inference-sh/newsletter-curation

Newsletter Curation

Create and curate high-quality newsletters via inference.sh CLI.

Quick Start

Requires inference.sh CLI (belt). Install instructions

belt login

# Find content to curate
belt app run tavily/search-assistant --input '{
  "query": "most important AI developments this week 2024"
}'

# Generate newsletter header
belt app run infsh/html-to-image --input '{
  "html": "<div style=\"width:600px;height:200px;background:linear-gradient(135deg,#1e293b,#334155);display:flex;align-items:center;padding:40px;font-family:system-ui;color:white\"><div><h1 style=\"font-size:32px;margin:0;font-weight:800\">The Weekly Signal</h1><p style=\"font-size:16px;opacity:0.7;margin-top:8px\">Issue #47 — January 15, 2025</p></div></div>"
}'

Newsletter Formats

1. Link Roundup

5-15 curated links with 1-3 sentence commentary per link.

## This Week's Top Picks

### [Article Title](url)
One to three sentences explaining why this matters and what the
reader will get from it. Add your take — don't just describe.

### [Article Title](url)
Your commentary here. The value is your curation and perspective,
not just the link.

2. Deep Dive + Links

One in-depth analysis (300-500 words) + 5-8 curated links.

## The Big Story

[300-500 word analysis of the week's most important topic]

## Also Worth Reading

- **[Title](url)** — One sentence commentary
- **[Title](url)** — One sentence commentary
...

3. Original Essay

One focused piece (500-1,000 words) with a clear thesis.

## [Essay Title]

[Your original analysis, opinion, or insight]

## What I'm Reading

- [Title](url) — brief note
- [Title](url) — brief note

4. Q&A / Interview

Feature conversation with an expert or practitioner.

5. Data/Trends

Numbers, charts, and analysis of trends in your space.

Issue Structure

The Template

# [Newsletter Name] — Issue #[N]

## 👋 Hello

[2-3 sentences of personal intro — what's on your mind,
what this issue covers, why it matters right now]

## 🔥 The Big Story

[Featured content — your deepest analysis or most
important curated piece with commentary]

## 📚 Worth Reading

### [Title 1](url)
[2-3 sentence commentary with your take]

### [Title 2](url)
[2-3 sentence commentary]

### [Title 3](url)
[2-3 sentence commentary]

## 💡 Quick Hits

- [One-liner + link](url)
- [One-liner + link](url)
- [One-liner + link](url)

## 📊 Stat of the Week

[One compelling data point with context]

## 💬 From the Community

[Reader reply, question, or discussion point]

---

That's it for this week. If you found this useful, forward
it to a colleague who'd enjoy it.

[Your name]

Content Sourcing

Where to Find Content

# Industry news
belt app run tavily/search-assistant --input '{
  "query": "[your niche] news this week latest developments"
}'

# Research and data
belt app run exa/search --input '{
  "query": "[your niche] research report statistics 2024"
}'

# Trending discussions
belt app run tavily/search-assistant --input '{
  "query": "site:reddit.com [your niche] discussion this week"
}'

# Academic/deep content
belt app run exa/search --input '{
  "query": "[your niche] analysis deep dive opinion"
}'

Source Categories

| Source Type | Examples | Best For | |------------|---------|----------| | News | TechCrunch, The Verge, industry press | Breaking developments | | Research | Papers, reports, surveys | Data-backed insights | | Blogs | Engineering blogs, personal blogs | Practitioner perspectives | | Social | Twitter threads, LinkedIn posts | Hot takes, discussions | | Tools | Product launches, updates | Practical recommendations | | Community | Reddit, HN, forums | Ground-level sentiment |

Curation Quality Filter

For each piece of content, ask:

| Question | If No → | |---------|---------| | Would I send this to a colleague 1-on-1? | Don't include | | Does it teach something actionable? | Consider skipping | | Is the source credible? | Find better source | | Is it timely/relevant this week? | Save for later or skip | | Can I add commentary that adds value? | Just linking isn't enough |

Writing Commentary

What Makes Good Commentary

❌ Just describing: "This article talks about React Server Components."
❌ Restating the headline: "React Server Components are here."

✅ Adding context: "React Server Components shipped last week, and this
   is the first production teardown I've seen. Key insight: they reduced
   initial JS bundle by 60%, but added complexity to the build pipeline."

✅ Giving your take: "I'm skeptical about the migration path here.
   Most teams I've talked to are waiting for better tooling."

✅ Connecting dots: "This pairs well with Vercel's announcement last
   month — the ecosystem is clearly converging on this pattern."

Commentary Formula

[What happened] + [Why it matters to the reader] + [Your take or prediction]

Sending Cadence

| Frequency | Best For | Open Rate Impact | |-----------|---------|-----------------| | Weekly | Most newsletters | Highest — predictable, not overwhelming | | Bi-weekly | Deep analysis, essays | Good if content is substantial | | Daily | News-focused, short format | Requires dedicated habit, risky | | Monthly | Research roundups | OK for depth, risks being forgotten |

Weekly is the sweet spot. Same day, same time, every week. Consistency builds habit.

| Day | Performance | |-----|------------| | Tuesday | Highest open rates | | Thursday | Second highest | | Wednesday | Third | | Monday | Lower (inbox overload) | | Friday | Lower (weekend mode) | | Weekend | Lowest (but some niches thrive) |

Subject Lines

| Formula | Example | |---------|---------| | Issue number + teaser | "#47: The framework nobody's talking about" | | Number + topic | "5 tools that changed my workflow this month" | | Question | "Is TypeScript dying?" | | This week + category | "This week in AI: GPT-5 rumors, open source wins" | | Direct value | "The SQL optimization guide I wish I had earlier" |

Keep under 50 characters. Mobile truncates at ~35.

Growth Strategies

| Strategy | Implementation | |----------|---------------| | Cross-promotion | Partner with complementary newsletters | | Social distribution | Post key insights on Twitter/LinkedIn with subscribe CTA | | Referral program | "Forward to 3 friends" or formal referral rewards | | SEO archive | Publish newsletter archive as blog posts | | Lead magnet | "Subscribe and get [free resource]" | | Consistent quality | The best growth strategy: be worth reading |

# Create social teaser for newsletter
belt app run x/post-create --input '{
  "text": "This week in The Weekly Signal:\n\n→ Why edge computing is eating the backend\n→ The database migration nobody talks about\n→ 5 tools I discovered this month\n\nJoin 2,000+ engineers: [link]\n\nIssue #47 drops tomorrow morning."
}'

Metrics That Matter

| Metric | Good | Great | Action If Low | |--------|------|-------|--------------| | Open rate | 30-40% | 40%+ | Improve subject lines | | Click rate | 3-5% | 5%+ | Better content curation, stronger CTAs | | Unsubscribe rate | < 0.5% per issue | < 0.2% | Check content quality, frequency | | Reply rate | Any replies | Regular replies | Ask questions, invite conversation | | Forward rate | Any forwards | — | Make content share-worthy | | Growth rate | 5-10% monthly | 10%+ | Increase distribution, referral program |

Common Mistakes

| Mistake | Problem | Fix | |---------|---------|-----| | No consistent schedule | Readers forget about you | Same day, same time, every week | | Links without commentary | You're a bookmark, not a newsletter | Add your take on every piece | | Too many links (15+) | Overwhelming, nothing stands out | 5-10 curated picks max | | Generic subject lines | Low open rates | Tease the best content, keep under 50 chars | | No personal voice | Reads like an RSS feed | Intro paragraph, opinions, personality | | Only promotional content | Readers unsubscribe | 90% value, 10% promotion max | | Inconsistent quality | Trust erodes | Skip an issue rather than send a weak one | | No CTA for engagement | One-way broadcast | Ask questions, invite replies, encourage forwards | | No archive/SEO | Missing growth channel | Publish issues as web pages |

Related Skills

npx skills add inference-sh/skills@email-design
npx skills add inference-sh/skills@content-repurposing
npx skills add inference-sh/skills@seo-content-brief

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