newsletter-publishing
Email newsletter workflows for journalists and researchers. Use when creating, managing, or optimizing email newsletters, building subscriber lists, designing email templates, analyzing engagement metrics, or planning newsletter content calendars. For independent journalists, academic communicators, and media organizations building direct audience relationships.
What this skill does
# Newsletter publishing
Practical workflows for building and managing email newsletters for journalism and academia.
## When to activate
- Creating a new newsletter from scratch
- Designing email templates for journalism content
- Building and segmenting subscriber lists
- Analyzing newsletter performance metrics
- Planning editorial calendars for newsletters
- Migrating between newsletter platforms
- Improving deliverability and open rates
## Newsletter architecture
### Content strategy framework
```markdown
## Newsletter strategy document
### Core identity
- **Name**:
- **Tagline** (one line):
- **What readers get**: [specific value proposition]
- **Frequency**: [ ] Daily [ ] Weekly [ ] Bi-weekly [ ] Monthly
### Target audience
- Primary reader:
- What they care about:
- Why they'll subscribe:
- What they'll do with this info:
### Content pillars
1. [Core topic 1] - [how often]
2. [Core topic 2] - [how often]
3. [Recurring feature] - [how often]
### Voice and tone
- Formal ↔ Conversational: [1-5]
- Serious ↔ Light: [1-5]
- Reported ↔ Personal: [1-5]
### Success metrics (first 6 months)
- Subscriber goal:
- Target open rate:
- Target click rate:
```
### Issue structure template
```markdown
## [Newsletter Name] - Issue #[XX]
**Date**: [Date]
**Subject line**: [Subject]
**Preview text**: [First 50-90 characters readers see]
---
### Opening hook
[2-3 sentences that make readers want to keep reading]
### Main story
[Your primary content - 300-600 words for most newsletters]
### Secondary items (if applicable)
- **Quick hit 1**: [Brief item with link]
- **Quick hit 2**: [Brief item with link]
### Recurring section
[Weekly column, data point, recommendation, etc.]
### Sign-off
[Personal note, call to action, or preview of next issue]
---
**Unsubscribe** | **Preferences** | **Forward to a friend**
```
## Technical implementation
### HTML email template (responsive)
```html
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
<title>{{newsletter_name}}</title>
<style>
/* Reset styles for email clients */
body { margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; }
table { border-collapse: collapse; }
img { border: 0; display: block; }
/* Responsive container */
.container {
max-width: 600px;
margin: 0 auto;
font-family: Georgia, serif;
font-size: 18px;
line-height: 1.6;
color: #333;
}
/* Dark mode support */
@media (prefers-color-scheme: dark) {
.container { background-color: #1a1a1a; color: #e0e0e0; }
a { color: #6db3f2; }
}
/* Mobile styles */
@media only screen and (max-width: 480px) {
.container { padding: 15px !important; }
h1 { font-size: 24px !important; }
}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<table role="presentation" width="100%">
<tr>
<td align="center" style="padding: 20px;">
<div class="container">
<!-- Header -->
<table width="100%">
<tr>
<td style="padding-bottom: 20px; border-bottom: 2px solid #333;">
<h1 style="margin: 0;">{{newsletter_name}}</h1>
<p style="margin: 5px 0 0; color: #666;">{{issue_date}}</p>
</td>
</tr>
</table>
<!-- Content -->
<table width="100%">
<tr>
<td style="padding: 30px 0;">
{{content}}
</td>
</tr>
</table>
<!-- Footer -->
<table width="100%">
<tr>
<td style="padding-top: 20px; border-top: 1px solid #ddd; font-size: 14px; color: #666;">
<p>You're receiving this because you subscribed to {{newsletter_name}}.</p>
<p>
<a href="{{unsubscribe_url}}">Unsubscribe</a> |
<a href="{{preferences_url}}">Update preferences</a>
</p>
</td>
</tr>
</table>
</div>
</td>
</tr>
</table>
</body>
</html>
```
### Python newsletter sender
```python
from dataclasses import dataclass, field
from datetime import datetime
from typing import List, Dict, Optional
from enum import Enum
import hashlib
class SubscriberStatus(Enum):
ACTIVE = "active"
UNSUBSCRIBED = "unsubscribed"
BOUNCED = "bounced"
COMPLAINED = "complained"
@dataclass
class Subscriber:
email: str
name: Optional[str] = None
subscribed_at: datetime = field(default_factory=datetime.now)
status: SubscriberStatus = SubscriberStatus.ACTIVE
tags: List[str] = field(default_factory=list)
custom_fields: Dict = field(default_factory=dict)
@property
def hash_id(self) -> str:
"""Generate unique ID for unsubscribe links."""
return hashlib.md5(self.email.encode()).hexdigest()[:12]
@dataclass
class NewsletterIssue:
subject: str
preview_text: str
html_content: str
plain_text: str
scheduled_at: Optional[datetime] = None
sent_at: Optional[datetime] = None
issue_number: int = 0
# Metrics
sent_count: int = 0
delivered_count: int = 0
opened_count: int = 0
clicked_count: int = 0
bounced_count: int = 0
unsubscribed_count: int = 0
@property
def open_rate(self) -> float:
if self.delivered_count == 0:
return 0.0
return (self.opened_count / self.delivered_count) * 100
@property
def click_rate(self) -> float:
if self.delivered_count == 0:
return 0.0
return (self.clicked_count / self.delivered_count) * 100
class NewsletterManager:
"""Core newsletter operations."""
def __init__(self, name: str):
self.name = name
self.subscribers: List[Subscriber] = []
self.issues: List[NewsletterIssue] = []
def add_subscriber(self, email: str, name: str = None,
tags: List[str] = None) -> Subscriber:
"""Add new subscriber with double opt-in pending."""
sub = Subscriber(
email=email.lower().strip(),
name=name,
tags=tags or []
)
self.subscribers.append(sub)
return sub
def segment_subscribers(self, tags: List[str] = None,
min_engagement: float = None) -> List[Subscriber]:
"""Get subscribers matching criteria."""
active = [s for s in self.subscribers
if s.status == SubscriberStatus.ACTIVE]
if tags:
active = [s for s in active
if any(t in s.tags for t in tags)]
return active
def calculate_engagement_score(self, subscriber: Subscriber) -> float:
"""Score subscriber engagement 0-100."""
# Implementation would track opens/clicks per subscriber
return 50.0 # Placeholder
```
## Subscriber management
### List hygiene workflow
```python
from datetime import datetime, timedelta
def clean_subscriber_list(manager: NewsletterManager,
inactive_threshold_days: int = 180) -> dict:
"""Identify and handle inactive subscribers."""
cutoff = datetime.now() - timedelta(days=inactive_threshold_days)
results = {
'total': len(manager.subscribers),
'active': 0,
'inactive': [],
'bounced': [],
'unsubscribed': []
}
for sub in manager.subscribers:
if sub.status == SubscriberStatus.BOUNCED:
results['bounced'].append(sub.email)
elif sub.status == SubscriberStatus.UNSUBSCRIBED:
results['unsubscribed'].append(sub.email)
elif sub.status == SubscriberStatus.ACTIVE:
# Check last engagement
engagement = manager.calculate_engagement_score(sub)
if engagement < 10: # Very low engagement
results['inactive'].append(sub.email)
else:
results['active'] += 1
return resuRelated in Productivity
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