What's the best way to start your email? Copy these awesome intros

Author

Brad Wolverton
September 09, 2024

👋🏻 Welcome to Newsletter Examples, where I highlight the most innovative features I’m seeing in newsletters to help you improve your newsletter.

Last week, I highlighted 5 killer closers. This week, I’m sharing 5 awesome intros, from Shit You Should Care About, Drunk Business Advice, Wes Kao’s Newsletter, Bloomberg Evening Briefing, and I ❤️ Mess. Total reading time: 3 minutes.

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💗 Shit You Should Care About

I 💕 everything about this newsletter, a chatty pop culture/internet round-up, starting with Bel and Luce’s engaging intros.

What I 💕 about it: They talk to their audience like they’re besties (“UM HI MY ANGELS!!!”) and used this book promo to actually help their readers, not just serve themselves.

See for yourself: Here’s their lil spiel.

 🤑 Drunk Business Advice

Kristin Kenzy, a former Trends colleague of mine, says her newsletter is “like if Morning Brew and The Hustle had a rebellious kid who decided to become a screenwriter instead of a news anchor.”

What I 💕 about it: She’s written 20 issues, giving loads of “radically unfiltered” business advice (i.e., “F*CK NETWORKING”) while building an invite-only community. In opening up the community, she built momentum by emphasizing its exclusivity.

See for yourself: Join the party.

✨ Wes Kao’s Newsletter

Speaking of badass entrepreneurs, Wes Kao—co-founder of Maven and altMBA—writes eloquently about how to become a better business builder and marketer.

What I 💕 about it: Every week, she concisely reminds you how her newsletter delivers value. Here, she masterfully teased her consulting work, a model for anyone trying to sell services through their newsletter.

See for yourself: Here’s Wes on how to be more concise.

💸 Bloomberg Evening Briefing

The vast majority of newsletters arrive before the work day starts; this one comes at the end, helping it stand out.

What I 💕 about it: The Evening Briefing’s intro isn’t flashy, but it’s typically the smartest, fastest breakdown I read of the day’s top business story.

See for yourself: Bloomberg has 2,700 reporters. If I could poach any one of them, it would be David E. Rovella.

🫗 I ❤️ Mess

Emily Kirkpatrick, a former People and New York Post style scribe, writes the punchy fashion/pop culture newsletter I ❤️ Mess, where she riffs on the “best of the worst celebrity fashions.”

What I ❤️ about it: She has a clever name for her audience (“my dear Messketeers”), and her intro delivers on what that audience wants: a grabby celeb shot. She also seamlessly weaves in stories of her life.

See for yourself: Take your pic of celebrity headlines.

Hope you enjoyed this week’s examples. I’ll be back next week with a new set.

☮️ -Brad

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