Most people don’t like asking other people for money. It’s hard. It feels gross. In my experience, this is especially true for journalists. However, as more newsrooms launch as nonprofits or lean into subscriptions, the skills to raise money from individual readers gets more important every day. Persuading people to pay for journalism is a…
If this were a recipe website, there would be 4,000 words with a backstory before you got to the recipe you came for. The 99 Newsletter Project doesn’t need to keep you scrolling to get more ad impressions, so we’ll jump right in! Each newsletter in this showcase was received from December 2022 through March…
Over the last several years, publishers have invested heavily in newsletters. That’s great! Newsletters make great products and are effective tools for distributing content. They also are useful for acquiring more paying subscribers or donors. Likewise, readers love newsletters as an alternative to social media recommendation engines. A great user experience goes far in building…
A publisher’s newsletter signup page benefits two different types of readers: Tips for getting useful insights from these newsletter signup page examples Each landing page in this roundup is from February-March 2023. The goal here was some variety, so publishers could see what other publishers are doing on their signup pages. I’ve added comments to…
Newswire from City Bureau is one of my favorite newsletters. In a recent Newsletter Spotlight, I highlighted how Newswire’s redesign showcased a change in strategy rather than a visual redesign with some new fonts but the same content. I wanted to learn more, so I spoke with India Daniels, who writes Newswire. During our conversation,…
A strong newsletter identity is how you align your goals with reader value. You spent time researching and strategizing your newsletter before it launched. You may have used a guide like the NPR Newsletter Identity plan, which is great! But now you need to take that plan publiTo to show readers the value you hope…
It’s that time of year again! Year-end lists and predictions! Well, I don’t do predictions. Predictions don’t age well. And for every Nostradamus-like perfect prediction, the same person usually has a dozen embarrassing ones (about micropayments). There’s another reason. 9 times out of 10, a person’s “prediction” aligns perfectly with what they are trying to…
If you’ve worked in a nonprofit newsroom, you’re no stranger to NewsMatch. If you aren’t familiar, NewsMatch is a collaborative fundraising program that has raised $223M for nonprofit journalism organizations since 2016. Even more amazing is that $192M of that total came from individual donors. For this roundup, I’ve shared a selection of NewsMatch email…
A lot of “redesigns” end up being redecorations. Newswire doesn’t take this route. In fact, after the redesign, the colors and fonts are still the same.
However, the newsletter is substantially different.
I learned how to measure churn while working at a daily newspaper. And yet, when working with digital-first newsrooms, I often come across people looking for help with those calculations. In this guide, I’ve shared 3 different ways to measure churn for publishers across the spectrum: digital-first, newsletter writers, and even creators. Why measuring churn…
Watching people unsubscribe from your newsletter sucks. In this post, I will share some newsletter unsubscribe examples that will make it easier for you to retain the readers you need to be successful, without dragging down the whole list. I’ve been analyzing the design of the 99 newsletters, and I needed to unsubscribe from one….
You know a newsletter isn’t a “set it and forget it” product. To succeed, and to have more impact, you need to test to see what’s working. What is your newsletter testing plan? How often? What’s the last thing you tested? What did you learn? If you aren’t testing, I’m not here to scold you….
Jared Spool says, “Design is the rendering of intent.” In other words, design isn’t decoration. It’s how something works, how it solves problems, how it encourages behaviors — both good and bad. This is especially true for newsletter design. Spool goes on to say, “Anyone who influences what the design becomes is the designer.” You…
Note: This post was originally published May 2020. The analysis and screenshots reflect that period in time, but may no longer reflect the current sign-up process. The New York Times got a lot of buzz last week when it claimed a whopping 17 million subscribers to “The Morning.” The thing is? 17 million is a…
We must do a better job of selling journalism. Your livelihood depends on it. My livelihood depends on it. Our communities depend on it. “But Cory, you say, I’m a [your title here]. I’m not a sales & marketing person.” I know! That’s why I want to help guide you to an easier road to…
A common piece of newsletter advice says to make it personal. Write to a single person. Good advice, but that’s easier said than done. It’s hard. Your list includes all kinds of different people, right? This newsletter was launched as a guide for journalists. Not long after the first one went out, other smart people…
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