Trends in newsletter content for 2025

From: gregisenberg

Starting a newsletter in 2025 is highlighted as a strategic move, often considered a “cheat code” or “hack” to build a loyal audience that can serve as a foundation for various businesses, including agencies, marketplaces, or software companies [00:00:31]. This approach can lead to profitable ventures [00:00:25]. The following trends and ideas are inspired by Matt McGary, a “newsletter God” who has helped clients acquire 15.4 million email subscribers [00:00:54].

Key Trends and Newsletter Business Ideas

1. Marketing Newsletter for Global Talent

This trend addresses the significant rise of overseas talent in recent years [00:01:46]. A specific opportunity lies in creating a newsletter for overseas marketers seeking remote U.S.-based marketing jobs [00:02:33]. The idea capitalizes on the skill gap between Western marketers and their overseas counterparts due to budget differences, not language barriers [00:02:06].

• Content Structure:
  • Remote marketing job listings [00:03:22].
  • Relevant digital marketing news and updates [00:03:25].
  • Actionable digital marketing tutorials [00:03:30].
• Monetization Strategies: While the international subscribers are easy to acquire (e.g., 25-50 cents per sub from Facebook ads), the primary monetization target is the Western audience looking to hire this talent [00:03:42].
  • Job Board: Charge companies $300-$500 for a featured job post in the newsletter [00:04:00].
  • Sponsored Email Blasts: Send targeted blasts on behalf of job advertisers, charging $1,000-$3,000, especially if subscriber data (work experience, job title, company, skills) is collected at signup [00:04:56].
  • Recruiting Agency Partnership: Partner with or create an overseas recruiting agency [00:05:09].
  • Courses: Create courses focused on the international marketing audience [00:05:53].
• Economic Potential: With a $5,000monthlyadbudgetanda25-centCPA,onecouldacquire20,000newsubscribersmonthly<aclass="yt-timestamp"data-t="00:06:06">[00:06:06]</a>.Thiscouldgenerateapproximately$28,000 per month from job postings and recruiting blasts with an audience of 20,000-40,000 international marketers [00:06:14].

2. Platform-Based Newsletter

This model involves creating an educational newsletter focused on instructing users how to better utilize a specific tool, platform, or program commonly used in an industry [00:08:20]. Examples include Ableton for music production, DaVinci for video editing, Notion for operations, Canva for graphics, Figma for design, Klaviyo for e-commerce, or Perplexity AI for research [00:08:31]. The key is to pick one tool, make its content digestible and delightful, and focus on a specific niche [00:08:53].

• Monetization Strategies:
  • Affiliate Partner: Earn 20-50% recurring commission by being an affiliate for the platform [00:09:21]. The platform itself might even acquire the business later [00:09:50].
  • Templates: Create and sell templates for the platform (e.g., a HubSpot template for $200) [00:09:54]. Offering a free template for signing up via an affiliate link is also an option [00:10:06].
  • Software Creation: With advancements in AI, it’s possible to build Software as a Service (SaaS) tools using platforms like Repet, Bolt, or Vz, and sell them to the newsletter audience [00:10:50].
  • Courses: While mentioned, this is considered a less interesting monetization option [00:09:06].

3. Unofficial Sports Team Newsletter

This concept involves finding a sports team with a large fanbase but limited media coverage, such as a local, minor league, or college team [00:11:43]. The content can be sourced by curating the best takes from subreddits and forums, linking out to them, or even inviting contributors [00:11:59].

• Monetization: Through sponsors and by creating a paid Discord or Facebook Community [00:12:34].
• Scalability: To achieve significant revenue, one would likely need a dozen newsletters covering multiple teams [00:12:39].

4. Local Real Estate Investor Newsletter

This idea targets local real estate investors in cities with populations between 200,000 and 1 million people [00:13:30]. The newsletter would feature 10-20 high-quality investment properties sourced from Zillow or local realtors [00:13:43]. The listings are enriched with potential mortgage rates and return forecasts, making the content highly valuable [00:14:07]. AI can be used to automate property sourcing [00:15:15].

• Audience Growth Strategies:
  • Facebook ads (target CPA of $2 or less) [00:14:29].
  • Promotion in local Facebook groups and subreddits [00:14:34].
  • Pre- and post-call-to-actions (CTAs) on social media to tease content and drive sign-ups [00:15:01]. Building an organic audience on one social platform (e.g., TikTok, Instagram, X) alongside paid acquisition is recommended to reduce reliance on paid ads [00:16:22].
• Monetization:
  • Ad Sales: Approach local businesses with high Lifetime Value (LTV) (e.g., lawyers, accountants, bankers, insurance brokers) [00:17:13]. Charge a flat fee (e.g., $2,500upfrontfor500clicksat$5/click) [00:17:31].
  • In-Person Seminars/Events: Sell seats for $500-$1,000 [00:18:29].
  • Premium Subscriptions: Offer a paywall for 50% of properties at $1,000/year [00:18:40].
• Economic Potential: A 5,000-person list can generate significant revenue (e.g., $7,500/monthfromthreeadsales,$50,000 from seminars, $50,000ARRfrompremiumsubs,totaling$190,000/year) [00:19:08]. The economics improve with scale [00:19:54].

5. Newsletter for B2B Decision Makers

This is a high-value niche where subscriber quantity is less important than quality [00:20:56]. Even 2,000 executive subscribers can be a “home run” because sponsors are eager to reach these decision-makers [00:21:02].

• Audience Acquisition:
  • Direct Engagement: Interview executives in the target industry to understand their information consumption habits and content needs, then create content tailored for them [00:21:28]. Ask for introductions to their network [00:21:40].
  • Hyper-Relevant Content: Summarize important press releases, product launches, executive changes, and earning reports into concise 5-10 minute newsletters [00:21:53].
  • Social Media: Share content on LinkedIn and X to drive newsletter sign-ups [00:22:04].
  • Advertising/Cross-Promos: Advertise in other newsletters read by the target ICP or engage in cross-promotions [00:22:09].
• Monetization:
  • Sponsorships: Crucial for this model. Conduct post-subscription surveys (e.g., using Beehiiv) to gather subscriber data like job title, industry, company, and location [00:22:28]. Being able to state that 50% of subscribers are C-suite executives in a specific sector provides significant leverage for selling sponsorships [00:22:52].
  • Software Sales: The ultimate goal is to build and sell software products to this high-value audience [00:23:35].
  • Events/Ads/Courses: Can also be monetized through these traditional methods [00:23:48].

6. Niche Ad Examples for Media Buyers

Media buyers constantly need to find new ad creative examples [00:24:51]. There is a gap for newsletters dedicated to ad creatives for specific niches like media companies, SaaS, info products, or lead generation [00:25:04].

• Content Creation:
  • Determine target niches [00:25:24].
  • Source high-converting ads by looking at Meta Ad Library for ads that have been live longest on high-spending accounts [00:25:30].
  • Select 3-6 ads per niche and add 1-2 sentences of context to each [00:25:43].
• Monetization:
  • Paywall: Put 80% of the content behind a paywall [00:25:57].
  • Canva Templates: Create and sell Canva templates for each ad example [00:26:00].
  • Sponsorships: Sell sponsorships to advertisers targeting paid marketers [00:26:03].
  • Community/Membership/Course: Offer a community, membership, or course to the audience [00:26:08].

7. This Week in Memes (Visual Newsletters)

A significant trend for 2025 is the shift from predominantly text-based newsletters to more visual formats [00:28:17]. While existing visual newsletters cover business, finance, and tech (e.g., Charter, Smart Nonsense, Bay Area Times), there’s an opportunity for one that explains the news with memes [00:26:30].

• Content Creation:
  • Find a major news story [00:26:55].
  • Find a relevant meme [00:26:58].
  • Write a witty, concise 100-250 word summary of the story below the meme [00:27:00].
  • Memes can be sourced from Reddit, Twitter, Memelord.tech, or Memelerts.com [00:27:36].
• Niche Focus: Best suited for a “prosumer” niche like business, tech, investing, or finance, as these offer more monetization opportunities than general news [00:27:52].
• Beyond Memes: Other visual elements like infographics and GIFs can also be incorporated to make newsletters more engaging and less like “work to read” [00:28:35].

8. Industry-Specific AI Tips and Tactics

Modeled after successful paid newsletters like “Write with AI” ($200k ARR), this trend focuses on providing actionable AI prompts and tactics tailored to specific industries [00:29:14]. Examples include “AI for Marketers” or “AI for Lawyers” [00:29:35].

• Core Value: The key is to deliver “cheat codes” that help readers save time and money using AI tools and tactics, which people are increasingly willing to pay for in 2025 [00:29:46].
• Audience Challenge: A significant question is whether such a paid newsletter can succeed without a large pre-existing social media audience, unlike “Write with AI” which leveraged its founders’ hundreds of thousands of followers [00:29:58].

9. Lessons from Leaders or Inspirational Figures

This newsletter would feature highlights and lessons from inspirational leaders [00:31:01]. While trickier to monetize due to a less clear niche, it’s effective for rapidly growing a broad audience because the content easily translates to social media and can go viral [00:31:14].

• Content Structure: Short, predictable formats are preferred (2-5 minutes max) [00:31:50]. For an investor niche profiling Warren Buffett, sections could include “Best Interview,” “Best Quote,” “Best Book,” and “Best Piece of Advice” [00:31:55].
• Audience Acquisition: Leveraging social media platforms (e.g., X) and targeting users interested in specific leaders (e.g., those who like Warren Buffett or follow Berkshire Hathaway) via Facebook ads can be effective [00:32:25].
• Monetization Ideas (especially for “prosumer” leaders):
  • Hedge Fund: Raise a fund, becoming a “mini Warren Buffett” [00:33:19].
  • Consulting Agency: Offer “How would Warren Buffett run your company?” consulting [00:33:37].
  • Stock Trading App: Create an app focused on value investing [00:33:54].
  • AI Agent: Develop a paid AI agent that optimizes portfolios like Warren Buffett [00:34:02].

10. Local Newsletters

With traditional media struggling to adapt to digital, there’s a significant opportunity for digestible, community-oriented local newsletters [00:34:34]. The key is to focus on positive news and “things to do this weekend” (live music, food, local events not typically found on Eventbrite but perhaps on chalkboards at cafes) rather than crime [00:34:46]. AI might easily replicate certain types of event sourcing [00:35:15].

• Audience Acquisition:
  • Classic Facebook ads (can acquire subscribers for less than 50 cents) [00:35:24]. Ads like “Here are five restaurants to try this weekend in Miami” linking to a subscription landing page are effective [00:35:31].
• Monetization:
  • Local Sponsorships: Especially from high LTV businesses like lawyers, realtors, and wealth managers [00:35:59].
• Scalability: Local newsletters can grow to six-figure businesses in a single city and scale to seven figures by expanding into multiple cities [00:36:03]. Examples like Naptown Scoop ($400k/year)and6AMCity($8 million revenue with 1.4 million subscribers) demonstrate significant potential [00:36:14].

Overall Newsletter Business Advantages

Newsletters serve as a solid foundation for larger businesses (agencies, software, marketplaces) [00:37:11]. They allow for consistent customer acquisition through paid ads and organic audience growth [00:37:26]. With AI coding platforms, it’s increasingly feasible to create software products for newsletter audiences, enabling experimentation and diversification beyond traditional ad revenue or events [00:37:59].

Newsletters are considered “more relevant than ever” in 2025 [00:38:14], offering a low-cost entry point for startups [00:37:00].