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Inside the Most Successful Newsletters of 2024
How Winning Newsletters Stay on Top
Elna Cain
January 10th, 2025
Table of Contents
Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour didn’t just dominate the music industry—it reshaped it.
With over $1 billion in ticket sales, Swift’s proven that connecting deeply with your audience pays off in ways most artists only dream of.
But here's the clincher: the star’s success isn’t random.
Taylor Swift’s success is built on understanding her fans, delivering consistent value, and making each interaction feel personal.
That same strategy applies to newsletters.
Like a sold-out tour, a successful newsletter creates an experience people can’t wait to engage with. It turns readers into fans and fans into loyal supporters who stick around and invest in your work.
Newsletters offer a stage where you can shine just like Taylor Swift.
The top 10 writers collectively make over $25 million a year with newsletters, proving that newsletters can be incredibly lucrative with the right strategy.
If growing a brand and connecting with your audience is your passion, read on to learn about the most successful newsletters and why they're successful.
To make your newsletter stand out, you absolutely need high engagement rates, audience growth, and monetization potential.
The average email open rate for beehiiv creators is 38.69%, which falls in line with the average industry's open rates of 17- 40%.
Successful creators deliver consistent value with each newsletter they send. These newsletters zero in on their audience's interests, maintaining high engagement week after week.
I have an email list of over 20,000 subscribers and another list of 6,000 subscribers, and both lists boast 40% or higher open rates.
With a highly engaged email subscriber list, it's much easier to generate income with a newsletter through affiliate marketing, a paid newsletter or membership, by selling digital products, and more, and it all starts with building a strong community with your newsletter like these successful newsletter creators did.
Why Trust Us: I have several successful email lists – free and paid – and have grown one list to over 20,000 subscribers, with a 40% open rate and 2.35% CTR. I also write about the best email marketing tactics as a freelancer.
5 Examples of the Most Successful Newsletters
1. The Hustle
Sam Parr, founder of The Hustle, turned his newsletter into a must-have in business and tech.
The Hustle delivers sharp, insightful, and sometimes humorous takes on what's shaping industries today to over 2.5 million monthly readers.
Parr didn’t stop at the newsletter. He expanded the brand to include a podcast and global conferences, creating a multi-channel platform that keeps readers engaged beyond their inboxes.
But The Hustle’s real strength is in how it connects with its audience.
The team often runs rigorous A/B testing for subject lines.
Each morning, the team sends two variations of the email to 30% of their audience and measures success by click-through rate (CTR), not just open rate.
The winning subject line is then sent to the remaining 40% of readers.
These steps resulted in an additional 43,876 clicks per newsletter for The Hustle.
The newsletter wants to deliver news stories and build a raving community that keeps clicking, and they back up their subject lines with stories that resonate with entrepreneurs, professionals, and anyone interested in the business world.
That’s why The Hustle’s engagement rates are so strong—people don’t just read it; they look forward to it.
The Hustle also covers emerging trends and offers sharp analysis, positioning itself as more than just a newsletter. It’s a trusted resource for readers wanting to stay informed and make smarter decisions in their careers or businesses.
Apply The Hustle’s strategy to your newsletter:
Deliver Real Value: Share sharp insights, practical advice, and engaging takes on trends your audience cares about.
Test and Optimize: Run A/B tests on subject lines, measure click-through rates, and use the winning version to boost engagement.
Focus on Community: Write stories that connect with readers and keep them coming back, building loyalty over time.
Expand Beyond Email: Add podcasts, events, or other channels to deepen engagement and grow your reach.
2. Morning Brew
Morning Brew was started in 2016 by Alex Lieberman and Austin Rief, and the newsletter has since grown to over 4 million subscribers.
Each newsletter focuses on business and finance for entrepreneurs, business owners, and other young professionals, but what I enjoy when reading the Morning Brew are the little fun stories or facts they share at the beginning of each one.
The newsletter makes business news fun and engaging to read. They give the most important information in a relatable way that's short and to the point.
For example, The Hustle’s story on Starbucks's recent challenges reported on the company's declining same-store sales and appointing a new CEO, Brian Niccol, formerly of Chipotle.
The Morning Brew highlighted Niccol's efforts to simplify the "overly complex" menu and address operational bottlenecks concisely and relatable with a short bullet list. This strategy makes skimmers pause to take a quick look since it disrupts the blocks of text in the newsletter.
In addition, Morning Brew grew its loyal audience not only with tailored and engaging content but also with a successful referral program, where subscribers were incentivized to invite others, accounting for 2.5 million new subscribers.
Apply Morning Brew’s strategy to your newsletter:
Focus on Your Niche: If your audience consists of creators, cover trends in monetization or tools to improve workflow.
Make Your Newsletter Engaging and Personal: Simplify complex topics into skimmable bullet points, like highlighting how algorithm changes affect reach. Add a fun touch with surprising facts or stats that hook a reader into reading more of your newsletter.
Leverage Referrals: beehiiv’s built-in referral program can help you grow your audience. Offer perks like premium templates, free course modules, or early access to exclusive content to incentivize readers to share your newsletter and expand your reach.
Create a Morning Brew-style newsletter: With beehiiv, you can create a similar-looking newsletter that mirrors Morning Brew’s style.
3. TheSkimm
Danielle Wiesberg and Carly Zakine created TheSkimm in 2012; and, over the years, their newsletter has generated over 7 million subscribers.
TheSkimm’s claim-to-fame is that readers can catch up on all the important news in just five minutes.
For busy professionals, especially millennial women, these easy-to-digest emails make it easy for them to stay informed without feeling overwhelmed by long complex emails.
TheSkimm’s newsletters often turn big, extensive news into a relatable copy that their audience enjoys reading.
(example)
Beyond the newsletter, TheSkimm grew its massive audience engagement with its Skimm Ahead app, a podcast, and community-driven social campaigns like the #ShowUsYourLeave on TikTok and Instagram.
Apply TheSkimm’s strategy to your newsletter:
Keep It Short and Simple: Deliver content quickly and digestibly for a five-minute read. Focus on concise summaries that busy professionals can easily absorb.
Be Conversational: Have a friendly, relatable style that feels like chatting with a friend. TheSkimm is known for making complex news feel approachable, and this tone helps build a loyal following.
Engage With Your Community: Build a sense of connection with interactive campaigns or initiatives. Ask questions or run giveaways to grow your audience.
4. 3-2-1 Thursday
James Clear is an author and influencer.
Clear’s newsletter, "3-2-1 Thursday," is one of the most popular in the world, with over 3 million subscribers.
Each newsletter focuses on habits and personal development and uses the following format:
Three short ideas from Clear
Two quotes from others
One question for readers to ponder
This concise format provides actionable advice that readers can easily apply to their lives.
Providing his newsletter in this easy format helps readers read each idea, understand it, and apply it to their lives.
Clear also encourages readers to share these tidbits on X (Formerly Twitter), further introducing people to his newsletter and brand.
Clear also promotes his newsletter on his home page with links to recent newsletters.
Clear’s influence helped him create a successful book, Atomic Habits, which has sold over 20 million copies worldwide.
Apply 3-2-1 Thursday’s strategy to your newsletter:
Use a Consistent Format: Create a predictable structure for every issue. For example, share three tips, two quotes, and one question to keep your readers engaged and looking forward to each email.
Incorporate Quotes: Include thought-provoking quotes from others that align with your newsletter’s theme. This adds variety and introduces readers to new perspectives.
Encourage Reflection: End with a question that makes readers think or prompts them to take action. For example, ask: "What’s one small change you can make today?"
5. The Ringer
Sportswriter Bill Simmons launched The Ringer in 2016 as a way to share sports and pop culture.
Simmons grew his newsletter into a media company that includes a website, podcasts, and videos, covering topics from the NFL and NBA to television, movies, and music.
The Ringer stands out as a successful newsletter with its insightful commentary and relatable personalities that appeal to its subscribers.
The Ringer’s network also grew a dedicated audience with their popular podcasts, "The Bill Simmons Podcast," "The Rewatchables," and "Binge Mode," attracting a dedicated audience.
Apply The Ringer’s strategy to your newsletter:
Blend Niches: Combine topics your audience loves in the same way that The Ringer blends sports and pop culture. For example, mix industry updates with entertainment trends to appeal to a wide range of readers.
Show Personality: Make your commentary engaging and relatable. Like The Ringer, insightful commentary paired with strong personalities can build a loyal following.
Expand With Podcasts: Consider launching a podcast to complement your newsletter. A podcast creates another touchpoint to connect with your audience.
Consistency
A big turnoff is when I subscribe to a newsletter without a schedule for receiving it.
But when someone wants to sell something, suddenly, their newsletters flood my inbox. This is a surefire way to lose subscribers.
The beauty of newsletters is that you can engage with your audience every day, every week, or every month, helping your subscribers know you better, like you more, and trust you implicitly.
Once you build that consistency into your newsletters, it'll start to become a habit for your readers, making them more likely to open and engage with your emails.
One clever thing that James Clear did was to name his newsletter "3-2-1 Thursday," telling people to be on the lookout for that email on Thursday.
Because busy subscribers know when to expect the newsletter, they can stop and focus on Clear when they open their inbox on Thursday morning.
High-Quality Content
If you want people to subscribe to your newsletter, you need to give them content that’s worth their time.
High-quality, useful content is what keeps readers coming back.
The best newsletters share well-researched, relevant info their audience can use.
When you always provide value—whether it’s tips, insights, or updates—your readers are more likely to stay subscribed, share your content with others, and look forward to your next email. It’s all about giving them something they can’t wait to open.
If you struggle with providing high-quality content, here are some ideas that will help:
Repurpose Existing Content: Take that viral TikTok and break down the content in a newsletter.
Share Recent Favorites: Subscribers appreciate a deeper knowledge of the author.
Send Out a Survey: Ask subscribers what they need help with the most and build your newsletters around answering their questions.
Engaging Subject Lines and CTAs
41% of subscribers use mobile phones to read emails each morning. Knowing this, you want to make your email subject lines as short and concise as possible, so your important copy isn't truncated.
For example, the Morning Brew folks use one-word or concise email subject lines that tell exactly what their readers are going to learn about and ensure that their copy won't be truncated.
Here are some other proven methods to gain more clicks from your email subject lines:
Community Building
Having a thriving community is the secret to building a newsletter that lasts.
When you have a raving fan base, your subscribers crave your newsletters and want to actively invest in them. For many creators, this means leveraging their social media audience and turning them into their own audience with their newsletter.
You’ll have a direct line of communication to your audience and the best place to nurture and grow a thriving community.
For example, The Hustle has amassed die-hard subscribers who enjoy sharing how much they love the newsletter on TikTok.
A strong community also gives you direct feedback via polls, surveys, and replies.
In turn, this helps you refine your content and stay aligned with what your readers want.
Over time, this relationship turns readers into advocates who help your newsletter grow organically— like those on TikTok sharing why they love The Hustle—while ensuring that your audience remains loyal and engaged.
Best Platforms To Create Your Own Newsletter
If you’re serious about growing a successful newsletter, try out beehiiv.
beehiiv is built just for creators, with growth-focused features like analytics, A/B testing, segmentation, and gamification, as well as an easy-to-use interface.
Analytics
beehiiv’s analytics platform makes it easy to see how your newsletter is performing.
You can track open rates, click-through rates, and subscriber growth all in one place.
beehiiv also offers monetization options like ads, boosting other people's newsletters, and creating a paid newsletter.
A/B Testing
If your open rates are dismal, try A/B testing.
A/B testing is a practical way to see what works best for your audience, and beehiiv makes it easy to implement.
You can test different subject lines or content variations to measure which drives more engagement and clicks.
You can use that information to find the winning subject line or content piece and build upon that success week after week.
And when paired with beehiiv’s monetization tools, A/B testing helps you create content that engages readers and drives subscriptions and revenue.
Segmentation
I get the best feeling when one of my subscribers responds to my newsletter and tells me it's exactly what they needed to hear.
That's the power of segmentation.
Segmenting your list allows you to tailor emails to match your audience’s interests or needs, keeping them engaged and coming back for more.
There are many types of segments you can use:
For subscribers who opened or clicked a specific email
To find your most engaged subscribers
For subscribers who unsubscribed
And beehiiv offers this feature for free to their users!
Decide on the name and type of your new segment. Then, you can define its conditions.
Gamification
As a content creator, a main goal for your newsletter is to fundamentally understand your audience's challenges and needs, so you can give them what they want.
Many creators use gamification to keep their audience engaged and motivated.
One way is to survey the audience that signed up to your newsletter.
A survey can help the creator segment their list from the get-go.
You can also poll your existing audience with beehiiv's one-click polls and get real-time feedback.
For example, if you're considering creating a digital product, you can poll your audience to determine what content type they prefer or to help you name your product.
Beside's beehiiv, what other newsletter platforms can you use to start a successful newsletter?
Kit (Formerly Convertkit)
Kit is a powerful creator platform, focusing on email sequences and growing a loyal audience, with the following features:
Automation Workflows: Set up sequences that trigger based on subscriber actions.
Landing Page Creation: Build stand-alone pages to capture leads without needing a website.
Subscriber Tagging: Personalize emails by tagging subscribers based on interests or behavior.
Detailed Analytics: Gain insights into your most effective campaigns.
Mailchimp
Mailchimp combines ease of use with advanced marketing capabilities. It offers the following features:
Drag-and-Drop Email Builder: Create visually appealing emails with minimal effort.
Customizable Templates: Design emails that match your brand’s style.
A/B Testing: Optimize subject lines, email designs, and content for better results.
Advanced Analytics: Track performance and learn what resonates with your audience.
Substack
Substack is a popular platform for creators who want to build, grow, and monetize newsletters with ease. Below are some of its popular features:
Built-In Monetization: Seamlessly introduce paid subscriptions with integrated payment processing.
Simple Content Creation: Create, format, and send emails directly from a user-friendly editor.
Community Engagement: Encourage reader interaction with built-in comment sections and the ability to create discussion threads.
Analytics: Track open rates, subscriber growth, and revenue performance in one dashboard.
Cross-Promotion Tools: Collaborate with other Substack creators to grow your audience.
Each email service provider offers methods for tracking your success. Find the one that best suits your needs and business goals.
How To Start and Grow a Successful Newsletter
What are the steps to start growing your newsletter?
Identify Your Audience
Before writing your first newsletter, you must pinpoint who will read your content.
You can use social media to help.
More and more people are turning away from traditional media and going to other platforms like social media to get their news.
Up to 40% of Americans are seeking influencers to get their news, and you can use this to help you zero in on your audience's needs.
For example, if you have a large following on TikTok, then your audience probably has these characteristics:
Between the ages of 18-24
Suffers from TikTok brain, i.e., endless scrolling and shifts in attention
Enjoys short content
To cater to this audience, your newsletter format would need to be short, concise, and with bullet points so that a person can read it in under five minutes.
Influencer Josh Richards cultivated a large following on TikTok and then created his newsletter, TeaTalk, to speak to his TikTok audience about the "real talk on creator culture, internet trends, & TikTok – duh."
Richards’s newsletters are short, with bullet points, and skimmable, giving exactly what his audience is used to and wants.
You can also get an idea of the topics you want to write about for your newsletter.
If your most viewed videos are about your morning routine, create your newsletter around routines and habits.
If that’s not your thing, you can do what successful newsletters are doing: curating content.
Get the latest scoop in your industry and dish it out with every newsletter.
Content Strategy and Consistency
With your content format and audience under your belt, next is developing a content strategy to help you remain consistent.
Your strategy should be built around your audience's pain points, challenges, questions, and needs. This will help you create highly valuable content for them and find direction for your strategy.
For my beehiiv newsletter, I share LinkedIn marketing tips for freelance writers. These tips come from LinkedIn or social media trends.
I know my content strategy works when I see my newsletters' open rates and click-through rates.
With the right audience and valuable content, scheduling is the next step for a successful newsletter.
Pick a day or week to either write the newsletter or bulk write multiple newsletters.
You can even use AI, like ChatGPT, to help you find topics to write about or summarize news and stories you see online.
Email Marketing Tools To Consider
To keep growing your newsletter and reaching more readers, it’s important to get comfortable with email marketing tools that can make your life easier.
Platforms like beehiiv are great because they combine everything you need in one place—subscriber management, automation, and analytics.
You can track how your newsletter is performing, set up automated workflows to save time, and easily manage your growing audience.
These tools let you focus on what matters most: creating content that connects with your readers and keeps them coming back.
What You Can Learn From the Most Successful Newsletters
So what really matters in creating a highly successful newsletter? When looking at the five most popular newsletters, there are some commonalities:
Consistency Builds Trust: Successful newsletters follow a regular schedule—daily, weekly, or monthly. This builds trust with readers and creates a habit, making them more likely to open and engage with your emails. For example, James Clear’s 3-2-1 Thursday tells subscribers exactly when to expect it, keeping engagement high.
Deliver High-Quality Content: The most successful newsletters prioritize value. They share well-researched, relevant, and actionable content their audience can use. Morning Brew simplifies complex business news into skimmable narratives, while The Skimm keeps it short and engaging for busy readers.
Engage Your Audience: Encourage interaction to build a sense of community. Use polls, surveys, or replies to involve readers and refine your content based on their feedback. The Hustle connects with its readers through relatable stories and runs an effective referral program to grow its audience organically.
It all starts with the right email platform. With beehiiv, you don't have to worry about complicated setups or juggling multiple tools.
beehiiv makes it easy to focus on what matters most: creating valuable content and growing a loyal audience.
Plus, with beehiiv, everything is in one place—subscriber management, automation, analytics, and monetization features like paid newsletters and referral programs.
Sign up today and start your successful newsletter.
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