Newsletters in the Time of COVID-19
We’ve been reading 10+ of the pop-up, coronavirus newsletters. Here are our favorite parts.
Hi there!
Carrie Porter and Emily Roseman here — two colleagues and friends who are equally obsessed with newsletters.
We’ve been studying newsletters for the last several years as a way that newsrooms can engage, grow and monetize their audiences, and we’ve worked with newsrooms and media companies on newsletter tactics, too.
If you’re reading this, you’ve likely noticed the coronavirus pop-up newsletter surge. Maybe you’re wondering which one is the right one for you. Well, we subscribed to 10+ of these newsletters and have been reading them over the past week or so. We exchanged our notes and came up with a list of our favorite parts of the bunch.
№1 Outlet: WCVB Boston
Name of Newsletter: Coronavirus Digest
Frequency: Daily (and sometimes more), sent in the early evening, which is usually around 4:30 p.m. ET.
Element We Liked #1: The simple layout.
Ok, ok — call us Boston-biased here, but we really liked WCVB’s simple newsletter layout. It’s not all RSS feed — they have a few bullet points of text at the top that captures “the latest.” Then, there’s a grid of local-coronavirus stories that you can pick and choose from, and it ends with a nice roundup of more practical stories, like ones you can use on your own (i.e. Productive and entertaining activities you can do from inside your home) or myth-debunking articles you can send to your misinformed relative.
Element We Liked #2: The website’s clear acquisition strategy.
We’re impressed with the acquisition tactics from the website: all roads lead to the coronavirus newsletter. The “breaking news” banner at the top of the site advertises the newsletter, and the homepage has a noticeable sign-up box after scrolling a bit down the page.
This made me feel: Informed, and not too overwhelmed.
Who to send this to: A Boston or Massachusetts-based person who just wants the facts. Or, someone running a local COVID-19 newsletter who wants to see good examples.
№2 Outlet: Poynter
Name of Newsletter: Covering Covid-19
Frequency: Daily (every workday) at 7 a.m. ET (how are you doing, Al?)
Element we like #1: The personal voice.
This newsletter is written in the first person, in the author’s distinct voice. It’s clear that the newsletter will have a personal perspective from the email sender name (Al Tompkins | Poynter), and the messages are sent from what looks to be his personal email address. He manages to weave his own personal anecdotes into the more harrowing pieces of news, like his description of how he made his own hand-sanitizer at home, which allows for some comic relief.
“I used this recipe to make my own hand-sanitizer after local stores ran out. It is one cup of 91% rubbing alcohol and one-third cup of aloe. You have Purell. I have my concoction, which I call “Pure Al.”
Element we like #2: Catching how Covid affects telling the news.
Al catches some of the most interesting ways the virus is affecting the actual capturing of the news itself. He includes reports on how the virus is changing how reporters capture audio, like how field crews are using handheld microphones — which don’t look the best, and don’t capture the sound as clearly — but allow reporters to stand further away. He delivers summarized tips to reporters, too, like how to talk to families of COVID-19 victims.
This made me feel: An appropriate amount of stress when getting through the opening news stories in the newsletter, but a bit reassured near the end (the copy seems to get more light-hearted the longer you read).
Who to send this to: Journalists who want to commiserate, have a laugh, and understand the impact on what this epidemic means for the mechanics of breaking the news.
№3 Outlet: PBS
Name of Newsletter: PBS KIDS Daily
Frequency: Weekdays, usually 7 a.m. ET
Element We Liked #1: Bitesize engagement blocks.
PBS KIDS Daily is not strictly a COVID-19 newsletter, but we think it counts at the moment. It’s immensely useful for parents juggling kids at home from school and work to do during the workweek. The clearly-labeled engagement blocks, such as “DO,” “PLAY,” and “FOR PARENTS,” make this newsletter easy for parents to scan and pluck out ideas each day. Plus, there are diagnostic questions to ask children, cutting down on the mental load for parents.
Element We Liked #2: The Soothing Tones of PBS.
Words like COVID-19, coronavirus, or ventilator are noticeably absent in the newsletter. What an Internet safe haven!
This made me feel: Empowered and comforted.
Who to send this to: The maxed-out parents in your world.
№4 Outlet: Vox
Name of Newsletter: VoxCare
Frequency: Monday, Wednesday, Friday afternoons ET
Element We Liked: The new Q&A format.
This “mailbag” content block is a new part of the VoxCare newsletter, which has been covering healthcare since 2017. The Q&A succeeds as a refreshing engagement tool, not only because it uses real people’s names and uses a conversational tone. With the Q&A, newsletter authors can cherry-pick the most legitimate questions, and then report out the answers in a thorough and reassuring manner. It really solves a hole in corona coverage, and it provides a sane value-add.
This made me feel: Informed and not crazy.
Who to send this to: The people in your life who still want to go to Target like it’s nbd.
CONCLUSION
We just covered four of our favorites here, but there are a ton of useful newsletters out there covering coronavirus.
A sampling:
- Bloomberg’s Coronavirus Daily
- CNN’s Coronavirus: Fact vs. Fiction
- USA Today’s Coronavirus Watch
- POLITICO Nightly: Coronavirus Special Edition
- The New York Times: Coronavirus Briefing
- The Wall Street Journal: Coronavirus Daily Briefing and Health Weekly
We’re curious — what’s your favorite newsletter covering coronavirus? Let us know about it here: newsletterwizards@gmail.com. We’d love to subscribe!
