For anyone thinking about creating a media newsletter, one of the best ways to gather your thoughts and decide the best way forward is to look at some examples of media newsletters that are making a splash with their subscribers. Then, by familiarizing yourself with some of these publications, you can determine what might work or what won’t.
At rasa.io, we’ve compiled a list of the top ten media newsletters so aspiring media newsletter publishers like you can get a better handle as you embark on your journey.
Here are our top ten, in no particular order:
Our Top Ten Media Newsletters
1. Greater Baton Rouge Business Report
Greater Baton Rouge Business Report is a business news website that delivers comprehensive business and industry news coverage in and around Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The Greater Baton Rouge Business Report sends two free daily newsletters. Although most of the content is created in-house, their newsletter pulls content from other carefully curated sources dedicated to reporting on Baton Rouge business news.
2. The Daily Digest from the Nieman Journalism Lab
The Nieman Journalism Lab is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping those in journalism navigate the industry in the Internet age. Its newsletter, The Daily Digest, which is sent to subscribers Monday through Thursday, includes its own stories and a curated rundown of digital media stories from the previous 24 hours. With nearly 70,000 subscribers, the Nieman Journalism Lab’s Daily Digest is a fine example of a top media newsletter.
3. Security Management Newsletter
While it may be a niche example, the Security Management Newsletter published by the American Society for Industrial Security (ASIS) International, the world’s leading association for security management professionals, is a shining example of a successful media newsletter. Having published a media newsletter for many years, ASIS was a veteran of media newsletter publishing. Still, by partnering with rasa.io, the organization boosted revenue through its media newsletter and enhanced the subscriber experience.
4. Need to Know
The Need to Know newsletter published by the American Press Institute is a minimalistic, no-nonsense media newsletter that delivers world news events with valuable context and insight in a straightforward, unbiased manner. Subscribers who want the latest news of interest delivered straight to their inbox turn to the Need to Know newsletter.
5. Journalism.co.uk
The Journalism.co.uk newsletter is the perfect example of how to find balance in your media newsletter. While the daily newsletter includes the publication’s top stories aimed at those in the media industry, it also features editorials, upcoming events/exhibitions, conference updates, job openings, and available training.
6. Biz New Orleans
Biz New Orleans produces original entertainment, political, and business news of interest to New Orleans residents. The publisher took their newsletter to the next level when it partnered with rasa.io to supplement its own content with relevant, aggregated, local and national news stories. The result is a daily news brief that is individualized to each subscriber, making it one of the most engaging and personalized media newsletters out there.
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7. Media Trends from Axios
Axios is an American news website that delivers newsletters to subscribers covering a broad range of topics. Media newsletters have been an essential part of the digital media company’s business model since its inception in 2016. The stated goal of Axios is to provide a straightforward, intelligent, efficient, and trustworthy experience for its audience and advertisers. An excellent example of a successful Axios newsletter is Media Trends, a weekly newsletter written by Sara Fischer, which focuses on media industry news and is delivered to more than 100,000 subscribers.
8. Morning Brew
When it comes to media newsletters, it seems everyone wants to copy Morning Brew. Why not? It has become one of the most popular daily newsletters, designed with young business professionals in mind. Each day, the Morning Brew arrives in inboxes worldwide to deliver market recaps, short news briefs about the day’s most important business news, and even some lifestyle content. If anyone is doing the media newsletter thing right, it’s Morning Brew.
9. The Morning
The Morning (formerly known as The Morning Briefing) from the New York Times boasts somewhere in the range of 17 million subscribers, making it one of the world’s most significant daily media newsletters. While you might think that a media newsletter of this magnitude lacks the personal touch that subscribers crave from an email newsletter, you’d be wrong. Even a major publication like the New York Times recognizes that personal user engagement and communication is the key to media newsletter success.
10. Ad Age Wake-Up Call
Ad Age is a global media publisher bringing news, data, and analysis to marketing and media spaces since 1930. Its daily newsletter, Ad Age Wake Up Call, delivers news and highlights culled from Ad Age and other sources to inboxes every weekday. Its Saturday round-up newsletter is also a fine example of what a media newsletter should strive for.
Media Newsletter Takeaways
When it comes to media newsletters, there are too many good ones to mention, covering a wide range of topics. The bottom line is that anyone in the media and publishing industry should be delivering an email newsletter.
If you are considering starting your own media newsletter, consider rasa.io. With the rasa.io platform and its advanced AI newsletter tool, you can personalize the content you send to every subscriber, boosting click and open rates right out of the gate.
With rasa.io, you can build your newsletter in a matter of minutes and even automate the entire process, allowing you to send custom-curated media newsletters to subscribers while saving countless hours in the process.
How can a new media newsletter stand out in a crowded market?
A new media newsletter can stand out by offering unique, high-quality content, leveraging a distinct voice, and targeting a specific niche. However, one of the most important elements is personalization – as you want to share relevant information that your readers actually want to read. For instance, a newsletter powered by AI that automatically personalizes each newsletter.
What are the key elements of a successful media newsletter beyond content, such as design and frequency?
Key elements of a successful media newsletter include a clean, user-friendly design, consistent frequency that matches reader preferences, and interactive features like polls or quizzes. For example, a weekly newsletter with a visually appealing layout and regular, valuable updates is more likely to maintain reader engagement.
What are the common challenges faced by media newsletters, and how have these top newsletters overcome them?
Common challenges faced by media newsletters include maintaining consistent quality, avoiding information overload, and retaining subscriber interest. These top newsletters have overcome these challenges by using engaging content formats, implementing AI, and regularly analyzing performance metrics. For example, The Security Management newsletter uses AI to automate curation, ensuring relevance for each reader.
