I get asked all the time about
@TheHustle
's distinctive voice and style.
I thought I'd share a little insight into how we think about the writing process (h/t
@theSamParr
,
@LimbsySquid
and others who've written for us over the years, whose collected wisdom I tapped…)
12/ In sum, to write great subject lines:
- Experiment often
- Keep it short
- Keep it simple
- Help people make $$
- Assertions > questions
- News sells
- So do solutions
- Conflict is overrated
- So are explainers
- Don’t make people think too hard
I’ve been a
@FTiafoe
fan since
@lizclarketweet
profiled him seven years ago, at age 16.
I’ll never forget what one of his coaches said about Francis—whose dad, the maintenance man at a tennis center, introduced him to the game.
One of
@TheHustle
’s best writers
@zzcrockett
, whose features get zillions of hits, shared a few lessons w/our team this week on how he finds his stories. Here are a few takeaways...
In the newsletter game, niches make riches.
But how do you find niches?
Here are 3 examples of small newsletters making bank (h/t
@damn_ethan
).
Let's go ⬇️
5 years ago today, I accepted a job as Head of Content
@TheHustle
.
Since then, I've…
✍🏻Written/edited ~2k newsletters
🔥 Hired and developed some of the country’s best newsletter writers
📈Helped The Hustle grow from 1m to 2.5m daily readers
Here are 5 things I've learned 🧵
Big news in newsletter land...my company is getting acquired by
@HubSpot
.
What's it mean for
@TheHustle
readers? Short answer: more of the stuff you love (more podcasts, more original features, etc.)
A fun thread on our journey so far...👇
After 5 years of leading content
@TheHustle
, I’m excited to start a newsletter of my own: Newsletter Examples.
In <3 minutes/week, I'll highlight...
🔥 Innovative formats
🧠 Smart strategies
👏🏻 Best practices
...from leading newsletters to help you build & grow your newsletter
This thread will blow your mind.
If you enjoy it, you should subscribe to
@TheHustle
, where
@TrungTPhan
writes hilarious, mind-blowing stories 5x/week.
Sign up here free:
The pandemic minted 30 new healthcare billionaires, including Harvard professor Timothy Springer (net worth $1.8B+) and MIT professor Robert Langer ($1.3B+).
They both made early investments in Moderna.
To everyone who wants to start or grow an email newsletter:
This week
@damn_ethan
and I are teaching a mini course on the subject, tweeting daily insights we’ve learned from 6 months of researching the business.
Follow us for advice on how to grow and monetize your list.
🧵...
.
@TheHustle
just had an opening for a staff writer. Hundreds of people applied.
I wrote up a few takeaways on the search, including:
- what we look for in writers
- how you can make yourself stand out
- who we settled on and why
HELLA JOB OPP
I’d love your help sharing.
We’re looking for a talented staff writer to join our 🚀
5 reasons to come work with me and our amazing team
@TheHustle
A thread 👇
5/ HELP PEOPLE MAKE MONEY.
These 3 subject lines all made our Top 20:
“How a tiny D2C company hacked its way to $500k/mo in sales”
“Why NFTs are suddenly selling for millions of dollars”
“We interviewed 20+ vending machine owners. Here's how much they make.”
6/ Assertions are better than questions.
Assertion: 🏦 Stripe Treasury is a huge deal (51% open rate)
Question: 💸 Will Big Tech lose its tax shelters? (42%)
Want to write for
@TheHustle
?
We're looking for part-time contributors (which could grow into full-time positions).
Key attributes:
✍🏾 Strong writing voice
📱 Business and tech smarts
Apply here:
For more on our team👇
HELLA JOB OPP
I’d love your help sharing.
We’re looking for a talented staff writer to join our 🚀
5 reasons to come work with me and our amazing team
@TheHustle
A thread 👇
Just got this email from a job candidate I’d been talking to. Bummed we won’t get to work together, but the fashion industry is about to get someone special.
“...sometimes people come to the end of themselves and finally do the thing they were meant to do all along.”
Our president is out for a couple weeks so
@theSamParr
is back in the saddle. First thing he tells us: “We have too many meetings. Let’s just go MAKE STUFF.”
CFPB retreats from Wells Fargo probe, prepares to settle Navient case over alleged student-loan abuses.
@eisingerj
on the "bureaucratic immobilization" of the agency.
This spring I flew to Texas to write a story about a boys’ high school soccer team. I’ve profiled lots of amazing people in my life, but this team might be my favorite.
Free vs. paid: Which should I build?
It's one of the most common questions
@damn_ethan
and I heard as we researched the newsletter business.
Experts say build a huge following first, then start charging.
Here’s why I think that’s bunk.
🧵...
Want to keep up with
@TrungTPhan
?
His playbook for success:
1) Wake up before dawn, read the internet, write hundreds of words before Trung Jr. wakes up
2) Tweet hilarious memes, grow followers from 5k to ~100k in < 1 yr
3) Skip meetings…except occasional cameos
Did you miss the
@NewsletterConf
? I got you...
In this week's Newsletter Examples, I share 6 things I learned, including:
💸 The niches where you can make the most riches
📈 How to grow your newsletter with free goodies
🤣 Why meme makers are 🔥 partners & more
Sign up in bio!
13/ If you like breakdowns like these:
a) RT the first tweet in this thread -- it’ll help more people see this/learn.
b) Subscribe to
@TheHustle
and OPEN IT EVERY MF DAY!!!
c) Give me a follow (
@bradwolverton
). I write about email growth tactics with the occasional wisecrack.
The most important sentence of an article is the first one. If it doesn’t entice the reader to read the second one, you’re dead. So make it sharp and snappy.
11/ What *not* to copy.
Our email with the lowest open rate had this subject line:
“Board games are starting to look a lot like video games”
I don’t even know what that means...and a sh*t ton of readers didn’t care either.
7/ Solutions (and numbers) sell.
📧 Fixing the $650B subscription economy (46% open rate)
🎯 How Target took $9B from competitors (46%)
She was kidnapped and locked in a car trunk. Then, she decided to change the car industry. (47%)
@Nicolascole77
💯Less talented writers who put themselves out there have a better chance of succeeding than more talented writers who don’t get in the arena.
COOL JOB ALERT
I'd love your help sharing.
We're looking for a talented managing editor to help write and oversee our daily business newsletter.
4 reasons to come work with me and our amazing team
@TheHustle
...
Want to see how meme lord
@TrungTPhan
upended boring business news?
Read the latest issue of Newsletter Examples, my weekly email that breaks down best practices from leading newsletters to help you grow your newsletter.
Issue drops later today. Sign up free (link in bio)✅
Zack is a master at combing through archives and databases. Here are a few places where he finds his best ideas:
- (“a total gold mine”)
- ArchiveGrid (“the king of all rabbit holes”)
- Subreddits & Facebook groups (he belongs to hundreds of them)
8/ Kinda obvs, but news also sells.
Amazon’s next play 🚚 (53% open rate)
Apple fires Intel (52%)
📦 Jeff Bezos is stepping down (51%)
🍟 McDonald’s is crushing it (51%)
🙅♂️ Zucked (51%)
I’ve lived in the DC area for almost 20 years—moved here shortly before 9/11.
I was less than a mile from the Pentagon when it was hit.
Besides that, yesterday was the most surreal day I’ve spent here.
To everyone impacted by the violence at the US Capitol, may you find ☮️
10/ Another assumption: People love explainers.
We wrote at least a dozen subject lines with some variation of “X, explained”
Not one cracked the Top 50.
ATTENTION STORYTELLERS...
I'm looking for a top-shelf writer.
Come work for the No. 1 daily biz/tech newsletter.
Learn from the best (
@zzcrockett
@TrungTPhan
)
Apply here:
Read more about our team 👇
1/
We have an all-star editorial team including:
🏆 An
@ONA
award-winning writer
🗞️ Contributors to
@nytimes
@washingtonpost
& other national outlets
🎙️ A
@MarketPlace
contributor
📚 The author of two bestselling books
🎥 Writers who’ve optioned numerous stories for film & TV
Lots of jobs have gone away lately.
@TheHustle
is fortunate to be hiring.
We're looking for a creative writer with big ideas (bonus points if you can make us laugh).
Apply here: