My first newsletter about...newsletters

In true form, I’m kicking my first newsletter for the year off by talking about other newsletters. If you know me, I am no stranger to a “subscribe now button.” I truly believe newsletters are the most elite form of internet communication. And after attempting and burning no less than 20 newsletters on my own, I have a new found respect for just how hard it is to put something out into the world people will actually want to read in a time where 60 second videos reign supreme. It’s always shocking to me how many people I talk to are so hesitant to be a paid subscriber to any online publications. Remember a mere decade ago when we HAD to pay to get quality writing delivered to us via magazines and newspapers? My grandmother, born in the 30s, pledged unwavering allegiance to People magazine for the entirety of my life that I knew her. Now, we get to skip through the ads and the fringe one off articles that were there for filler and pay for exactly the kind of niche articles we are interested in. I think we are in the hangover period of “free” opinions that have been so popular for the past 12 years on social media. So many friends complain about what instagram has become and my feeling is… it might be that you get what you pay for. Think about if 20 years ago you ONLY got your news and culture from those free pseudo-magazines that were really a front for real estate and insurance ads at the door of the grocery store and gas station? As I gently step down off this soapbox, If you want to up-level your inbox in 2024 and support some great people in the process, I hope you can find some inspiration here.

I recently did an audit of the newsletters I subscribe to in order to put together my top 10 recommendation list and in hopes to weed out some that I don’t read as much. Somehow I ended up with more than I started. This tracks. So here goes:

1. I have said this before. I will say this again. Whatever Elise Loehnen is selling. I. Am. Buying. Newsletters, podcasts, used cars, cults. I’m all in. Her topics range from from social justice to astrology to women’s health and a big spectrum in-between but she somehow makes it feel unchaotic and really meaningful each time without a preachy or judgmental air. I have followed her since her first episode of the Goop podcast years ago and she’s held the gold standard for me ever since. Last year I interviewed a keynote speaker*1 at a business retreat and all I did for prep was to re-listen to some of my favorite Elise pods. She asks the very best questions and her ego is never on the table which is such a breath of fresh air. She’s brilliant, a little nerdy (in the best way), and thoughtful. Thats a perfect trifecta in my book. Newsletter, pod, insta.

2. Richard Rohr’s daily meditation emails have been how many of my family members and I start our days for years and years. For whatever reason I was hesitant to read initially and on my drive from Louisiana to South Carolina almost 5 years ago, I started bingeing pods with him on it and never looked back. A little backstory on me: I have a very strong relationship with my faith which is deeply rooted in Jesus’s teachings, but I think I got macrodosed a little too hard in the church arena going to a Baptist school K-12 and have been working on finding the balance there for a while. Richard Rohr helped me think of Jesus again outside of the walls of the business of American churches. His daily writings are just enough to get your brain and heart going everyday. I love the writers on his team and you can feel the intention they put into each email. I refer back to this theme on conscious parenting from 2019 often. Newsletter, my favorite pod with Rohr and Brene Brown, insta.
3. I came across Brooks Reitz newsletter whilst searching for a recipe to replicate his Charleston restaurants, Little Jacks (worlds best burger. I said what I said), shrimp burger which I found behind a paywall in his Substack. While my shrimp were in the freezer mid burger prep per his recommendation, I binged his entire library of newsletters and by the end of the afternoon I had booked the recommendations from his family trip to Maine and had cooked 2 more of his simple meals. His writing style is short and to the point without sounding clipped or choppy and packs a lot of personality in a very easy to digest bite. You can feel he only speaks about what he’s truly interested in at the moment. It has that effortless vibe we all think we can achieve as writers and then we find ourselves on word 17895 of a short newsletter about newsletters. Newsletter. Insta. (and yes the Maine trip was as lowkey and fantastic as he made it seem and blindly following his every recommendation turned out a winning gamble.)
4. OK this one is for my social media business friends (but who is safe from having some sort of business dealings in instagram these days?) Rachel Karten’s link in bio newsletter should be required for anyone running a social account. She rounds up the best of marketing and finds the people that make those marketing moments happen and asks them all the questions you’d want to know. She, again, is very gifted in short form writing and packs a ton of value in a time economical punch. Her paid subscription also includes access to a discord group of very talented social media managers sharing their tips and tricks. Great for inspo and getting unstuck in an ever changing internet marketing landscape. (via the discord I found out about my very favorite tiktok account and here’s me paying it forward- you’re welcome) Newsletter, insta
5. and 6. Here’s another one for those that lean into (or want to lean into) our more nerdy sides. I read a lot of AI newsletters but I always recommend starting with the Neuron, its easy to follow and makes you feel like you have a pulse on whats going on in the world so you can casually drop things like “How about that Altman drama” at your next work event. They send them daily, I always find cool tools and nuggets on there. Newsletter. My personal favorite place to find AI experts (who very kindly break down my questions in a lay person format) and news in a more hands on way is the AI exchange. There is a newsletter but the real secret sauce is the robust slack community you get access to when joining. There are so many groups out there claiming to be “communities” but this one really is. People willingly share tools and tricks to help others learn in this fast growing landscape and it has provided me tremendous value. It’s so refreshing to see strangers on the internet collaborating and rooting for each other. It’s inspired me to want to create a community on my own one day of people wanting to talk about deeper things in work life balance world. What we are actually doing to not just survive and thrive every day without the glossy lens of a social highlight real (which don’t get me wrong I love too!). Newsletter. Website.
6. In Kind is one of those reads that pairs best with a long very hot bath. The longest on this list, the writing feels very pre social media and extremely well planned. It goes deep but not in a way that would ruffle feathers and still sprinkles in the good consumer moment or two. I thoroughly enjoyed this interview with a publicist in the midst of career changes. It was unfiltered without being preachy or in your face- refreshingly normal. Which I think we can all say we are craving in the (hopefully) post everyones-an-expert social era. Newsletter. Insta.
7. For the sake of keeping this as truly transparent in what I ACTUALLY read as possible, I’d be remiss to not include the most rogue on this list. My diamond in the rough is the Zapier blog. The irony is I don’t even use Zapier (if you are unfamiliar it’s an automation technology that helps apps/ tech communicate where it normally could not) but somehow they show up in my inbox every few days and I actually have found several tools I use on the regular from them! It could be simple things from how to best layout your Chrome favorites tab to best email clean up tools. Whatever they are doing, it’s finding it’s way to the correct audience and it’s providing value which is any newsletter writers dream, right? Blog.
8. If you have access to the internet, you have most likely come across (and probably shed a tear or two after reading) a Humans of New York post. You might not know that the man behind the account, Brandon Stanton, collects zero revenue from the interviews and account itself. He has a paid patreon that I support that gives a behind the scenes look at why he does what he does (a love of storytelling and art) and what he’s turned down to maintain his artistic integrity. Although I don’t read every letter, I will always continue to support as long as I can because his stamp on modern culture without compromising his values is nothing short of remarkable. Newsletter
9. Do you have that friend that always has read the latest book, watched the latest buzzy show, or somehow always has an up to date on-vibe playlist? Well Alex is mine. And in effort to save me from texting her every time I finish a book/show/ album for the next suggestion and also in a public service of not gatekeeping her wealth of recommendations, I convinced her to start a newsletter. The year was early 2021, Substack was new and I wasn’t sure what it was but I was sure I could use it to get her beautiful brain to the masses. (as her editor don’t judge me on the work we produced then editing wise) It was a short lived run that was only 4 letters and I am hopeful if I publicly harass her enough she will bring it back because I can’t make pop culture decisions without her. Nor should you.

Well if you are still here, thank you! I hope you enjoy any of these as much as I do. I (if you can’t tell by now) love adding more to my stack so share the wealth if you have a favorite read not on this list!