Most newsletters are bloated and broken - here’s how I fixed mine.

I’ve run a newsletter for years - and for a lot of that time, it underperformed. Here are 7 takeaways that boosted my newsletter game:

1. Most people treat newsletters like blogs: Long intros, zero clarity, and no reason to keep reading. Your email should be scannable in under 5 seconds. Cut the fluff. Lead with the payoff. Newsletters are for the reader - not for you.

2. Your subject line matters more than the content: If it doesn’t get opened, it doesn’t get read. I test 2–3 every send. What works: curiosity, specifics, and calling out a real pain point.

3. Too many dead subscribers = your content never gets seen: I auto-prune cold emails every 60 days. This keeps deliverability high and clicks strong. If you're not cleaning, you're tanking your future sends.

4. Don’t go it alone - use AI + systems to stay in flow:
   The best writers aren’t threatened by AI - they use it to unlock their best ideas faster. I lean on tools like ChatGPT and Granola to brainstorm subject lines, summarize long-form content, and draft ideas.

5. Drive ROI: Most people send newsletters to “stay in touch.” That’s not a strategy. Newsletters should drive action. If yours isn’t tied to ROI, it’s dead weight.

6. Newsletters as a gateway to building a community: You own the audience (no algorithm games), and when you show up consistently, people start to feel like they know you. That trust makes it easier to invite them into a deeper space.

7. Change platforms as your goals evolve: I switched to Beehiiv a few years back because it better supports where we’re headed - growth tools, built-in recommendations, and a clean writing experience that makes it easier to scale the newsletter. Don’t get attached to a platform just because you started there.

📈📈We're always looking to improve the Leveling Up newsletter. Take our 3-question subscriber survey and let us know your thoughts. 📈📈

Want to optimize or launch your newsletter? Check out these weekend reads:
→ Newsletter Operating System (Notion Template)
→ Write Like a CEO (Free Guide)
→ Beehiiv's 2025 State of Email Newsletters

To working smarter,
Eric Siu

P.S. Attention is compounding. Start building your newsletter the right way before someone else eats your audience.