🧑‍🏫 Asking the experts

With 2026 only a few months away (help), it's natural to start reflecting on what went well in 2025 and what could have gone better. If you're looking to amp up your publishing strategy next year, or trash everything and start over, we've consulted with the experts. This week's newsletter is about taking direction from those who know, what you should avoid if you're starting over, and how you can take advantage of what's already in front of you. Let's go!

In this week's issue 📨

• Newsletter advice from the field
• How to avoid early distractions
• Using what you've got

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Now you know

If starting a newsletter in 2025 wasn't what you thought it would be, you're not alone. It's extremely common for your first year of publishing to be a little rocky, and there are probably plenty of lessons you wish you knew before you began. If this year has had you feeling a bit stressed, let's take a step back and learn from other newsletter operators so you can feel more at ease going into 2026.

Dan Oshinsky, creator and author of Inbox Collective, speaks with some publishing peers on what advice they would give to newsletter newbies.

Always add value

• Stuart Schuffman, editor-in-chief of Broke-Ass Stuart, knows that your subscribers want an engaging reason to open your newsletter, beyond what you're selling them. Nobody wants to receive only marketing emails. If you want to keep your open rates high, consistently add other items of value.
• Jennifer Flanagan, former executive director of RocaNews, has found that identifying and understanding the value your newsletter adds to a reader's life helps everything else fall into place. Why should they open your email rather than the hundreds of others in their inbox? Figure that out, and you're golden.

Focus on a niche audience

• Jason Feifer, author of One Thing Better, thinks you should set your sights on audiences who don't feel heard, so that they always love hearing from you. If you've found that some of your followers eventually tune you out, start hyper-focusing on the ones that haven't, and serve their needs relentlessly.
• Geoff Sharpe, co-founder of Lookout Media, wants you to center on one thing rather than trying to do everything for everyone. One of the biggest mistakes you can make is trying to do too much. Narrow down what you do really well, and your ideal audience will find you.

Community is everything

• Kevin Alexander, writer of On Repeat Records, discovered that newsletters can be used as a tool to build community, which improves the user experience for both you and your subscribers. You'll see engagement soar when finding ways to connect with them on a more human level.
• Max Bidna, founder of Marketing Max, was surprised by the community building with other newsletter creators and the genuine desire to see your peers flourish. If you haven't started networking with other publishers, hop on social media now! You don't have to do all of this alone.

It's a process

• Sarah Ebner, executive editor of Financial Times, wants you to realize that running a newsletter is an ongoing process. You always have to be working at it, even if you're tired or have a busy schedule. Once the newness wears off, it's time to work even harder to get it to the next level.
• Meagan McGinnes, managing editor of WBUR, reveals that it takes lots of experimentation to get your newsletter where you want it to be. Test everything and don't be afraid to make large changes, even if they only produce small results. Lots of little wins can add up to big success.

Interesting stories & ideas 📚

• The art of the newsletter – Austin Kleon
• Write about one topic in 32 different ways – Ideas To Income
• Cracking the TikTok code – embedded
• One sentence to become a killer writer – Ann Handley
• Make SEO-friendly URLs – How the F*ck

Skip it

When starting a publication, you don't need to do everything everywhere all at once. The key to sticking with it through the exciting infant stage is not to get too excited and give yourself a million tasks. If you've been drowning in a sea of "best practices" all year (guilty), maybe focus on a much shorter list of what not to do, so you can stop feeling overwhelmed and actually get things done.

Chenell Basilio, creator of Growth in Reverse, shares some tips on what to avoid when beginning your newsletter journey.

#1 One welcome email or a welcome page is fine, but a full sequence of welcome emails might be overkill. If you have only a few subscribers, all you need to do is say thank you, set expectations, and provide a way for them to reach you.

#2 If you haven't even found your first 50 subscribers yet, skip the fancy landing page and start with who you know. DM your family on social media, email colleagues, and text your friends. Validate your work with real people first.

#3 List cleaning automations aren't needed with only a couple hundred subscribers. If you start noticing inactive readers, reach out to them personally and ask for feedback. Connect with people and they'll connect with you.

#4 Monetization methods like paid ads are a lot of work upfront for little payoff. If you can't get your first followers without ads, you won't be able to get more with them. Get your initial following organically so you can figure out what resonates.

#5 Numbers matter, but obsessing over perfect analytics in the beginning stages is a time suck. You need to be creating quality content that brings in new subscribers, rather than focusing on how they found you, which can come later.

#6 Going viral isn't everything it's cracked up to be, and if this happens when your publication isn't fully cooked yet, it can bring the weight of 1,000 suns. Starting slow and building trust with a smaller audience will keep things peaceful.

Pull the lever, Kronk!

If you've been running your publication solo all year, you may be stressing about what your next big business decisions should be for 2026. Maybe you should master more monetization methods to create extra revenue, or explore additional marketing channels to increase your online presence, but do you really have to make things more complicated to achieve more success? We don't think so.

Justin Welsh, creator of The Saturday Solopreneur, explains why growth comes from leveraging what's right in front of you.

‣ Rather than constantly creating content and risking creative burnout, follow the 5-12-3 rule: Every piece of content should grab someone's attention within 5 seconds, stay relevant for at least 12 months, and work across 3 different platforms. This will stretch one idea into many achievements.

‣ Don't be afraid to invest in other people if it's going to save you time and money in the end. If you're spending multiple days on one task or issue that someone else can solve in a few hours, spend the money and hire them. It might cost a little bit up front, but save you so much more in the long run.

‣ When a piece of content doesn't do well, it might be less about the content itself and more about how it was presented. People spend money on things they believe in, so you need to create compelling stories around your content that resonate on a personal level. Show them who you are every chance you get.

‣ If you're in the privileged position to be choosy, you don't have to say yes to everything that comes across your desk. It's ok to say no or pick the thing that excites you the most, even if it doesn't lead to the most growth. Doing what makes you happiest above all else will lead to more satisfying success down the line.

‣ No matter what kind of content you're creating, how to make it accessible and easy to find should always be top of mind. Rather than cooking up more content ideas, ask yourself how your existing content can reach more people, what platforms you can take advantage of, and who can help you share it.

‣ Remember that today's market is more about speed and simplicity rather than perfection and complexity. When you find something that works, hammer it home. Find what you can do easily that creates the most fulfilling results, so your business uplifts you rather than weighing you down.

Curator's pick ✍️

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