Examples

Newsletter Examples: 20 Real Issues and What to Steal From Each

We opened a recent issue of every newsletter on this page and wrote down exactly how it is built, so you can borrow the structure without guessing.

Picked by Junaid Khalid20 real issuesUpdated Sep 29, 2026

Most lists of newsletter examples show you a logo and a sign-up button. That tells you nothing about how the thing is put together. Every example below links to one specific issue, sent in the last two months, and breaks down what that issue actually does: how it opens, how sections are labeled, where the sponsor sits, how it signs off.

Use these for structure, not voice. The voice of a newsletter comes from the person writing it, and copying it reads as a costume. The skeleton is different: a scannable summary up top, a consistent section order, a single ask at the end. Those patterns transfer to any topic, so pick the group closest to the newsletter you want to run and lift one technique at a time.

Daily digestsCurated link roundupsDeep essays and analysisPersonal and creator newslettersCompany and product newslettersVisual and design-led newsletters

Daily digests

Fits when your readers want the day's news in one sitting and you can publish on a fixed schedule every weekday.

No.01

Early Nor'easter, Missouri Maps, and Attention Span Fixes

From 1440 Daily Digest, by 1440 Media
Daily digestsSent Sep 28, 2026

It sorts a whole day of news by how much attention each story deserves, and the section names tell you that before you read a word.

What works in this issue

  • Opens with a dated greeting and a one-line teaser of the day's biggest stories before any section starts
  • Tiers the news explicitly: three full stories under 'Need To Know', then short topic-sorted bullets under 'In The Know', each ending in a (More) link
  • Ends on lighter fixed sections, 'Etcetera' and 'Historybook' with a quote, so the issue winds down instead of stopping abruptly
Steal this: Name your sections by how deep they go, not just by topic, so readers know where to skim and where to slow down.
Read the issue
No.02

SpaceX orbital attempt 🚀, OpenAI pauses training 🛑, S3 is the future 👨‍💻

From TLDR, by TLDR (Dan Ni)
Daily digestsSent Sep 28, 2026

Every link carries a read-time label, so readers can decide what to open without clicking anything.

What works in this issue

  • The subject line is three headlines with an emoji each, which doubles as a table of contents
  • Each item is a linked headline, a read-time label such as '3 minute read', and a two to three sentence summary
  • Sections always run in the same order (Big Tech & Startups, Science, Programming, Miscellaneous, Quick Links), with sponsors placed inside sections in the same item format and clearly marked
Steal this: Put an estimated read time next to every link you share.
Read the issue
No.03

Musk's One for the Roadster

From The Daily Upside, by The Daily Upside
Daily digestsSent Sep 28, 2026

It covers business news in a few longer stories with real analysis, instead of many thin summaries.

What works in this issue

  • Each main story sits under a topic label (Electric Vehicles, Media & Entertainment, Indicators) and is broken up by short, punny bold subheads
  • A markets snapshot with index moves sits near the top, so the numbers are there before the analysis
  • Ends with 'Extra Upside', three quick bullets, and a 'Just For Fun' pair of links as a light exit
Steal this: Split each long story with two or three bold subheads so it can be skimmed like a short one.
Read the issue

Deep essays and analysis

Fits when you have one strong argument per issue and readers who will give you ten minutes.

No.07

Apps, Agents, and Aggregation

From Stratechery, by Ben Thompson
Deep essays and analysisSent Sep 28, 2026

It builds one argument across titled sections and ties this week's news back to ideas the writer laid out years ago.

What works in this issue

  • Opens on a familiar moment, Steve Jobs' iPhone introduction and 'Are you getting it?', before getting to the week's news
  • Five headed sections ('Messaging and Jobs to Be Done' through 'The Distributors') each move the argument one step
  • Links back to the author's own 2014 piece and uses screenshots from his own test of the product, which makes the analysis first-hand
Steal this: Open with a moment your readers already know, then show how this week's news changes it.
Read the issue
No.08

The usefulness of attribution for AI Search

From Growth Memo, by Kevin Indig
Deep essays and analysisSent Sep 28, 2026

It takes a messy measurement problem and walks the reader from the problem to a usable alternative.

What works in this issue

  • The subtitle states the whole thesis in two sentences before the first paragraph
  • Headings follow a problem to solution arc: 'The measurement paradox', 'The collapse of attribution', 'A better alternative'
  • Brings in an outside practitioner, a VP of Growth, as a named thought partner, which adds a second perspective to a solo newsletter
Steal this: Write your thesis as the subtitle so the reader knows the argument before they start.
Read the issue
No.09

AI and the Fall? of the Creative Class

From Apricitas Economics, by Joseph Politano
Deep essays and analysisSent Sep 27, 2026

The charts carry the argument, and the text exists to read them for you.

What works in this issue

  • The question mark in the title signals that the piece tests a claim rather than confirms it
  • Several charts on employment in creative industries sit through the body, each followed by the text that interprets it
  • Only two headings, 'Can the Arts Business Model Survive?' and 'Conclusions', so the piece reads as one continuous analysis
Steal this: If you have data, lead with the chart and use the next paragraph to tell readers what to see in it.
Read the issue

Personal and creator newsletters

Fits when the reason people subscribe is you: your stories, your experiments, your opinions.

No.10

Maybe you're one away.

From The Saturday Essay, by Justin Welsh
Personal and creator newslettersSent Sep 26, 2026

One personal story, one lesson, no subheads: the entire issue is built to be read top to bottom.

What works in this issue

  • Opens straight into a story about being fired from three sales jobs in a row, so there is tension from the first line
  • Short paragraphs, with the shortest ones placed at the turning points of the story
  • Lands on a single quotable line, 'Before you decide you're bad at something, make sure to change the conditions', and signs off with a plain 'Cheers'
Steal this: Build each issue around one true story that ends on one sentence the reader could repeat to a friend.
Read the issue
No.11

2026 in LLMs (so far)

From Simon Willison's Newsletter, by Simon Willison
Personal and creator newslettersSent Sep 28, 2026

It repackages a working blog into an email with an honest inventory of what is inside.

What works in this issue

  • Starts with an 'In this newsletter' list that counts the contents, such as links, quotations, notes, releases and tools
  • The lead piece is organized month by month, which makes a long review easy to scan
  • Mixes formats in one issue: long posts, indented quotations with attribution, tool write-ups with screenshots and code blocks
Steal this: Open with a short list of everything in the issue, including counts, so readers know what they are getting.
Read the issue
No.12

How to Get Rich in America

From Kyla Scanlon, by Kyla Scanlon
Personal and creator newslettersSent Aug 13, 2026

A big economic topic becomes a personal, readable essay because it is broken into numbered parts.

What works in this issue

  • Opens with a personal anecdote about how people pattern-match in unfamiliar places before any economics
  • Structured as numbered parts (Part I. Labor vs Capital through Part V. Voice, Resignation, and Exit) with charts inside each
  • Includes an audio version and ends with an 'Other Things' section of personal updates
Steal this: Split a long essay into numbered parts with plain titles so readers can stop and come back.
Read the issue

Company and product newsletters

Fits when a brand wants to earn attention with useful content, and mention the product only where it genuinely belongs.

No.13

Ahrefs' Digest #290: Google AI ranking factors, and more

From Ahrefs' Digest, by Ahrefs (Si Quan)
Company and product newslettersSent Sep 24, 2026

A software company's newsletter that reads like a person wrote it, with almost no selling.

What works in this issue

  • Opens with a first-person note from the editor about the conferences he just attended, then follows up on a question he asked readers in the last issue
  • Every link in 'Best of the week' comes with the editor's own take, not a neutral summary
  • Ends with a one-click 'Honest verdict on this one?' rating (Banger, Fine, Snooze) and a P.S. asking readers to forward it
Steal this: Ask readers a question in one issue and open the next with what they told you.
Read the issue
No.14

We're building multiplayer AI. Here's what we've learned so far

From build mode (PostHog), by PostHog
Company and product newslettersSent Sep 28, 2026

It sells the product by teaching what the team learned building it, not by listing features.

What works in this issue

  • Organized as three numbered lessons with plain-language headings, such as 'You need to establish a shared reality'
  • Custom hedgehog illustrations and diagrams make it recognizably PostHog without a logo in every section
  • Closes with a 'Words by' credit that includes a joke about the writer, plus reading picks and open job listings
Steal this: Write up the lessons from building your product instead of announcing the product.
Read the issue
No.15

Wisereads Vol. 162: Protocols by Andrew Huberman, Sunil Pai on the senior engineer death spiral, and more

From Wisereads (Readwise), by Readwise
Company and product newslettersSent Sep 27, 2026

The curation comes from the product itself: the sections are what Readwise users highlighted most that week.

What works in this issue

  • Section names are built on product data, such as 'Most highlighted Articles of the week' and 'Most highlighted YouTube Video of the week'
  • Each pick shows a key highlighted quote, so the reader gets the best line before deciding to click
  • Covers a different format in each slot (articles, a video, a thread, a PDF, a book, an RSS feed), which shows off what the product can save without saying so
Steal this: If your product generates interesting aggregate data, turn it into a recurring section.
Read the issue
No.16

Trade a trial extension for a review, spot where AI video crosses the line, and turn discounts into credits

From Demand Curve Growth Newsletter, by Demand Curve
Company and product newslettersSent Sep 2, 2026

It reviews real marketing the team received that week and grades it, which makes the advice concrete.

What works in this issue

  • A short intro from the editor sets the frame in one line: 'Two to try, one to avoid.'
  • Each of three numbered tactics credits a named strategist, shows a screenshot, and gives a verdict followed by bolded reasons
  • Closes with a short 'News you can use' section and contributor headshots, so readers see the people behind the brand
Steal this: Critique real examples from your own inbox and give each one a clear verdict.
Read the issue

Visual and design-led newsletters

Fits when images, illustration or layout are part of what you are saying, not decoration.

No.17

Smashing Newsletter: Issue #577

From Smashing Newsletter, by Smashing Magazine (Vitaly Friedman and team)
Visual and design-led newslettersSent Sep 22, 2026

Every section is built around one clickable image, so the issue reads like a visual index of the week's best UX patterns.

What works in this issue

  • Opens with an editorial note from Vitaly that frames the issue's theme (design patterns as conversation starters) and flags that week's workshops
  • Numbered sections with plain topic headings ('Better Context Menus', 'Bulk Upload UX') each pair a short paragraph with a linked preview image
  • Credits every writer by name at the end
Steal this: Pair each linked resource with one screenshot that shows what the reader will get.
Read the issue
No.18

Combo Platter

From Tedium, by Ernie Smith
Visual and design-led newslettersSent Sep 27, 2026

It uses archival images, patents and old ads as evidence, which makes a snack history feel like investigative work.

What works in this issue

  • A one-line dek sets the hook before the body and ends on a tease: 'At one point a drill was involved.'
  • The body opens with a 'Today in Tedium:' lead-in paragraph in the writer's voice before the first headed section
  • Breaks the text with a GIF, patent drawings, a vintage ad and a single oversized number as a callout
Steal this: Use primary sources like patents, old ads or screenshots as your images instead of stock photos.
Read the issue
No.19

The lie we keep telling ourselves about regulating AI

From UX Collective Newsletter, by Fabricio Teixeira (UX Collective)
Visual and design-led newslettersSent Sep 28, 2026

A big banner image and a pull quote lead, then the rest of the issue sorts links by intent.

What works in this issue

  • Leads with one featured piece, a wide banner image and a quoted line from the story
  • Link sections are named by what they do for the reader: 'Editor Picks', 'Make Me Think', 'Cool Finds', 'Careers & More'
  • 'Cool Finds' uses image thumbnails for tools and sites, where a visual preview says more than a sentence
Steal this: Name link sections by the reader's mood or intent, not by topic.
Read the issue
No.20

UX Roundup: Bogus Deskilling Research | Jargon Alienates | AI Exposure Improves AI Attitudes | Interruptions | Prioritizing > Everything | Paper Prototyping | Satisficing | Resizable Panes

From Jakob Nielsen on UX, by Jakob Nielsen
Visual and design-led newslettersSent Sep 28, 2026

Eight short original pieces, each carried by its own illustration, so a long issue never feels like a wall of text.

What works in this issue

  • The title lists every topic separated by pipes, so the subject line is the table of contents
  • Opens with a bulleted summary of the eight topics before the first section
  • Each section has a declarative heading that states the finding, such as 'Interrupt at a Breakpoint or Not at All', plus its own illustration
Steal this: Write section headings as conclusions so a skimmer gets the point without reading the body.
Read the issue
Questions

Newsletter examples: FAQ

What should a company newsletter include?

Something useful enough that readers would open it even if they never bought from you: a take on industry news, lessons from your own work, or curated reading. The strongest company examples above (Ahrefs, PostHog, Readwise, Demand Curve) keep the product in the background, add a named person as the voice, and end with one small ask, such as a rating, a forward or a reply.

How long should a newsletter be?

As long as the format needs and no longer. The examples here range from a two-minute link list (UX Design Weekly) to a long, chart-heavy essay (Apricitas). What they share is that length matches the promise: a daily digest stays skimmable, and an essay earns its length with one clear argument. If you have to cut, cut sections, not the note that explains why each item matters.

What is the best newsletter format for beginners?

A short curated roundup with fixed sections is the easiest to sustain: three to five links, one sentence each on why they matter, and the same section order every issue. You can add an opening note or a longer essay once the habit is in place.

How often should I send a newsletter?

Pick a cadence you can keep for a year. Daily digests like 1440 and TLDR depend on a team and a fixed daily slot. Most of the personal and company newsletters on this page are weekly or less often, and a consistent weekly issue is a more realistic starting point for one person.

Should I copy the design of a newsletter I like?

Copy the structure, not the look or the voice. Section order, a summary at the top, read-time labels and a single closing ask all transfer to any brand. The design and the writing voice should be your own, or the newsletter will read like an imitation.

Now write yours

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