Writing · Newsletter

AI newsletter

RecommendedBeehiiv with monetization built in

Train Feedly to find the stories, Claude to summarize them, Beehiiv to send. Promote the issue on X via Typefully. The whole loop runs on $45/mo.

WRITINGBEGINNERBeginnerFrom $25/mo
The stack
Feedly
Story discovery

Leo can be trained on your niche, then cuts 200 stories down to ~20 worth reading.

Free · $8/mo ProAlts: Perplexity
Claude
Synthesis + voice

Claude handles long context. Feed it 20 articles, get a coherent issue out the other side.

$20/mo Pro · API $3/M tokensAlts: ChatGPT
Beehiiv
Send + monetize

Free up to 2,500 subs, plus referral mechanics + an ad network when you outgrow free.

Free up to 2,500 · $39/mo ScaleAlts: Substack
Typefully
Promo threads

One newsletter → one X thread → one LinkedIn post, all from the same draft.

Free · $12.50/mo StandardAlts: Taplio
Real monthly cost
small
$25/mo
<2,500 subs
  • feedly$8
  • claude$20
  • beehiiv$0
  • typefully$0
medium
$72/mo
2,500–10k subs
  • feedly$8
  • claude$20
  • beehiiv$39
  • typefully$13
heavy
$245/mo
50k+ subs, daily issues
  • feedly$8
  • claude$80 API
  • beehiiv$129
  • typefully$28
Workflow
  1. 1
    Curate the weekFeedly

    Browse the Feedly Leo digest; star ~20 worth syncing.

  2. 2
    SynthesizeClaude

    Claude merges starred items into your section template.

    Prompt · Issue from starred items
    You are writing this week's issue of {{newsletter_name}}, a newsletter for {{audience}}. Voice: {{e.g. direct, mildly skeptical, light dry humor}}.
    
    Here are this week's starred articles:
    """
    {{paste feedly starred items: title, source, url, 1-line summary}}
    """
    
    Structure the issue using these sections (use this template every week):
    1. **The story** — the single most important item, 120 words, with a sharp lede and one specific number.
    2. **Three more worth your time** — bulleted, 35 words each, link in the bullet.
    3. **Worth a click** — 5 short links with 1-line context each.
    4. **One contrarian take** — pick the most against-the-grain item and steelman it in 80 words.
    
    Rules:
    - Never use "delve", "in the rapidly evolving landscape", "it's important to note", "navigating the complexities".
    - Every section opens with a specific noun, not a transition phrase.
    - No em dashes. Use commas, periods, or parentheses.
    - Cite source name inline, like "(Bloomberg, May 2)".
    
    Output the full issue as Markdown, ready to paste into Beehiiv.
  3. 3
    Edit and designBeehiiv

    Drop into Beehiiv. Use the same template every week.

  4. 4
    Promo loopTypefully

    Typefully thread + LinkedIn post draft; schedule for Tue 9am ET.

    Prompt · X thread + LinkedIn post from issue
    Take this newsletter issue:
    """
    {{paste full issue}}
    """
    
    Output two artifacts:
    
    1. **X thread** (5 to 7 posts, max 280 chars each)
       - Post 1: the hook from the lede, no "in today's newsletter"
       - Posts 2 to 6: one specific takeaway each, with a number or name
       - Final post: link to the issue with a one-line "why click"
    
    2. **LinkedIn post** (180 to 220 words)
       - First line is the hook, no warm-up
       - Plain text, no hashtags except 1 to 2 at the end
       - End with a link to the issue and a single concrete CTA
    
    No emojis in either. No em dashes.
  5. 5

    Send Tue 7am ET. Beehiiv recommendations, boosts, and ads kick in.

What it produced
'Latent Space', 2,800 subs, $0 → $1.4k MRR in 4 months

One issue/week, 90 minutes of writing time. Sponsorship rates lifted at 2k subs because the audience was tightly scoped to AI engineers.

Common pitfalls
Cold launch with no list

Beehiiv recommendations only kick in after ~500 subs. Plan for a 90-day cold start.

AI-flavored writing tells

Read every issue out loud before sending. Strip 'delve', 'in the rapidly evolving landscape', etc.

Niche too broad

'AI news' is dead on arrival. 'AI for HR teams in regulated industries' has a list.

Other ways to do AI newsletter
Curated by @rae-f
Updated weekly · last refresh: just now