I find the idea of a newsletter compelling. But I never read any of the newsletters that I signed up for. So to me it feels like even if I did have people sign up for a newsletter that I’d write, most of the recipients would not be reading it either. Like 98.8% of this hypothetical audience of mine probably would not read the letters I feel like.

Do you find the idea of writing a newsletter compelling, or the idea of having a successful newsletter compelling?

I started my newsletter because I recognized I was constantly thinking/analyzing a specific topic, but not really doing much with that knowledge, and could not find an existing community focused on that topic. I started writing to put into words what I was thinking, and found I really enjoyed writing with an audience in mind, even though I had none.

If someone signs up for a newsletter of yours, that is pitched as some sort of original writing, there's a very high chance they're going to read it. If they stop reading, or unsubscribe, you can ask them why, and get valuable feedback so you can improve your writing. You end up with someone interested, or feedback. I see it as a win win.

The bigger problem is finding the hypothetical audience!

> Do you find the idea of writing a newsletter compelling, or the idea of having a successful newsletter compelling?

Slightly OT, but I often ask people I know, when they're struggling with things like this, "Do you want to be an <x>, or do you want to have been an <x>?", because they're two completely different things.

I, too, have signed up for a few newsletter subscriptions——just in the last few months——that I never seem to read. Is there an email-newsletter equivalent for "tsundoku?"

For scientific research the rule used to be that if you printed out a research paper then you don't have to read it. Now that also applies if you just download the pdf.

> I, too, have signed up for a few newsletter subscriptions——just in the last few months——that I never seem to read.

Me to. I wonder why that is, though. Is it the fact that I have little time? Is it my email client's user interface where an entire folder of unread newsletter emails always looks particularly intimidating? Or maybe I'm just associating unread emails with yet-to-do tasks and, thus, with stress?

I think, (for me) it might be the latter two points. I mean, I listen to podcasts on Spotify, too, and am able to make time for them. But with the Spotify UI I never get the feeling that I have to listen to each podcast or that I have unfinished business to take care of. I can listen to a couple podcasts in a row and then not touch that podcast for a couple months and Spotify won't nag me about it.

Ha! I love that there's a word for that.

I learned that word, tsundoku, right here at HN, from user Xophmeister.

My newsletter (only 100 people) has a 60% open rate, so it can be read.

OTOH, your newsletters cannot be found through $FAVORITE_SEARCH_ENGINE, are not archived through the Internet Archive, they cannot be linked to, …

I don't know, as a reader I like blog posts a lot more.

Why not have both?

You send your newsletter, but show the contents in a blog post format as well.

Yeah this the standard approach, I don’t know of many newsletters that don’t make their writing available elsewhere.

I do. In my experience a lot of newsletters that are monetized in some way or another don't get published on the web.

Exactly this. As a reader, I want to search old posts when I have time to read them and am looking for a specific topic, rather than wait for a weekly email and hope it's relevant.

Exactly. I started one newsletter a year back...I felt quite relieved writing in public [0], especially when I quit all other social media. So, I just write for my own knowledge reinforcement. There will be times when I had to force myself to write. Eventually, I took a break (and still on a long hiatus).

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[0] - https://www.swyx.io/learn-in-public/

thanks for the shoutout :)

I don't understand how everyone is expecting to monetise newsletters. Who in their right mind pays for a newsletter unless the newsletter provides some transactable value (cheap flight deals etc)?

One way is likely through product placement and sponsorship. Just have to make sure not to lay it on too thick or you'll lose readers.

People read newsletters to be informed on certain topics, entertained, or for their curiosity.

Those who find enough value out of a newsletter that does one of those things for them, will be willing to pay for it.

You could say the same thing about books, newspapers, magazines, etc.

I do say the same for magazines and newspapers. Most books however are in a distant category. Their primary purpose is not to extract a dollar from you.

I think if you looked at the newsletters that people are paying for, you’d see they are very different from most of the newsletters we’re familiar with.

The newsletters that are treated like lead generation tools are not the ones making subscription revenues.

You could say that about any online content. And transactable value is not the only type of value to be found in the world.

Transactable value or unique information on some niche topic you're really interested in. Years ago, I subscribed to a (print) newsletter on folding kayaks for example. Of course, that's harder today given the amount of freely available information on the web.

People who are not struggling or cheap? I pay for a couple of newsletters (on Substack).

How is it different from a blog with subscribers?

When you write a new blog post and it gets emailed to your subscribers, wouldn’t you say that’s a newsletter?