Email has been having a renaissance lately via the newsletter. As social media becomes more fragmented and noisier users are turning more toward newsletters for curated topic specific content. Among knowledge peddlers like writers, artists, pundits and industry leaders it allows creators to aggregate their content for diehard fans as well as provide new content to readers in a curated form. Social media is often about the moment while a newletter allows for long form, indepth content delivered in an easily read format without any platform requirements. (Email is fairly ubiqitous as enough compnies provide free email services that there is no barrier to get an address.)


In the early 2000s, email was a marketing tool though the new wave of email newsletters have moved beyond simply selling. Most email newsletters are looking to establish a rapport with their readers thru adding value. The newletter may be selling someting to their readers though funding for newsletters is also accomplished thru donation, patronage, and sponsorship. I have shifted some of my readership away from RSS feed to newsletters and I have enjoyed getting the regular emails in my inbox.


In MPOW we leverage email campaigns for communication so I have been investigating the different tools that are availiable in the market. There are tools aimed at every level of complexity with those aimed enterprise customers with analyticas and reports and also those aimed for more hobbyist users.


Newsletter Platforms
Revue (https://www.getrevue.co) - Revue is s start up based in the Netherlands that focuses on making rich personal newsletters with embedded links and full feature text.


MailChimp(https://mailchimp.com) - MailChimp is the industry leader in terms of mindshare in the email marketing space. They are integrated into platforms (IFTT), which is great if you want get your contacts into your CRM.


TinyLetter(https://tinyletter.com) - Tiny Letter is campaign tool from Mail Chimp (acquired through acquisition focused on non-business users who want to create a letter along the lines of a paper zine or family newsletter.


Zoho Campaigns - A tool from the ubiquitous cloud computing service provider that provides SAS services across a large product line and verticals (CRM, Email, Invoices).


Newsletters in the News


O’Hare, Steve (2016-Dec–13) Revue makes email newsletters personal again Retrieved from https://techcrunch.com/2016/12/13/revue/ on 2017-Jan–27


Wayne, Teddy (2016-Nov–12) What is a TinyLetter? Like Ye Olde Blog though Less Public Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/13/fashion/tinyletter-newsletters-the-new-blog.html on 2017-Jan–27.


Nelson, Jess (2016-Dec–28) Newsletters Most Common Email Marketing Tactic Of 2016 Retrieved from http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/291955/newsletters-most-common-email-marketing-tactic-of.html on 2017-Jan–27


Rupp, Shannon(2017-Jan–2) Subscription Newsletters, Booming Like It’s the 18th Century Retrieved from https://thetyee.ca/Mediacheck/2017/01/02/Subscription-Newsletters/ on 2017-Jan–27


Finley, Klint(2015-Sep–25) Sorry Ello, the Real Anti-Facebook Is Good Old Email Retrieved from https://www.wired.com/2015/09/sorry-ello-real-anti-facebook-good-old-email/ on 2017-Jan–27