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👋 Hey!
Big week for newsletter monetization! Substack is doubling down on video, Beehiiv just dropped Digital Products v2 with zero platform fees, Buttondown is making subscriber management smoother, and Paved's latest report shows publisher revenue up 30% YoY. Plus, we have an epic growth hack from an email guru, which will elevate your engagement for sure.
Ready to level up? Let's dive in! 👇
😂 Meme of the Week
Choose wisely: “I’m okay, Mom” or “I’m okay, Dad”
🔥 This Week's Hot Takes
Substack launches beta TV app for Apple TV and Google TV. Longform video and livestreams now stream directly to your living room. Substack's not-so-subtle message: they're building a media network, not just an email platform.
Beehiiv launches Digital Products v2 with zero platform fees. Sell files, coaching, and memberships on native pages with reviews, global payments, and discounts, simplifying monetization and reducing checkout friction for creators.
Buttondown adds subscriber-editable tags. Subscribers can now control their own topic preferences via the portal without form tinkering: boosting segmentation, engagement, and simplifying your automations.
Future acquires SheerLuxe for £39.9M (potentially £80M with earn-out). The British fashion publisher's secret weapon? 900,000 email subscribers and a creator-led e-commerce model. This is your reminder that your subscriber list is a balance sheet asset. Build it accordingly.
Newsletter ad spending surged 40% as brands flee walled gardens. Paved's 2026 report shows publishers saw 30% revenue increases as 64% of marketers adopted email. Sponsorships are king. If you're not monetizing your list yet, you're leaving money on the table.
AI is rebuilding the inbox and marketers can't control it. Gmail, Yahoo, and Apple are deploying agentic AI that prioritizes messages, summarizes content, and prompts mass unsubscribes autonomously. Your deliverability strategy just got a lot more complicated; engagement signals matter more than ever.
Frequent or irregular cadence hurts deliverability. ESPs rate-limit sudden spikes and penalize inconsistent schedules: ramp frequency slowly, segment new subscribers, and watch engagement to protect your sender reputation.
💡 Growth Hack of the Week
Stop Sending Emails on the Hour
(Written by Des Brown, publisher of Email Advice in Your Inbox)
How:
Most email tools default to neat send times, so do something slightly different:
Take your usual send window (for example, “around 9 am”).
Shift the send to an uneven time like 09:07, 08:53, or 10:14.
Keep the day, list, and content the same, so timing is the only variable.
Compare open rates and first-hour engagement against your on-the-hour sends.
Why: Inbox traffic spikes at the top of the hour because that’s when most global email programs send. Even strong emails get buried in that surge. Off-the-hour sends avoid the pile-up and surface closer to the top when people check their inbox.
Expected Result: Higher visibility, stronger first-hour engagement, and improved open rates without touching subject lines or copy. In my own newsletter (Email Advice in Your Inbox), testing off-the-hour sends led to an average open-rate lift of around 8% compared to on-the-hour sends.
Pro Tip: Don’t randomise everything at once. Consistency matters. Test uneven timing, not chaotic timing.
🤝 Deal of the Week
Tally — Build forms like a doc. Simple, intuitive, free.
What the deal is: A form builder that works like Notion, just start typing and insert blocks. Create lead capture forms, subscriber surveys, quizzes, and feedback collectors in minutes without any coding. You can also accept payments for premium content or digital products. The free plan includes unlimited forms and submissions. Get 50% off for 3 months on any paid plan using this link.
Who should take the deal: Newsletter creators who need signup forms, audience surveys, or feedback collectors without the headache. If other form builders feel like a chore, Tally makes it as easy as writing a doc.
Spotlight: Assistants vs. Agents
Warner Bailey turned a Hollywood meme page into a full media business. Here's what's working:
What Works:
Meme-to-newsletter pipeline: Bailey built his audience on Instagram first, then converted followers to email subscribers. The social proof and personality were already established and the newsletter just deepened the relationship.
Absurd engagement rates: A 68% open rate on 33K+ subscribers is nearly unheard of. The secret? Hyper-specific niche content that readers literally can't get anywhere else.
Multi-product ecosystem: The newsletter feeds a job board, virtual summits, and educational partnerships. Email isn't the product, it's the engine that powers everything else.
Organic community-first growth: No paid acquisition. Bailey built trust through consistently valuable content that young entertainment professionals actually need.
Creator Quote: "The newsletter has priceless intel" — a recurring sentiment from Bailey's readers who use the platform to navigate Hollywood's notoriously opaque career paths.
Your Takeaway: Don't just build a newsletter, build a platform. Your email list is the foundation for job boards, courses, events, and sponsorships that multiply your revenue per subscriber.
🛠️ Tool of the Week
AdApt by HeyNews
Why You'll Love It: Transform generic sponsor copy into your authentic newsletter voice with AI, in just 3 clicks. No more awkward ads that sound like they were written by someone else. AdApt learns your tone and rewrites sponsored content so it flows naturally with your editorial style, boosting reader trust and click-through rates.
Best For: Newsletter creators who want sponsored content that doesn't break the reading experience. Early users report up to 50% more clicks on sponsored sections. No credit card required to start.
🧪 A/B Test of the Week
Test: Welcome email timing: immediate vs. 1-hour delay
Result: Immediate welcome emails (sent within 5 minutes of signup) saw 23% higher open rates and 41% higher click-through rates compared to emails delayed by even one hour. The effect was most pronounced for subscribers who signed up via mobile.
Takeaway: The moment someone subscribes, they're at peak engagement with your brand. Every minute you delay, their attention drifts elsewhere. Automate your welcome sequence to fire instantly, no exceptions.
Newsletter Application: Check your email platform's welcome sequence settings. If there's any delay built in, remove it. Then track your welcome email open rates for two weeks. You'll likely see immediate improvement.
Don't keep us a secret: Share HeyNews with a fellow newsletter nerd.
🔗 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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