A resource for news innovators powered by American Press Institute
Complexity: Beginner
Article Complexity Bar Graph

Have an expert write your newsletter

The New York Times newsletter team shares their "secret sauce" for popular newsletters.

Newsletter writers at The New York Times offer tips on their newsletter strategy:

“The ‘secret sauce’ to good newsletters is as follows: Know your audience, have an expert write it, design it beautifully, maintain it with best practices in mind, and, perhaps most important, ‘offer something valuable that you can’t get anywhere else.”

A few other good ideas from the blog post:

  • Use a distinct, conversational voice for your newsletter with shorter, lighter sentences
  • Special writing just for a newsletter is a common trope at the Times
  • Don’t just be beholden to the news cycle. Readers can benefit from a wider view
  • Try ending your newsletter with a reader callout