
This week in The Weekly Signal:
→ Why edge computing is eating the backend
→ 5 tools I discovered this month
Join 2,000+ engineers: [link]
Issue #47 drops tomorrow.
Metrics That Matter
| Metric | Good | Great | Fix If Low |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open rate | 30–40% | 40%+ | Improve subject lines |
| Click rate | 3–5% | 5%+ | Better curation, stronger CTAs |
| Unsubscribe | < 0.5%/issue | < 0.2% | Check content quality + frequency |
| Reply rate | Any replies | Regular replies | Ask questions, invite conversation |
| Growth rate | 5–10%/mo | 10%+ | More distribution, referral program |
Common Pitfalls
| Pitfall | Fix |
|---|---|
| No consistent schedule | Same day, same time, every week |
| Links without commentary | Add your take on every piece |
| Too many links (15+) | 5–10 curated picks max |
| Generic subject lines | Tease best content, keep under 50 chars |
| No personal voice | Intro paragraph, opinions, personality |
| Only promotional content | 90% value, 10% promotion |
| No engagement CTA | Ask questions, invite replies |
| No archive/SEO | Publish issues as web pages |