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👋 Hey!
This week's packed with major signals: WSJ confirms the newsletter boom is real, Beehiiv’s 2025 recap is here, Buttondown keeps shipping quality-of-life features, and Kit just dropped an AI tool that could cut your campaign prep time in half. Plus, we're dissecting a creator who's crushing it with multi-platform repurposing.
🔥 This Week's Hot Takes
Newsletter boom draws writers, investors, and pop stars. WSJ confirms direct-to-reader businesses are scaling fast. Expect more monetization opportunities, tougher competition, and new platform plays for newsletter creators.
Beehiiv hits 130K+ newsletters and 28B newsletters sent by the platform. The platform kept growing in 2025, powered 28B emails, and generated $19M+ in paid subscription revenue.
Buttondown adds announcement bars to archives. Highlight promotions, breaking news, or subscription nudges on your archive pages, and target by subscriber status to boost conversions without touching your email content.
Buttondown launches subscriber unban UI. Restore banned subscribers individually or in bulk to their previous status. Reduce support friction, recover lost readers, and speed up list cleanup.
💡 Growth Hack of the Week
Repurpose your newsletter into multi-platform content
How: Turn your email into a blog post, then create a video walkthrough for Facebook or YouTube. Same content, three different audiences, zero extra research.
Why: Different readers consume content in different ways: some read, some watch, some scroll. Meet them where they are.
Expected Result: 2-3x content reach with the same core material. Creators run this exact playbook monthly and consistently grow across platforms.
Pro Tip: Add a community layer like a Discord or membership tier for recurring revenue and stronger retention.
🤝 Deal of the Week
Cal.com — Customizable scheduling for your calls, meetings, and events
What the deal is: A fully customizable scheduling software that handles everything from reader calls to sponsor meetings to podcast bookings. Unlike rigid alternatives, Cal.com lets you build scheduling workflows that actually match how you work, whether you're a solo creator or running a whole media operation. Get 20% off for 12 months using our exclusive link.
Who should take the deal: Newsletter creators who book sponsor calls, run coaching or consulting, host podcast interviews, or want to let readers schedule 1:1s. If you've ever lost a deal because of timezone confusion or back-and-forth emails, this fixes that.
Spotlight: Build Your Library Monthly Newsletter
What Works:
Repurpose + multi-platform distribution: The email becomes a blog post and a Facebook video, letting the same content reach different audience habits.
Community-first monetization: The "Monster Squad" membership + Discord creates recurring revenue and stronger retention through early access and member-only events.
Partnership-driven value: A strategic promo approach: free projects, giveaways, and discount codes, adds incentives and cross-promo opportunities.
Creator Quote: "I design tiny, readable units so busy parents can learn alongside their kids—and feel supported doing it."
🛠️ Tool of the Week
Why You'll Love It: AI that trains on your actual email performance: opens, clicks, conversions to generate high-converting campaigns. Cuts campaign prep by 1-2 hours and surfaces audience-specific subject lines and offers.
Best For: Newsletter creators with an existing list who want data-driven copy and campaign structure to boost revenue without hiring extra writers or running endless manual tests.
🧪 A/B Test of the Week
Test: Personalized subject lines: first name vs. role-based targeting
Result: Role-based personalization (targeting industries or job roles like "Hey marketers" or "For SaaS founders") consistently outperforms first-name-only personalization, leading to higher open rates and more engagement.
Takeaway: Don't rely on generic "[First Name], check this out" subject lines. Try addressing your audience by what they do, not just who they are. Test one variable at a time for reliable insights.
Don't keep us a secret: Share HeyNews with a fellow newsletter nerd.
😂 Meme of the Week
When you see WSJ confirm newsletters are the next big thing, but you've been saying it for 3 years, and your family still asks: "So, when are you getting a real job?"
🔗 Quick Links
Questions? Just write a comment below. I read all the comments and respond to them.
Thanks for reading,
Eren Daskesen
BEFORE YOU GO
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