Do you have a newsletter ritual? Like reading them on the train into work, during your lunch break, on a Saturday morning? Or do they just sit there, forelorn in your mailbox between all the other LinkedIn updates and flight reminders?
I’ve come to realise that I quite like newsletters. They give me routine, a little ritual to start my day, to kickstart my brain. Not any newsletter of course – I do have my favourites. In need of some inspiration? Read on!
What’s in a name? There are a few newsletters that I like to find in my inbox first thing in the morning, because – no kidding – they tell me about what is happening in the world. Amazing right?! My two preferred ones for my general news intake are De Standaard (in Dutch) and The Guardian (UK). Because I live in Belgium and am supposed to really get the hang of my mothertongue again I read the former. In order to stay up to date with what is happening in the UK after living there for a good few years I’m subscribed to the latter.
Because I work(ed) in the EU field I like the Politico Newsletters for the EU. The Brussels Playbook is daily and can be a bit full on as it holds A LOT of information, but you do get just that when you need it. If daily is a bit too much you can also sign up for one of the weekly ones, like EU Confidential or EU Influence. I think the newsletter layouts could be a bit clearer but hey, that’s also how I feel about the EU.
For other type of news Wired is a long-time favourite. It’s forward facing, with interesting reads about technology, ideas, business and culture. You get four free articles a month, so you have to think carefully when selecting what you want to read. Or you just sign up with three different email addresses.
A more recent find with its very own take on the news is The Next Draft. The wonderful person that is Dave Pell gives you the best, weirest, saddest, funniest or just most random stories out there on the internet. Every day. For free. ‘HOW have I not signed up to this yet?!’ is the correct reaction you should have right now.
The only girly newsletter I signed up for? Sheerluxe. I really liked their stylish emails and cute recommendations, but after a while I did find it a little frustrating that it was very London-centered, even when I was based in Birmingham.
Friday I’m in love with my mailbox, because that’s when the 99U newsletter arrives! Even just when linking the title here I got sidetracked on their website with all the inspiring creative content! Because that is what you get: creativity and so much inspiration! I’ve almost quit my job on a fair few Fridays after reading through some of these articles!
The Moz Blog sends you the 10 most valuable pieces of content on SEO every two weeks, and that includes their own content as well as stuff they’ve read. Great resource, learnt a lot from these!
On Saturdays I look out for Clo Willaerts‘ weekly newsletter about all things digital. She curates what you should read/know and gives you a bit of her opinion along with it.
Last but not least, and only for Dutch-speakers I’m afraid, is ‘Maandag na de zondag‘ by Marlou Saris. It lands in your inbox every other Monday, filled with positivity and fun/quirky/nice/pretty everyday things. She is currently taking a break, but make sure you’ve signed up for when she gets back to it!
What are your favourite newsletters? Anything you recommend me to subscribe to? Let me know!
Annelies Explores 
I love this topic! I was just looking into mail chimp today. I also love newsletters and like the idea of having my own, but not sure if it makes sense for a lifestyle blog. Do u have a newsletter for your blog?
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I don’t but a friend of mine does (it’s in Dutch though). But I like the concept: she sends it every Monday morning (the newsletter is called ‘The Monday after Sunday’) and in it she compiles lots of nice things she came across – books, movies, cafés, expositions she would recommend, some nice pictures she took in the past two weeks etc. And it’s a really nice snapshot 🙂 So maybe worth a try – if you have the time.
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I used to find newsletters irritating and spammy, however, actually choosing the right ones for me which provide a lot of useful information has worked well. Great blog post!
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Thanks for the suggestions! I subscribe to Morning Coffee and Authors Publish for writing tips and gigs.
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Ooooh! I’ll check them out!
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