In a World of Digital Chaos, Our Email is Still Our Own: Why Newsletters Make Sense
Let’s face it, it’s getting crazy out there in the digital world. With so many digital experiences, from blogs, websites, and social media platforms, our email is just for us — it’s personal. Morra Aarons-Mele wrote an excellent article published in the Harvard Business Review “The Triumphant Return of the Email Newsletter.” She talked about the reasons that newsletters distributed through email are on the rise. They make sense because they offer a concise way of breaking down information into an easily consumable form that we can read on our terms. She gave a great example — The Skimm — they send a short email with just a handful of top news stories each weekday, and they do in a clever, entertaining format. Here’s what was waiting in my inbox this morning:
REPEAT AFTER ME…
WHAT TO SAY TO YOUR FRIEND WHO WON’T EAT BAGELS OUTSIDE NYC…
We get it, you’re from New York. Last night, the OG Brooklyn hipsters — Fmr. Sec. of State Hillary Clinton and Sen. Bernie Sanders (VT) — debated on their home turf. And the tension was so thick you could cut it with a deli knife. The hot topics? Big banks . Hillz doesn’t think Bernie actually has a plan for breaking them up. Bern thinks she should release transcripts from those speeches she gave to Goldman Sachs (and pocketed huge paychecks for). Gun violence. Clinton hit Sanders for voting multiple times against a law requiring background checks. Climate change. Sanders says global warming is our enemy, and Hillary doesn’t care enough about saving Mother Earth. Etc, etc . Meanwhile, yesterday the Donald Trump campaign got some great news. Florida officials will NOT move forward with a battery charge against campaign manager Corey Lewandowski. Slow. Clap.
The Skimm has an audience of over 1.5 million subscribers and growing and it’s no wonder — it’s extremely enjoyable to open.
Busy people seem to appreciate having someone break things down — I know I do. As Morra Aarons-Mele says, “It’s about the problem of discovery in an overwhelming age. Most of us don’t want more content — we want less, but better.”
We had an interesting discussion about email newsletters this week in our Social Tools and Platforms class at the CUNY J School. Our professors Thomas McBee and Megan Hess shared examples of some popular newsletters with happy readers.
Freelance journalist Ann Friedman writes her newsletter in NY style, The Ann Friedman Weekly. She promotes the things she thinks are worth reading, some of which she’s written, and some content from others. There are two versions, one for free and one for paying members — she has 24,000 subscribers.
“Tough to explain, easy (and enjoyable) to read.” -the late, great David Carr
Lenny — Lean Dunham and Jenni Konner’s newsletter that comes twice a week and covers topics such as politics, style, feminism, culture, work, friendship, and more. According to an article in Neiman Lab, Lenny’s audience has grown to 400,000 subscribers with a 65 percent open rate. Their audience is mostly women between the ages of 18 and 34.
Neiman Lab produces a great classic newsletter with the “freshest future-of-journalism news” and the option for a daily email, or just one on Saturday morning that details all new content from the previous week. It’s a community-driven, editorial style newsletter that follows how the news is changing — definitely something of value to me as a journalist.
API’s Need to Know is a daily morning newsletter that provides useful insights for journalists. They take the engaging approach of, “You might have heard, but did you know?” I love the way you can browse by category: Off the Top (top stories of the day); Try This at Home (useful ideas to try at home); Offshore (news from journalism around the world); Offbeat (news/ideas from unusual sources/industries beyond journalism); Up for Debate (what’s happening in journalism that’s up for debate); and Shareable (insights/ideas you’ll want to discuss and share with others). Here’s an example of what came out today:
You might have heard: The Guardian, CNN International, Reuters, Financial Times and the Economist joined to form programmatic ad sales network Pangaea
But did you know: Gannett, Tribune, Hearst and McClatchy are joining forces to create a national digital advertising network (Wall Street Journal)
Four of the United States’ largest newspaper companies are partnering to form a national advertising network focused on digital platforms. Gannett, Hearst newspaper group, Tribune Publishing and McClatchy make up the newly formed Nucleus Marketing Solutions, creating a network which they say can reach a combined 168 million unique visitors. The companies say that their combined geographic reach and scale will help advertisers more effectively target their ads.
Quartz Daily Brief —A daily morning newsletter that provides a bite-sized summary of everything that happened around the world that day. There are three editions: Asia, U.S. and the U.K., each delivered according to their time zone. The newsletter has an impressive 40 percent open rate. It offers a great read over coffee.
Here’s what a few of their 180,000 subscribers had to say:
@qz’s daily brief email is the exact amount of daily news I want. ZAC WEST
The @qz daily brief is my news lifeblood. I’ve basically given up on all other news sites. So good.MICHAEL JANIAK
The Quartz Daily Brief is my favorite daily news-newsletter. Global view, yet concise + has an appetite for amusement. AMANDA HESSER
Email newsletters provide a valuable way to connect with our communities by bringing them the most important information in a concise and personal way. They allow a reader to make the choice about what they need, and if the content does not meet that need, they can simply “unsubscribe.”
I appreciate our class focus on email newsletters this week. Not only have I subscribed to some great newsletters, but I now understand the value of creating an email newsletter for my own community. Merci.
