How to make long emails engaging

Create compelling formats, not endless screens of text

Author

Brad Wolverton
November 04, 2024

👋🏻 Welcome to Newsletter Examples, where I highlight cool sh*t I’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, I’m highlighting 3 newsletters that hold my attention no matter their length. Reading time: 3 minutes.

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🌐 Tangle

In a country as politically divided as the United States, Isaac Saul’s newsletter is decidedly nonpartisan—choosing a different topic every day, and sharing the most interesting voices from across the political spectrum.

After sharing quick synopses of what’s happening on the left and right, Issac shares his own take.

A politics reporter who grew up in Bucks County, Pennsylvania—which he calls “one of the most politically divided counties in America”—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 ❤️ 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 Americans’ trust in the media at historic lows, it’s baffling why more media companies don’t copy this approach.

👩‍🚀 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 ❤️ 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 mag’s 15k-word takeout on the struggling media industry? Brian’s got you.

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

📚️ 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.

That’s a lot to digest, especially if you read every story they highlight. But they save you time by curating the week’s best stories in one email.

They also mix things up by having guest editors from time to time. Here’s an issue I guest edited earlier this year👇️…

What I ❤️ about it: It’s one thing to link to a good story; it’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 you’re probably already reading anyway.

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

☮️ -Brad

P.S. Need help growing your newsletter? I just started a consulting biz—hit me up if you’re interested in learning more.

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