🧐 Newsletters, diversify or vanish!

👋 Hey!

Ready to level up your newsletter game this week? We've rounded up fresh insights, actionable tactics, and community wins to help you grow smarter. Let's dive in!

🔥 This Week's Hot Takes

Newsletter ad-only model is dead—diversify or fade! The data shows creators still relying solely on advertisements risk rapid decline in 2025. Time to add products, paid content, or services to your revenue mix.

Buttondown adds localization in 8+ languages. You can now reach global audiences and boost signups from non-English speakers without switching platforms—perfect for expanding your reach.

Refind Ads offers monetization by promoting other newsletters. Even small creators can earn revenue per engaged subscriber without cluttering their issues—making monetization accessible for solo operators.

Amazon's 'Two-Pizza Team' rule maximizes newsletter output. Lean teams of 4–6 people avoid coordination overload and boost productivity—a smart model for scaling your newsletter operations without complexity.

Medium adds one-click email notifications for follows. Newsletter creators on Medium can now boost readership with easier, instant email notifications—no extra clicks for your fans to join your list.

Kit adds 'Recent Recommendations' to boost creator reciprocity. Instantly identify and reciprocate recommendations—makes growing your list with like-minded creators way simpler and more strategic.

⚙️ Automation Deep Dive

n8n + Pinecone: No-Code Tech Newsletter Intelligence Workflow

Before: Newsletter creators drowned in unread tech emails, wasting hours digging for insights across multiple sources.

After: This workflow by Saint James pulls newsletter content from Gmail, stores it in Pinecone's vector database, and lets you chat with your archive using AI—all built visually in n8n without writing code.

Result: Spend 70% less time searching for relevant info and never lose a golden nugget in your inbox again.

Follow the step-by-step n8n guide here.

🧰 Tool of the Week

Newsletter Ideas Generator

Why You'll Love It: Stuck on what to write? This web app instantly delivers fresh, profitable newsletter topics with one click—no more content block!

Best For: Creators brainstorming new niches or revamping their content calendar when inspiration runs dry.

Check out the Newsletter Ideas Generator here.

🧪 A/B Test of the Week

Test: A/B testing up to 5 subject lines with Kit Creator Pro.

Result: Users saw open rates increase by 10-20% when testing multiple variations, compared to a single A/B split.

Takeaway: More subject lines = more learning and higher engagement. Don't settle for just two options—test 3-5 subject lines for every big send!

Learn more about multi-variant subject line testing.

📨 Newsletter Dissection

Spotlight: The Bookish Drop

What Works:

• One-stop shop for curated book news—no more internet trawling

• Weekly exclusive interviews and insider scoops delivered right to your inbox

• Strong community focus—polls, 'Book Nook of the Week,' and shoutouts for book clubs

Creator Quote:

"We're curating bookish news into one easily digestible newsletter so you don't have to trawl the internet looking at different sources, because we've already done it for you."

Dive in for exclusive interviews, new author finds, and a vibrant book-loving community.

💡 Growth Hack of the Week

Boost Open Rates with a Welcome Email Makeover

How: Replace your generic welcome email subject line (no more "welcome" or "thank you") with something specific and eye-catching—like "Quick favor?" or "Who said you could join?" Then, use the WE-PAC framework: Welcome, set Expectations, prompt moving your email to Primary, Ask for a 1-word reply, and include a CTA link.

Why: New subscribers decide how engaged they'll be based on your first email. Clever subject lines and a well-structured welcome message increase both open and click rates, boosting long-term deliverability.

Expected Result: Open rates jump from 50% (just okay) to 70%+ (great), and CTR climbs toward 10%, setting your future campaigns up for world-class engagement.

Get the full welcome email makeover guide here.

😂 Meme of the Week

When you hit send on your newsletter and immediately spot a typo.

🔗 Quick Links

• Automate your newsletter easily with HeyNews.

• 5 best newsletter niches for premium CPMs and monetization.

• 6 content sections every newsletter needs for consistency.

• The power of a 'silent walk' for creativity and focus.

• Treat AI like a micromanaged assistant, not a genius collaborator.

Thanks for reading,

— Eren Daskesen & Cagri Sarigoz

P.S. Some links might be affiliate/referral links, helping us out at no extra cost to you. Thanks for your support! 🙏