Newsletter Highlights from Q1 2023
If this were a recipe website, there would be 4,000 words with a backstory before you got to the recipe you came for. The 99 Newsletter Project doesn’t need to keep you scrolling to get more ad impressions, so we’ll jump right in!
Each newsletter in this showcase was received from December 2022 through March 2023. They are in no particular order. Comments for each go in to detail about why these emails can be used to build a better relationship with newsletter audiences.
Borderless – What ID do you need?
Location: Chicago, IL
Website: borderlessmag.org
Email Provider: Mailchimp
Subject:
👤 What ID do you need to travel or vote?
Comments:
Borderless is a member-supported newsroom in Chicago that focuses on immigrant voices and stories.
With mayoral elections quickly approaching, Borderless used its newsletter to answer useful questions for its audiences:
- What ID do you need to vote?
- What ID do you need to travel?
- What are the differences between different types of ID?
- What ID can immigrants get in Illinois or Chicago?
INDY Today – Hoosier 101
Location: Indianapolis, IN
Website: indytoday.6amcity.com/
Email Provider: Sailthru
Subject:
Becoming a Hoosier + 5 local drive-thrus
Comments:
I’ve lived in 4 states in the past 15 years. Most of the stuff you have to do in a new state is like others. But there are always those little differences that can make new resident tasks a pain.
I love this IndyToday Hoosier 101 guide for new Indianapolis residents. It’s in the regular newsletter, not a pop-up. They also don’t just link a list of resources. IndyToday gives you a good overview of what documents you will need, costs, and if you need an appointment to register your car or get an Indiana driver’s license.
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Tone Madison – Mixtape
Location: Madison, WI
Website: tonemadison.com
Email Provider: Mailchimp
Comments:
Q: What do you get when you take one part NewsMatch and mix it with one part Bandcamp Friday?
A: To Grow A Garden, the Tone Madison mixtape of 40+ songs from musicians with ties to Madison, Wisconsin. Tone’s Music Editor Steven Spoerl curated the tracklist as a “testament to the rich and at times baffling variety of Madison music.”
The compilation sold for $15 on December 2nd’s Bandcamp Friday. After that, it bumped up to $20, with proceeds going to Tone Madison’s year-end fundraising drive.
Arizona Agenda – NIMBY Mad Libs
Location: Phoenix, AZ
Website: arizonaagenda.substack.com
Email Provider: Substack
Comments:
If you’ve sat through a handful of zoning meetings, you’ve heard the arguments against building housing for people that come up again and again and again. I sat through tons of these meetings as a fair housing activist in Austin, Texas. I’ve heard the same arguments dozens of times.
That’s why I got a hearty laugh from Arizona Agenda’s Create Your Own NIMBY Mad Libs. The execution is outstanding. I love seeing publications having a bit of fun — especially interactive fun — on their digital pages.
Canopy Atlanta – Trash Talk
Location: Atlanta, GA
Website: canopyatlanta.org
Comments:
I love how this newsletter uses big, easy-to-read pull quotes and resident faces to tease the latest issue.
The big story in that issue focuses on code enforcement, especially piles of trash that the local government is slow to respond to.
This email shows rather than tells. You can see the pile of trash. I like email intros written by the reporter or an editor, but they can be a bit dry. This is a great alternative.
Central Current – Library Meetup
Location: Syracuse, NY
Website: centralcurrent.org
Email Provider: Mailchimp
Subject: Meet us at the Petit Branch Library
Comments:
Two things I love about this email. One is the invitation to meet the Central Current team at the local library branch. I believe local newsrooms are a community resource with more in common with local libraries than big corporate media. This is a great way for the staff to get involved in the community they report on.
Secondly, the bus rider stories in this newsletter take angles you don’t see very often. In one, a reporter experiences the city car-free, while another examines transit accessibility.
The Juggernaut – Love Stories
Location: New York, NY
Website: thejuggernaut.com
Email Provider: Mailchimp
Subject: 💕 Our top 15 stories on love
Comments:
Even newer publications have gold in the archives! The Juggernaut reports on South Asia and the South Asian diaspora. For Valentine’s Day, they did a round-up of 15 stories about love from their archives.
In this round-up, you get a clear sense of The Juggernaut’s point-of-view and how that is different from other publications. It’s a wonderful way to show readers what you are about.
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