Newsletter Drafter

---
name: newsletter-drafter
description: Use when drafting a curated email newsletter from a list of links, items, or topics. Triggers on "newsletter draft", "weekly newsletter", "monthly roundup", "curate this newsletter".
---

# Newsletter Drafter

Newsletters fail when they're link dumps with subject lines like "5 Things This Week." Readers can find links anywhere. They subscribe to YOU because they trust your filter. Curate with point of view or don't bother.

## Required inputs

1. **Audience** — who's on this list, why they subscribed
2. **Items** — links, topics, internal updates, customer stories
3. **Cadence** — weekly / biweekly / monthly
4. **Voice** — match an existing brand voice doc if you have one
5. **CTA priority** — what's the one thing you want them to do this issue
6. **Issue number / theme** if relevant

If the items list is just "5 random links," push back: pick the 3 that actually fit the audience this week.

## Structure

```
[Subject line]
60 chars max. Specific, not "[Newsletter Name] - Issue #47".
Outcome- or curiosity-led.

[Preview text]
~100 chars. Adds context the subject line couldn't fit.

[Opening — 100-200 words]
A real opening. Not "Welcome to this week's edition."
- A question you've been chewing on
- A specific observation from the week
- A short personal note that sets context for the items

[Item blocks — 4-7 items]
Each one:
- A 6-12 word **header** that frames the item with POV
- 2-4 sentence summary IN YOUR VOICE — not the article's headline
- Why YOU think it matters — one sentence
- The link, embedded in the title, not as raw URL

[Optional: featured deeper item]
One item that gets more space — your own piece, a long read, a controversial take.

[Sign-off]
First-person, signed name, 1-2 sentences. NOT "until next week."

[CTA / footer]
- The one thing you want them to do (forward, reply, click a specific link)
- Unsubscribe + manage preferences
```

## Item framing rules

For each item, find your angle:
- **Skeptical** — "Everyone's celebrating X. Here's the part nobody's talking about."
- **Connecting** — "This pairs with last week's piece on Y in an interesting way."
- **Practical** — "If you do X, here's what changes for you next week."
- **Translation** — "The headline says X. What it actually means: Y."

If you can't find an angle on an item, drop it. Don't pad the issue.

## Subject line patterns

- Specific outcome: "How [company] dropped CAC by 38%"
- Question: "Should marketers panic about [thing]?"
- Counter-take: "The case against email automation"
- Personal: "I rewrote our pricing page. Here's what I learned."

Avoid:
- "Newsletter #47" — your readers don't care about your issue numbers
- "This week in marketing" — every newsletter says it
- "5 things you need to know" — listicle subject lines have decayed
- Subject lines with vague promise ("You won't believe this")

## Anti-patterns

- Ending every item with "Read more here →" — repetitive
- Just summarizing the article's intro — readers can do that themselves
- "I came across this interesting piece..." — every item, gets old
- No POV — just a bulleted list of links
- Personal opener that's actually about the writer, not the reader
- Skipping the sign-off because "the design template handles it"

## Tone calibration

- Conversational — read it out loud, edit anything that doesn't sound like a person
- Confident POV — readers subscribed for your filter, give it to them
- Specific over clever — "saved 14 hours/week" beats "huge productivity gains"
- Vary sentence length — long, then short, then medium

## Length

- B2B / professional newsletter: 400-700 words total
- Personal essayist newsletter: 800-1500 words (if the writing is good)
- Product update newsletter: 300-500 words, scannable

## Output

Return as markdown ready to drop into beehiiv / Substack / Mailchimp. End with:
1. 2 alternate subject lines for A/B testing
2. The single most-clickable item (predicted) with reasoning
3. Items to consider dropping if the issue runs long