The Future of Newsletters

What was the last time you read the newspaper? 

Better yet, what was the last time you read a newsletter? I’m pretty sure there may be a ton of those, unopened and unread, in your chaotic inbox. You barely remember having subscribed to them, let alone having the time to read them. 

Since we’re revisiting this conversation, let’s get something straight: “people don’t read anymore” is an unreasonable statement. People are constantly reading something, be it a nutrition label or a text from their mom. Saying that they favor shorter, less complex texts, and skim through larger texts is a better way to describe it.

Truth is, people would like to read more, but claim they don’t have enough time. We get it. There’s too much content out there. The gusto for reading has been shelved for quite a few years now, raising comments such as “I prefer the smell of books and feeling the texture of pages”. Two decades ago, such an opinion would be unfathomable. 

Even on the screen, longer-form content such as newsletters have been overshadowed by the listicles, the brief discussions, the ads, the takeaways. Content writers are taught to “keep it short” -- at least if they want to have people reading from top to bottom. And although newsletters have been around since the 1600s, its online shift has lost its spark to chewed-up versions of the real stuff. It makes writers wonder if creating well-written content for their niche is worth it anymore.

Spoiler alert: it is. Hungry readers and writers are looking to reclaim their place in the web, and contrary to mainstream belief, the art of the newsletter isn’t lost. 

People can focus on reading the things they’re truly interested in, and writers can make a great living writing for those people. All thanks to the newsletter revival.

The Newsletter Revival is Already Here

Are you particular about the way you consume your information? You should be. You’d heave a sigh of relief knowing how much control content curation gives you over what you read, and how much time you’ll have to read all of it. 

The same way you create personalized Spotify playlists based on your highly individual musical taste, subscribing to newsletters allows you to connect with creators who write brand spanking new content about the topics you love. And, since we humans love sharing stuff, why not share what we’ve been reading online? 

Besides, newsletters are packed with handpicked novel information. You can find out more about your own interests, discover new creators, new books, and new podcasts. You’ll receive roundups of golden content you might’ve missed, and even help a writer make a living. 

You read that right. Besides collecting newsletter subscriptions, writers can now get paid a small monthly fee to support their careers. 

Wait...a Paid Newsletter?

Exactly. On platforms like Substack, writers can get well-paid to write about what they love. 

Substack welcomes writers of all backgrounds and niches to build their community with free publishing. With a few hundred loyal subscribers, writers are all set up to make a living writing weekly or monthly newsletters.

And before anyone objects, people would pay big money to read newsletters they care about. Take Patreon as an example. People pay a small monthly fee of at least $5 to support creators they love. Dedicated readers (yes, we still exist!) would pay even more to read content they care about. If that means having first-hand access to curated content without the work of browsing, sign us up!

Imagine looking at your inbox and, instead of being bombarded with a mishmash of offers, you see a careful, exclusive selection of your favorite topics. That’s what you’re in for. 

Finally, writers can focus only on their writing, while readers wait eagerly for the next issue. All thanks to Substack, but above all, thanks to the curator economy. 

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See you next time,

Kazuki