Newsletter Weekly Curation
Weekly newsletter sent with 5-7 curated items + brief internal updates + opening hook. Engagement metrics reviewed within 48h.
Before you start
- Newsletter list and segmentation
- Editorial style guide and voice
- Content sources to curate from
- Recent industry articles, podcasts, and events
- Internal company updates
- Previous newsletter engagement data
The steps
- Scan curation sources — Run through RSS feeds, social shares, communities, and trusted writers. Flag 15-20 candidates for the newsletter. Lean toward the genuinely interesting — don't curate just to fill space.
- Filter to 5-7 items per newsletter — Pick the most useful, varied items. Mix: 1-2 product/strategy reads, 1 industry news, 1 tactical tool/tip, 1 contrarian or thought-provoking piece, 1 community item (someone's post worth amplifying).
- Write a 2-sentence take per item — For each curated link: 2 sentences in our voice — what's interesting and why we think it matters. Don't summarize the article (link does that); add perspective. The take is the value-add.
- Add internal updates — 1-2 sentences on what we shipped, learned, or wrote this week. Keep brief — newsletter readers come for the curation, not the company news. Internal news comes after curation, not before.
- Write an opening hook — 100-200 words at the top: a question, observation, or short story that frames the week. This is the differentiator — generic intros lose readers. Write something only we could write.
- Format and proofread — Format consistently: bold leads, em-dash for asides, no all-caps headlines. Proofread once before send. Test send to yourself and one teammate.
- Send and review engagement — Send at consistent day/time (e.g., Tuesday 8am ET). Within 48 hours, review: open rate, click rate, reply rate. Track which items got most clicks for future curation patterns.
If it goes wrong
Newsletter feels lazy — links without takes
Hard rule: every link gets 2 sentences of perspective. If you can't add perspective, the item isn't worth curating.
Open rates climbing but click rates falling
Subject lines work but content doesn't. Audit quality of curation. Subscribers are still curious but disappointed.
Internal updates dominate over curation
Cap internal updates at 20% of the newsletter. Audience didn't subscribe for company news.
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