Dan Oshinsky, who runs Inbox Collective — an e-mail consultancy that helps brands grow audiences, build relationships, and get results via e-mail — had a great recent piece where he asked 20+ newsletter operators for their favourite piece of newsletter advice.

The full article is worth a read, but I narrowed it to five of my favourites and included some commentary on the advice:

1. It’s not just about the news — it’s about the letter. It’s so easy to focus on what you’re trying to promote or sell and to forget that the best newsletters are usually the ones that you connect with on a personal level. Be yourself and let readers into your world — Dan Oshinsky, consultant, Inbox Collective.

Newsletters are a distinct product unlike an article or another news format. They give you an opportunity to develop a voice and personality, and many of the best ones feel like they’re authored by a friend.

2. Plain and simple, e-mail isn’t like any other publishing medium. People aren’t necessarily sitting down to read a sprawling essay. They want to be able to skim, see what’s interesting or important to them, and digest info easily — even on a small screen — JR Raphael, founder and editorial director, The Intelligence.

We’ve talked a lot in the Newsroom Transformation Initiative about multimodal content, and newsletters are no different. People typically don’t want a wall of text, so be deliberate about formats and how easily scannable it is.

3. Stay focused on what your brand brings to the table. It can be very easy to get distracted and feel like you have to cover the same stuff that everyone else seems to be talking about, but people come to us for a specific type of content — reported features, essays, Q&As, and more on topics that are relevant to women ages 35+. Know your lane, own your niche, etc. — Leslie Price, co-founder, Gloria.

For general interest news sites, niche newsletters can perform exceedingly well and bring a small but important audience to the subject. This speaks directly to another piece of advice from the article: Focus on growing the RIGHT audience, not the biggest.

4. Know who your newsletter is for before you begin, and know what need are you solving for that reader or the entertainment you’re providing (that someone out there isn’t doing already) — Sean McNulty, creator, the Wakeup.

That last clause is especially important. Make sure you know your value proposition and differentiator. If you decide to do a version of a newsletter that already exists, be ruthless in asking yourself how you’re doing it better or why someone would choose to subscribe to yours instead of the other one.

5. “They want to feel at home, but they also want to be surprised.” That’s what Bruce Springsteen said once in an interview when he was asked what fans are looking for from their favourite musical artists, and it’s always stayed with me. I take a lot of inspiration from artists in other mediums, especially musicians, because they shake up what they do — they try different styles, different sounds — Terrell Johnson, founder and author, The Half Marathoner.

This one is just lovely and poetic and speaks to the importance of keeping things fresh. As he says: Look for new terrain to explore.

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