How to make long emails engaging

Create compelling formats, not endless screens of text

šŸ‘‹šŸ» Welcome to Newsletter Examples, where I highlight cool sh*t Iā€™m seeing in newsletters that you can steal for your newsletter.

A few weeks ago, I wrote a piece extolling the benefits of short emails. This week, Iā€™m highlighting 3 newsletters that hold my attention no matter their length. Reading time: 3 minutes.

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šŸŒ Tangle

In a country as politically divided as the United States, Isaac Saulā€™s newsletter is decidedly nonpartisanā€”choosing a different topic every day, and sharing the most interesting voices from across the political spectrum.

After sharing quick synopses of whatā€™s happening on the left and right, Issac shares his own take.

A politics reporter who grew up in Bucks County, Pennsylvaniaā€”which he calls ā€œone of the most politically divided counties in Americaā€ā€”his views are often the most interesting of all.

He shared this take in response to controversial decisions by The Washington Post and The Los Angeles Times to not endorse a presidential candidate:

What I ā¤ļø about it: Tangle presents both sides of an issue, and lets readers make their own choices about where they stand.

What you can learn: With Americansā€™ trust in the media at historic lows, itā€™s baffling why more media companies donā€™t copy this approach.

šŸ‘©ā€šŸš€ The Rebooting

Brian Morrissey, a former president and editor-in-chief of Digiday, shares insights on the changing media industry with the flair of a columnist.

What I ā¤ļø about it: Brian has created a few winning formats that make his lengthy posts easy to digest:

  • The fly on the wall. He wrote colorful, on-the-ground reports from CES, Cannes, and Miami, which he peppered with unique insights on the future of the media.

  • The TLDR. No time to read NY magā€™s 15k-word takeout on the struggling media industry? Brianā€™s got you.

  • The step-back. Lots of newsletters do lame year-end reports. Brianā€™s always give me something new to chew on.

šŸ“šļø The Sunday Long Read

The Sunday Long Read, expertly curated by Pulitzer Prize-winning writer and author Don Van Natta Jr. and the talented Jacob Feldman, links to over a dozen stories every week.

Thatā€™s a lot to digest, especially if you read every story they highlight. But they save you time by curating the weekā€™s best stories in one email.

They also mix things up by having guest editors from time to time. Hereā€™s an issue I guest edited earlier this yearšŸ‘‡ļøā€¦

What I ā¤ļø about it: Itā€™s one thing to link to a good story; itā€™s another thing to make it irresistible to click. The SLR has turned curation into an art.

What you can learn: Curate your own weekly list of the best stories in your sector, sharing unique insights on pieces that youā€™re probably already reading anyway.

Hope you enjoyed this weekā€™s examples. Iā€™ll be back next week with a new set.

ā˜®ļø -Brad

P.S. Need help growing your newsletter? I just started a consulting bizā€”hit me up if youā€™re interested in learning more.

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