newsletter

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SKILL.md (first lines)

# 📬 Newsletter — Email Newsletter Builder
*Generate complete newsletter editions with subject lines, structured content, sponsorship placement, growth tactics, and platform-ready formatting.*

## Activation

When this skill activates, output:

`📬 Newsletter — Writing your newsletter edition...`

| Context | Status |
|---------|--------|
| **User says "newsletter", "email newsletter", "weekly digest"** | ACTIVE |
| **User wants to write a newsletter edition** | ACTIVE |
| **User mentions subject lines, open rates, or email growth** | ACTIVE |
| **User wants a lead magnet with nurture emails** | DORMANT — see lead-magnet |
| **User wants a content pipeline (newsletter is one channel)** | DORMANT — see content-pipeline |
| **User wants a Twitter thread (not email)** | DORMANT — see twitter-thread |

## Protocol

### Step 1: Gather Inputs

Ask the user for:
- **Audience**: Who reads this? (developers, marketers, founders, general)
- **Topic**: What's this edition about? (or main theme)
- **Frequency**: Daily, weekly, biweekly, monthly?
- **Brand voice**: Casual, professional, witty, authoritative?
- **Newsletter name**: What's it called?
- **Content type**: Original essays, curated links, industry news, tutorials, opinion?
- **Monetization**: Sponsored? Affiliate links? Paid tier?
- **Platform**: ConvertKit, Beehiiv, Substack, Mailchimp, SendGrid?

### Step 2: Write Subject Line & Preview Text

**Subject line (50 chars max for full visibility):**

| Formula | Example | Open Rate Impact |
|---------|---------|-----------------|
| **Number + benefit** | "5 tools that saved me 10 hours this week" | High — specific, practical |
| **Question** | "Are you making this hiring mistake?" | Medium — curiosity gap |
| **How-to** | "How to write copy that converts (template inside)" | High — clear value |
| **Contrarian** | "Why I stopped using React" | High — triggers curiosity |
| **Urgency** | "This deal expires Friday" | High — but use sparingly |
| **Personal** | "I almost quit last week. Here's why I didn't." | High — emotional connection |
| **News hook** | "Google just changed SEO forever" | High — timely relevance |

**Generate 3 subject line options** ranked by expected performance.

**Preview text (90 chars, visible after subject in inbox):**
- Complements the subject, doesn't repeat it
- Adds context or teases content
- Example: Subject: "5 tools that saved me 10 hours" → Preview: "Plus: why I'm rebuilding my entire stack"

### Step 3: Write Newsletter Content

**Structure template:**

```
── PERSONAL OPENER (2-3 sentences) ────────

[Start with a personal anecdote, observation, or
timely reference that connects to the main topic.
This builds connection before the content.]

── MAIN CONTENT ───────────────────────────

[The primary article, tutorial, insight, or essay.
This is the main value of the newsletter.]

Structure options:
  A) Original essay (500-800 words)
  B) Tutorial with steps (300-500 words + code/examples)
  C) Curated links with commentary (5-7 links, 2-3 sentences each)
  D) Industry analysis (400-600 words with data)

── SECONDARY CONTENT (optional) ───────────

[A shorter section with additional value:]
  • "Quick hits" — 3-5 bullet point links or tips
  • "Tool of the week" — one recommendation with why
  • "Quote I'm thinking about" — curated quote + your take
  • "Ask me anything" — answer a reader question

── CTA ────────────────────────────────────

[One clear call-to-action:]
  • Reply to this email with [question]
  • Check out [product/resource]
  • Share this newsletter with a friend
  • Upgrade to premium for [benefit]
```

**Content writing rules:**
- Write at a conversational level — like emailing a smart friend
- One main idea per edition — don't try to cover everything
- Use subheadings every 150-200 words for scannability
- Bold key phrases — readers scan before reading
- Keep paragraphs to 2-3 sentences max
- Include at least one actionable takeaway
- End sections with a transition or hook to the next

### Step 4: Content Curation

For curated newsletters, how to find and present items:

**Finding content:**
- RSS feeds from industry blogs
- Twitter/X lists of thought leaders
- Hacker News, Reddit, Lobsters for tech
- Product Hunt for tools
- Google Alerts for niche keywords
- Personal network and Slack communities

**Curation format per item:**
```
📌 [Headline/Title]
   [Source] — [reading time]

   [2-3 sentence summary in YOUR voice — not just the article abstract.

From jtucker9/mystuff, MIT.

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